Articles

November 3, 2024

Behind the US/Worldwide Weekend Box Office – 11.3.2024

 

OPENINGS:  Despite being the only high-profile arrival of the week, and having a pedigree and visual style that guaranteed it media attention, Robert Zemeckis’s HERE (Miramax/TriStar/Sony) bombed with $5M.  It’s been a tough decade for Zemeckis, once a maker of blockbuster hits, whose most recent moderate success was 2012’s FlightHere hasn’t opened overseas, but with its specifically American storyline, it’s hard to imagine a scenario where it makes its way out of red ink.

A pair of Indian-language releases had almost identical starts:   BHOOL BHULALYAA 3 (Shree) with $2.23M at 754 theaters, and SINGHAM AGAIN (Moviegoer) with $2.19M at 749.  Both made the majority of their revenues at home, respectively with $14M/$16M.

The animated HITPIG (Viva) was quiet with $1.6M at 2055 theaters, a weekend per-theater average under $800.

The latest Liam Neeson venicle ABSOLUTION (Goldwyn) paused on its way to home video with $1.4M at 1537.

LOST ON A MOUNTAIN IN MAINE (Blue Fox) was indeed lost with under $400K at 630.

HOLDOVERS:  The absence of any effective new product was fantastic news for everything already in the market.  VENOM: THE LAST DANCE (Marvel/Columbia/Sony) dipped just 49% to $26M, the best Weekend 2 hold of the franchise–and given next week’s newcomers, it may well continue to be fairly steady.  The Last Dance is still unlikely to match the $213M US total of its predecessors, but $175M wouldn’t be bad at all.  The trilogy conclusion remained an overperformer internationally, with $227M ($70.6M of that from China) after a $68.4M weekend in 66 markets.

Amazingly, the 6th weekend of THE WILD ROBOT (DreamWorks Animation/Universal, also on VOD) climbed 11% to $7.6M, and could pass $140M in the US.  The overseas total is $147.6M after a $15.8M weekend in 79 territories.

SMILE 2 (Paramount) shed 29% to $6.8M, on its way to $75M in the US, which would be down about 30% from the original.  It also has $57.1M internationally after an $8.7M weekend in 67 markets.

WE LIVE IN TIME (A24) was down 28% to $3.5M in its 4th weekend, and may break the $25M barrier that’s been the recent high water mark for non-genre indies.  It’s still barely in overseas release.

TERRIFIER 3 (Cineverse) lost 32% to $3.2M in its 4th weekend, potentially on its way to $60M in the US.  It also has $12.9M internationally.

BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE (Warners, also on VOD) declined 33% to $2.1M, and still may or may not reach $300M in the US.  The lower overseas number is $153.1M.

LIMITED RELEASE:  ANORA (Neon) expanded to 253 theaters with a $7500 average, more than double the per-theater average Past Lives had at 296.  Anora also has $2.4M overseas.  A REAL PAIN (Searchlight/Disney) debuted with a strong $60K average at 4 in NY/LA.  LUTHER: NEVER TOO MUCH (Drafthouse) averaged $16K at 9.  MEMOIR OF A SNAIL (IFC) widened to 24 with a $3K average.  DAHOMEY (MUBI) averaged $1500 at 9.  JUROR #2 (Warners) is a truly strange case:  Warners isn’t reporting box office for its token US release–although it’s been claimed to have averaged about $7-8K at 35 theaters–but the studio is providing overseas results, where the film has $5M in 6 markets.  (Another token release, BLITZ (Apple), has according to 3rd parties averaged $20K in 3.)

NEXT WEEKEND:  Another mild set of indies awaits, with the comedy THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER (Lionsgate), thriller HERETIC (A24), and anime OVERLORD: THE SACRED KINGDOM (Sony).

 



About the Author

Mitch Salem
MITCH SALEM has worked on the business side of the entertainment industry for 20 years, as a senior business affairs executive and attorney for such companies as NBC, ABC, USA, Syfy, Bravo, and BermanBraun Productions, and before that, at the NY law firm of Weil, Gotshal & Manges. During all that, he has more or less constantly been going to the movies and watching TV, and writing about both since the 1980s. His film reviews also currently appear on screened.com and the-burg.com. In addition, he is co-writer of an episode of the television series "Felicity."