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February 2, 2020
 

Behind the US/Worldwide Weekend Box Office – 2.2.2020

 

OPENINGS:  A Super Bowl weekend opening generally doesn’t indicate studio confidence, and GRETEL & HANSEL (UA/MGM) started its box office life with a pale $6.1M weekend.  It probably won’t get much past $15M in the US, and even though it had very low production/marketing costs, it can’t expect to see profit.

The combined production and worldwide marketing costs for THE RHYTHM SECTION (Global Road/Paramount) were in the neighborhood of $100M, and the historically bad $2.8M US opening–the worst ever for a launch in over 3000 theatres–means that no matter what happens internationally (where it has yet to open), this will leave a river of red ink in its wake.

HOLDOVERS:  BAD BOYS FOR LIFE (Columbia/Sony), with no real competition, dropped 48% in its 3rd weekend to $17.7M, and could reach $185M in the US.  It also has $142.7M overseas after a $30.8M weekend in 63 markets, with Italy still to open and with China a huge question mark for the entire industry.

With a week to go until the Oscars, the presumptive favorite 1917 (Universal) lost 39% to $9.7M, and if it succeeds in picking up the big prize next weekend, it could get to $150M+ in the US.  Overseas, it’s at $129.8M after a $20.9M weekend in 61 territories, with China pending.

If DOLITTLE (Perfect World/Universal) hadn’t been insanely expensive, it wouldn’t look so bad, with a 37% drop to $7.7M in its 3rd weekend, and a possible $75M US total.  Of course, that would barely chip away at its $300M costs, and that’s true overseas as well, where it’s at $71.4M after a $17.7M weekend in 63 markets that don’t include France, Brazil, Russia, Japan or of course China.

THE GENTLEMEN (Miramax/STX) lost 44% to $6M in its 2nd weekend, and might reach a mild $35M in the US.  It has $28M overseas, after a $4M weekend in only 12 territories.

JUMANJI: THE NEXT LEVEL (Columbia/Sony) continues to show great word of mouth, down just 22% to $6M in its 8th weekend, and on track to pass $300M in the US.  It’s even stronger overseas, where it has $463.6M after a $5.3M weekend in 58 markets.

STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER (Lucasfilm/Disney) dropped 43% to $3.2M in its 7th weekend, on its way to $515M in the US.  It has $551M overseas after a $3.2M weekend in 32 territories, and its global $1.058B puts it at #8 among 2019 releases, with a chance of passing Joker‘s $1.071B and Toy Story 4‘s $1.073B.

THE TURNING (Focus/Universal) fell 56% to $3.1M from last week’s opening, and it probably won’t see $20M in the US.  It has $2.3M overseas after a $800K weekend in 7 territories.

LITTLE WOMEN (Columbia/Sony) is poised, somewhat remarkably, to go over the $100M mark in the US next week, after a 35% Week 7 drop to $3M.  It’s similarly healthy overseas, where it’s at $64.1M after a $7.5M weekend in 47 markets, with a significant amount of the world still to open.

LIMITED RELEASE:  THE ASSISTANT (Bleecker Street) premiered with an OK $21K per-theatre weekend average at 4 NY/LA arthouses.  The OSCAR-NOMINATED SHORT FILMS (Magnolia), which is actually 3 separate programs, had a cumulative $2400 average at 460 theatres.  THE TRAITOR (Sony Classics) averaged $8500 at 3.  INCITEMENT (Greenwich) averaged $11K at 2.

NEXT WEEKEND:  2020’s first tentpole is BIRDS OF PREY (AND THE FANTABULOUS EMANCIPATION OF ONE HARLEY QUINN) (DC/Warners), which will have the weekend to itself.



About the Author

Mitch Salem
MITCH SALEM has worked on the business side of the entertainment industry for 20 years, as a senior business affairs executive and attorney for such companies as NBC, ABC, USA, Syfy, Bravo, and BermanBraun Productions, and before that, at the NY law firm of Weil, Gotshal & Manges. During all that, he has more or less constantly been going to the movies and watching TV, and writing about both since the 1980s. His film reviews also currently appear on screened.com and the-burg.com. In addition, he is co-writer of an episode of the television series "Felicity."