Articles

June 18, 2014
 

Weekend Box Office Predictions JUNE 20-22

Weekend #25 of 2014 is looking like a limp $146 million for the top 12 films this weekend, 10% below the norm for this weekend and 37% below the same weekend last year, which featured two strong openers (Monsters University and World War Z).  This year’s two major openers are not the stuff of commercial greatness.

Opening at a modest 2,200+ theaters Friday (slightly below the 2,886 average theater count for opening weekends the last two years), Think Like a Man Too from Sony should average a very solid $16,000 per theater for the weekend (for a $35.0 million opening weekend). [The average wide-release film the past two years has had a three-day opening weekend of $5,300 per theater for a $14.5 million weekend.] Early reviews at RottenTomatoes are nowhere to be found. Think Like a Man Too is on track for around $95 million domestic. Overseas the film could gross about $5 million, giving it a worldwide box office target of $100 million. The original Think Like a Man was released April 20, 2012, had a 53% positive review score at RottenTomatoes, and grossed $91.5 million domestic, $4.5 million overseas and $96.1 million worldwide.

Opening at over 3,100 theaters Friday, Jersey Boys from Warner Brothers and director Clint Eastwood should average a low $3,900 per theater for the weekend (for a $12.0 million opening weekend). Critical sentiment is mediocre: only 56% positive so far. Jersey Boys is on track for around $34 million domestic, with a potential for around another $20 million total overseas. Worldwide box office target: $54 million.

Also opening from A24 is The Rover starring Robert Pattinson and Guy Pearce.  It will struggle to make the top 10 or top 12 with an opening of well under $2 million.

 

NEW FILMS THIS WEEKEND

June 20-22, 2014

Critics Positive ($ millions)
Opening Weekend Forecast Domestic Total Projection
Think Like a Man Too Sony PG13 n/a 35.0 95
Jersey Boys WB R 56% 12.0 34
Note: Although critic reviews are not related to the size of the opening weekend, they are significantly correlated with the size of the declines in the opening weeks of a movie. The Domestic Total is a very early ShowBuzzDaily projection of the total North American gross, based on the Weekend Forecasts.

 

Among the holdovers, How to Train Your Dragon 2 and 22 Jump Street should be extremely close to each other in their second weekend, battling for second place overall behind Think Like a Man TooMaleficent and Edge of Tomorrow should hang on for one more weekend above $10 million.

RETURNING FILMS

June 20-22, 2014

Change vs Last Weekend ($ millions)
Weekend Forecast Showbuzz Domestic Final Proj.
How to Train Your Dragon 2 Fox -43% 28.2 165
22 Jump Street Sony -51% 28.2 180
Maleficent Dis -37% 11.8 218
Edge of Tomorrow WB -39% 10.1 100
The Fault in Our Stars Fox -43% 8.4 110
X-Men: Days of Future Past Fox -40% 5.9 232
Godzilla WB -44% 1.9 198
A Million Ways to Die in the West Uni -48% 1.7 44

 

Box Office Volume

For the past four years, the top 12 films this weekend have averaged $161 million total, ranking 10th of 52 weeks. Last year, this weekend’s total was $232 million (while 2012 was $157 million, 2011 was $170 million and 2010 was $157 million). This Friday-Sunday is looking like $146 million, down -10% from the multi-year average for the comparable weekend and down a larger -37% from the same weekend last year.

 

This Weekend Last Two Years

6.21.2013

Monsters University Dis G
Opening Weekend — Forecast: $79 Actual: $82
Domestic Gross — Estimate: $297 Actual: $268
International — Estimate: n/a Actual: $475

World War Z Par PG13 Brad Pitt Mireille Enos
Opening Weekend — Forecast: $45 Actual: $66
Domestic Gross — Estimate: $200 Actual: $202
International — Estimate: n/a Actual: $338

The Bling Ring A24 R Emma Watson Leslie Mann
Opening Weekend — Forecast: $2 Actual: $2
Domestic Gross — Estimate: $8 Actual: $6
International — Estimate: n/a Actual: $13

6.22.2012

Brave DIS PG
Opening Weekend — Forecast: $60 Actual: $66
Domestic Gross — Estimate: $224 Actual: $237
International — Estimate: n/a Actual: $298

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter FOX R Benjamin Walker Dominic Cooper
Opening Weekend — Forecast: $17 Actual: $16
Domestic Gross — Estimate: $42 Actual: $37
International — Estimate: n/a Actual: $79

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World FOCR Steve Carell Keira Knightly
Opening Weekend — Forecast: $7 Actual: $4
Domestic Gross — Estimate: $9 Actual: $7
International — Estimate: n/a Actual: $3

 

Check back throughout the weekend for box office updates as the actual numbers come in.



About the Author

Mitch Metcalf
MITCH METCALF has been tracking every US film release of over 500 screens (over 2300 movies and counting) since the storied weekend of May 20, 1994, when Maverick and Beverly Hills Cop 3 inspired countless aficionados to devote their lives to the art of cinema. Prior to that, he studied Politics and Economics at Princeton in order to prepare for his dream of working in television. He has been Head of West Coast Research at ABC, then moved to NBC in 2000 and became Head of Scheduling for 11 years.