Behind the US/Worldwide Weekend Box Office – 12.4.2022

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OPENINGS:  VIOLENT NIGHT (Universal) slightly overperformed with $13.3M in the US, and with its $20M production budget, it may be headed for breakeven or perhaps moderate profit.  However, worldwide marketing costs are likely to add another $40M+ to that tally, and the thriller had much less appeal overseas, with $7.1M in 72 territories.

The very different holiday-themed I HEARD THE BELLS (Fathom) was aimed at Christian audiences and had a subdued $1.8M weekend at 955 theaters.  It’s so far US-only.

THE QUINTESSENTIAL QUINTUPLETS MOVIE (Crunchyroll) was significantly under other recent anime releases with $500K at 910 theaters.  It already has $16.7M overseas, almost all of it from Japan.

HOLDOVERS:  BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER (Marvel/Disney) dropped 61% from last week’s holiday weekend to $17.6M, and may reach $450M in the US.  That would make it the #2 movie of 2022 behind Top Gun: Maverick (with Avatar 2 still in the wings), but down 35% from its predecessor.  (By comparison, Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness was 77% higher than the first in its series.)  Overseas, Wakanda Forever has $339.3M after a $20.2M weekend in all major markets where it’s expected to open.

Nothing improved for STRANGE WORLD (Disney), with a 60% drop to $4.9M, and a US total unlikely to get much past $40M on $250M in production/marketing costs.  Its international total is even more anemic at $16.8M.

THE MENU (Searchlight/Disney) had the best hold in the Top 10, down 35% to $3.6M in its 3rd weekend, on its way to a modest $35M in the US.  It has $22.5M overseas.

DEVOTION (Black Label/Columbia/Sony) fell 53% to $2.8M, and a $25M US total would be disastrous for a period war story that reportedly cost $90M just for production.  It’s had a negligible overseas release thus far.

BLACK ADAM (DC/New Line/Warners) is nearing the end of its run, down 49% to $1.7M in its 7th weekend, and headed for $170M in the US.  Although it’s been more popular overseas with $219M, that still may not be enough for an expensive franchise play.

The box office picture for awards contenders hasn’t been pretty, and in that context THE FABELMANS (Universal) didn’t look so bad, down 43% to $1.3M at just 638 theaters, a per-theater $2100 weekend average.  The question is how long Universal will keep it exclusively in theaters, when the studio typically has a 17-day policy on its non-blockbuster releases.  It’s barely opened internationally.

On a per-theater basis, BONES AND ALL (UA/MGM/Amazon) was far dimmer, down 47% to $1.2M (a $400 average).  It’s also earned $4.5M overseas.

It was probably more about awards awareness than box office to re-release TOP GUN: MAVERICK (Paramount) in 1864 theaters just prior to its streaming premiere.  Its moment seemed to have passed, and it found only $700K.

LIMITED RELEASE:  SPOILER ALERT (Focus/Universal) opened at 6 theaters with a quiet $14.2K weekend per-theater average.  THE ETERNAL DAUGHTER (A24) averaged $1200 at 29.  DECIBEL (Wide Lens) averaged $1200 at 21.  The documentary LOWNDES COUNTY AND THE ROAD TO BLACK POWER (Greenwich) averaged $800 at 6.  THE INSPECTION (A24) expanded to 138 with a $600 average.  ALL THE BEAUTY AND THE BLOODSHED (Neon) widened to 10 and averaged $3500.  EO (Sideshow) averaged $4700 at 6.  LEONOR WILL NEVER DIE (Greenwich) had a $700 average at 8.

NEXT WEEKEND:  There are no new wide openings scheduled for the final pre-Avatar weekend, but THE WHALE (A24) and EMPIRE OF LIGHT (Searchlight/Disney) will be the latest awards hopefuls to start limited release.