OPENINGS: TRANSFORMERS: RISE OF THE BEASTS (Hasbro/Paramount) launched at the higher end of tracking expectations with $60.5M. Beasts is a much bigger-budgeted effort than its immediate predecessor, 2018’s Bumblebee (which opened with $21.7M but had a 6x multiple thanks to word of mouth and the dynamics of the Christmas box office). More impressively, Beasts outearned June 2017’s Last Knight, which started with $44.7M. Last Knight finished at $130.2M in the US, so Beasts should do better than that, although it will face direct competition (and loss of many of its premium-ticket venues) in just a week when The Flash arrives. The Transformers franchise overperforms internationally (79% of Last Knight‘s global total was earned overseas), and Beasts took in $110M in 68 territories, $40M of that from China.
HOLDOVERS: SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE (Marvel/Sony Animation) dropped a reasonable 54% to $55.4M from last week’s opening. That’s consistent with the 53% Weekend 2 drop for Into the Spider-Verse, and above-average compared to the live-action superhero norm. With a total to date of $225.4M, Across has already outgrossed the entire $190.2M domestic run of Into, and could get to $350M+ in the US. Overseas, Across has $164.5M after a $47M weekend, and by next weekend it should easily pass Into‘s $185.3M international total.
In the US, THE LITTLE MERMAID (Disney) continued to closely track Aladdin‘s box office, down 45% to $22.3M and with a $228.8M US total after 3 weekends (Aladdin dropped 42% to $24.7M in Weekend 3 for a $232.6M total). The challenge begins next week, when Aladdin went on an 8-weekend streak where it didn’t drop more than 34% in any weekend. If Little Mermaid isn’t as steady, it could be the difference between a $300M US total and Aladdin‘s $355.6M. Internationally, there’s no comparison: Mermaid has $185.4M after a $30M weekend in 52 territories, with no chance of approaching Aladdin‘s $695.1M.
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL 3 (Marvel/Disney) lost 34% to $7M in its 6th weekend, still on track for a $355M US total, midway between the previous 2 installments. It has $470.5M overseas after a $6.7M weekend in 52 markets, and should narrowly beat its predecessors.
THE BOOGEYMAN (20th/Disney) had a strong hold for the horror genre, down 44% to $6.9M from last week’s premiere, and on track for $45M in the US. However, it’s lower internationally with $14.9M after a $4.2M weekend in 50 territories, and with a relatively high budget for the genre, it may not get past breakeven.
FAST X (Universal) declined 46% to $5.2M in its 4th weekend, on its way to $155M in the US, which would be down 10% from F9. But 79% of its worldwide total comes from overseas, where it has $514.7M after a $20.6M weekend in 84 markets, and it may squeeze past F9‘s $553.2M international total.
THE SUPER MARIO BROS MOVIE (Illumination/Universal also on VOD) dipped 37% to $2.1M in its 10th weekend, headed toward $575M in the US. The enormous overseas total is $744.7M after a $5.8M weekend in 81 territories.
LIMITED RELEASE: PAST LIVES (A24) expanded nicely to 26 theaters with a $20K weekend per-theater average, not too far below the $28.4K average Everything Everywhere All At Once had in its 2nd weekend at 38. MENDING THE LINE (Blue Fox) opened at 403 with a $600 average. THE ANGRY BLACK GIRL AND HER MONSTER (RLJE) had a $900 average at 56. IT AIN’T OVER (Sony) widened to 61 with a $600 average.
NEXT WEEKEND: An unusually busy stretch, with a trio of wide releases: THE FLASH (DC/Warners), ELEMENTAL (Pixar/Disney) and THE BLACKENING (Lionsgate). In addition, Wes Anderson’s ASTEROID CITY (Focus/Universal) starts a brief platform run before going wide the following weekend.
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