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 Flight. Here 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).
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