OPENINGS: What are we to make of the $23M start for KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON (Paramount/Apple)? As serious 3+hour historical epics go, while it’s a small fraction of Oppenheimer‘s $82.5M launch, it’s better than the $22M 5-day opening for House of Gucci, and the $18.4M for 2013’s Scorsese/DiCaprio The Wolf of Wall Street (although that film opened into the rich holiday corridor and had earned $63.1M by its 2nd weekend). Flower Moon can fairly be said to have had a solid kick-off in terms of its target audience, but its prospects of earning back its huge $300M or so in production/marketing costs are slim. (The $21M from 63 international territories didn’t bode well for an overseas rescue.) The aggressive spin has been that a 9-figure loss here would be perfectly fine, because it’s Apple putting up the money (Paramount is a distributor-for-hire), and that’s pocket change for them, easily justifiable as a marketing expense for their streaming service, where Flower Moon will end up. All of that is possible, but it seems like a rickety structure for the future of adult-oriented dramas. One thing that will certainly matter for Flower Moon will be its fate in awards season, which begins in earnest in a few weeks.
A holiday re-release of THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS (Disney) found an audience to the tune of $4.1M.
HOLDOVERS: Among the experimental aspects of the TAYLOR SWIFT: THE ERAS TOUR (Variance/AMC Theaters) release was removal from the market after opening weekend, to return the following Thursday. If that was meant to cushion the Weekend 2 drop, it didn’t really work, as Eras Tour fell 67% to $31M, worse than the drop for Justin Bieber: Never Say Never (54%), and consistent with the 67% for Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds. Nevertheless, Eras Tour continued to add to its coffers as the highest-grossing concert movie in history, now at $129.8M in the US and likely to top $150M. International results for Weekend 2 haven’t been reported as of yet.
THE EXORCIST: BELIEVER (Morgan Creek/Blumhouse/Universal) took another sizable hit, down 49% to $5.6M in its 3rd weekend, and on its way to an OK $70M in the US. It’s running steady overseas, with $53.4M to date.
PAW PATROL: THE MIGHTY MOVIE (Nickelodeon/Paramount) dipped 35% to $4.5M in its 4th weekend, and should reach $70M+ in the US. It’s much bigger internationally with $92.3M.
SAW X (Lionsgate, also on VOD) lost 37% to $3.6M in its 4th weekend, and it may reach $60M in the US. Things are slower overseas with $31.1M thus far.
THE CREATOR (20th/Disney) dropped 40% to $2.6M in its 4th weekend, and may not hit $45M in the US. It’s only a bit higher overseas with $53.9M.
A HAUNTING IN VENICE (20th/Disney) was down 44% to $1.1M in its 6th weekend, still on track for $45M in the US. The international total is higher with $72M.
THE BLIND (Fathom) fell 49% to $1M in its 4th weekend, and may run out of steam before hitting $20M in the US. It hasn’t been released overseas.
LIMITED RELEASE: Like so many indies of this era, DICKS: THE MUSICAL (A24) couldn’t sustain an expansion to near-wide release, averaging $1100 at 345 theaters. ANATOMY OF A FALL (Neon) widened to 14 with an $11K average. SOUL MATES (Faith Media) averaged $500 at 201. THE PERSIAN VERSION (Sony Classics) opened with an $8700 average at 9. COMMON GROUND (Area 23) expanded to 19 with a $1K average. DIVINITY (Utopia) averaged $3300 at 3.
NEXT WEEKEND: Halloween brings with it FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY’S (Blumhouse/Universal, also on Peacock). Limited releases begin for awards hopefuls THE HOLDOVERS (Focus/Universal) and PRISCILLA (A24).
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