OPENINGS: FORD VS. FERRARI (20th/Disney) had a strong start with $31M, and will hope to extend its run through the holidays and into Oscar season based on its initially older-skewing audience and excellent reviews and exit polls. The only caution is that FvF was pricey for a non-IP project, with around $200M in production/marketing […]
OPENINGS: MIDWAY (AGC/Bona/Lionsgate) was mildly ahead of expectations with $17.5M in the US, and it should perform well on Veterans Day Monday. However, with around $150M in production and worldwide marketing costs, a $60M US total would leave it with a steep uphill climb to reach profitability. Early overseas results weren’t particularly promising at […]
OPENINGS: The entertainment business revolves these days around IP, but not all franchises are created equal, and there turned out to be a thunderous lack of interest in TERMINATOR: DARK FATE (Skydance/Tencent/20th/Disney/Paramount), which opened to just $29M in the US against production/marketing costs of $300M+. A big-budget action epic in that predicament normally hopes […]
OPENINGS: MALEFICENT: MISTRESS OF EVIL (Disney) had a weak $36M start in the US, down 48% from the $69.4 opening of the first Maleficent 3 years ago. If Mistress of Evil manages the same multiple as its predecessor, it could reach $125M in the US, but that may be a stretch, because Maleficent opened […]
OPENINGS: THE ADDAMS FAMILY (BRON/MGM) proved to be a still-fertile source of IP with a solid $30.3M US start, and the cartoon should benefit from closed schools on Columbus Day for a robust 4-day weekend total. Production costs were reportedly on the low end of animation, so a 3x multiple to $90M should go […]
OPENINGS: ABOMINABLE (Pearl/DreamWorks/Universal) seized a weekend on the calendar that had a dearth of new children’s movies (and with 2 weeks until The Addams Family opens), and pushed it to a fair $20.9M opening. However, with roughly $150M in costs, it will need international help to reach profit, and since weekend results were at […]
OPENINGS: Labor Day weekend is traditionally Hollywood’s graveyard, and no major studio touched the holiday with a fresh arrival. DON’T LET GO (Blumhouse Tilt/OTL) tried to take advantage of the quiet, with a $2.4M start in 922 theatres, which should go to $3M with Monday. Even considering its very low production/marketing budget, this will probably end […]
OPENINGS: ANGEL HAS FALLEN (Millenium/Lionsgate) smartly picked a weekend to open that was far enough away from Hobbs & Shaw with its larger and overlapping audience, and near enough to the end of summer to keep the competition sparse The result was a solid $21.3M opening, almost the equal of the last franchise installment […]