The lack of strong new competition is certainly helping, as is the Wednesday opening that kept last Friday down a bit, but nevertheless, the Weekend 2 hold for CRAZY RICH ASIANS (SK Global/Warners) is on track to be extraordinary. Preliminary numbers at Deadline have a 4% Friday-to-Friday drop to $7M, which would give it a $24M weekend at worst, suggesting an ultimate $125M+ in the US. Depending on how one defines the genre, that would put it in Top 20 territory among rom-coms.
THE MEG (Gravity/Warners) is holding well too for its B-movie genre. Its 3rd Friday was down 44% to $3.2M, for an $11.5M weekend that also puts it in line for $125M in the US (on far higher production costs than Crazy Rich Asians).
The best opening the weekend could muster belongs to THE HAPPYTIME MURDERS (H Brothers/BlackBear/STX), which had a weak $4M Friday and might reach $11M for the weekend. That will be the lowest opening of Melissa McCarthy’s starring career, and with production/marketing costs that will approach $100M, only unexpected success overseas would be able to salvage the project.
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FALLOUT (Skydance/Alibaba/Paramount) is holding like a champ, down 27% on its 5th Friday to $2.2M for an $8M weekend that suggests it may reach $210M in the US, ahead of Rogue Nation and neck-and-neck with Ghost Protocol for the #2 slot of the franchise.
ALPHA (Studio 8/Sony/Columbia) fell 52% from its opening Friday to $1.6M, and may have a $6M weekend as it heads to a dismal $30M in the US.
MILE 22 (Hideaway/H Brothers/STX) dropped an awful 70% Friday-to-Friday to $1.6M, on its way to a $5M weekend and $35M in the US.
CHRISTOPHER ROBIN (Disney) didn’t live up to last week’s 28% Friday-to-Friday drop, down 42% to $1.6M for a likely $5.5M weekend, with a chance of reaching $90M in the US.
BLACKKLANSMAN (Focus/Universal) had a solid hold, down 29% on its 3rd Friday (with the help of a theatre bump of about 7%) to $1.4M for a $5M weekend, heading toward $40M in the US.
SLENDER MAN (Sony/Screen Gems) dropped an OK 45% on its 3rd Friday to $800K, with a $2.5M weekend in its sights as it continues toward $30M in the US.
The weekend’s other wide openings were ugly. AXL (Global Road) will do no favors for its troubled studio’s finances, with an $800K Friday and a weekend that might reach $2.5M.
Barely in wide release at 544 theatres, PAPILLON (Bleecker Street) is slowly heading to a $1M weekend.
SEARCHING (Sony/Screen Gems) is starting well in 9 theatres with a possible $30K weekend per-theatre average ahead.
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