Behind the US/Worldwide Weekend Box Office – 12.11.2022

• Tweet
• Email

• Tweet
• Email

OPENINGS:  The combination of the typically low early-December box office and the approach of Avatar 2 dissuaded the studios from introducing any new product this week.  The closest thing to a wide release in the US was the expansion of SPOILER ALERT (Focus/Universal) to 783 theaters, where it fared badly with $700K, averaging $900 per theater for the weekend.

Overseas, PUSS IN BOOTS: THE LAST WISH (DreamWorks Animation/Universal) opened in 24 markets in advance of its December 21 US release with $8.9M, and it will look to hold the family audience through and past the holidays.

HOLDOVERS:  In the continued absence of any serious competition, BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER (Marvel/Disney) stayed on top for the 5th time, and like all the other holdovers it had a very moderate weekly drop-off, down 37% to $11.1M, and may reach $450M in the US with the holiday season boost.  It also has $358M overseas after an $11.8M weekend in 50 territories.  If Wakanda Forever hits $850M worldwide, it will be down 38% from the first Black Panther.

VIOLENT NIGHT (Universal) lost just 35% to $8.7M, a fine result for an R-rated genre item, and it might pass $50M in the US before it’s done.  It has $15.1M overseas after a $4.6M weekend in 75 markets.

STRANGE WORLD (Disney) stabilized with a 29% drop to $3.6M in its 3rd weekend, but at that level it won’t get much past $40M, woefully below its costs.  The international result was no better, with $23M after a $3.7M weekend in 43 territories.

THE MENU (Searchlight/Disney) dipped just 22% to $2.7M in its 4th weekend, and might get as high as $40M in the US, although that may not be enough to justify its $60M production/marketing costs.  It has $28.7M overseas after a $3.6M weekend in 51 markets.

DEVOTION (Black Label/Columbia/Sony) declined 27% in its 3rd weekend, but its $2M weekend puts it on track for perhaps $25M in the US, not nearly enough to recoup its $125M+ production/marketing costs.  It still hasn’t had a meaningful international release.

The suddenly controversial BLACK ADAM (DC/New Line/Warners) dropped 14% to $1.3M in its 8th weekend, on its way to $170M in the US.  Its overseas total is $222M after a $1.5M weekend in 73 territories.  Here’s what can be said about its profitability on a likely $400M worldwide total:  the fact that Warners controls the film’s pay TV/streaming rights in-house means that it will largely determine itself whether Black Adam goes on the books with a small loss or a small profit, and either result will represent a major disappointment.

THE FABELMANS (Universal) expanded its theater count by over 50% to 973 in advance of Tuesday’s VOD release, and slipped 7% to $1.2M, headed for around $10M in US theaters, with a negligible overseas release thus far.

LIMITED RELEASE:  In a rare piece of good news for the awards circuit, THE WHALE (A24) launched at 6 NY/LA theaters with a $60K per-theater weekend average, surpassing Everything Everywhere All At Once‘s $50K for the best average of the year.  (The asterisks:  The Whale was boosted by in-theater celebrity Q&As on both coasts, and Everything Everywhere opened in 10 theaters, so its all-in weekend total was higher.)  However, EMPIRE OF LIGHT (Searchlight/Disney) began its campaign weakly with a $1500 average at 110.  The horror movie THE MEAN ONE (Atlas) averaged $1200 at 162.  ALL THE BEAUTY AND THE BLOODSHED (Neon) widened to 35 with a $2K average.  EO (Sideshow/Janus) averaged $2800 at 14.

NEXT WEEKEND:  No one will even try to counterprogram the behemoth that AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER (20th/Disney) is expected to be.