The combined box office for John Krasinski’s first two films as director, Brief Interviews With Hideous Men and The Hollars, was barely over $1M. But overnight, Krasinski is a bankable Hollywood director thanks to A QUIET PLACE (Par), which according to preliminary numbers at Deadline took in $19M on opening day ($4.3M from Thursday night). That should get it to at least $47M by Sunday, possibly even $50M+ depending on word of mouth. Quiet Place has had a pricey marketing campaign (including a Super Bowl ad) despite its low production budget, so total costs may be in the range of $100M, but with that kind of start, substantial profits are all but certain.
READY PLAYER ONE (Village Roadshow/Warners) had a standard Friday-to-Friday drop of 57% to $6.5M, on its way to a $22M weekend and a US box office total that might reach $140M. With $300M+ in costs, that won’t be good enough, and the movie’s mixed blessing is that it’s a giant hit mostly in China, which makes the total gross look high but pays only 25 cents on the dollar to the studio.
BLOCKERS (Good Universe/Universal) had a fair $7.4M opening day, better than Game Night‘s $5.6M, and it should have a $20M weekend, putting it in middling shape in terms of eventual profit on moderate costs. Much will depend on whether its humor travels well abroad.
BLACK PANTHER (Marvel/Disney) continued its climb to the #3 slot in the US all-time box office list, which it should reach by Sunday. It was down just 28% from last Friday in its 8th weekend, with $2.4M for the day and a likely $9M weekend, now with $680M in its sights.
Tyler Perry’s movies tend to burn out fast, and that was true as well for ACRIMONY (Lionsgate), down 68% from last Friday to $2.3M, with a $8M weekend ahead. It’s heading for $45M in the US, keeping it on the lower end of Perry’s box office record.
I CAN ONLY IMAGINE (Roadside), in its 4th weekend, continued to add theatres to cushion declines, now at 2894 (it started at 1629). It nevertheless fell 44% from last Friday to $2.1M, and should have a $7M weekend, on track for $80M in the US, which would put it behind only Heaven Is For Real among non-blockbuster Christian titles.
CHAPPAQUIDDICK (Entertainment Studios) had a sleepy $1.9M Friday, and is heading for a $5M weekend and a short run in theatres.
SHERLOCK GNOMES (MGM/Par) was hit hard by the end of spring school vacations, down 53% from last Friday to $1.4M, for a weekend that might get to $5M and a US total that probably won’t reach $45M.
PACIFIC RIM: UPRISING (Legendary/Universal) kept dropping, down 61% on its 3rd Friday to $1.2M for a $4M weekend and a US total likely to peter out before $65M, which would be down 45% from the first Pacific Rim. It’s another expensive action product that may not be able to find profit from an audience based mostly in China.
THE MIRACLE SEASON (LD) opened with a woebegone $1.2M Friday, and may not reach $4M for the weekend on its way to home viewing.
ISLE OF DOGS (Fox Searchlight) expanded to barely-wide release at 554 theatres with $1.2M on Friday, which might get it to a $7K per-theatre average for the weekend, comparable to the $8600 average Moonrise Kingdom had at 395, on its way to $45.5M in the US.
YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE (Amazon) is heading for an unremarkable $16K per-theatre average at 4 NY/LA arthouses.
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