Behind the US/Worldwide Weekend Box Office – 2.2.2020

• Tweet
• Email

• Tweet
• Email

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.