Articles

November 10, 2018
 

EARLY FRIDAY BOX OFFICE: “The Grinch” Steals Weekend, “Overlord” & “Spider’s Web” Slow

 

After last weekend’s misfired The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, THE GRINCH (Illumination/Universal) is kicking off the family holiday movie season in a bigger way.  Early numbers at Deadline have opening day at $18.3M (including $2.2M from Thursday night), which should mean a $64M weekend, plus more on Monday, since many schools are closed for Veterans Day.  That would be almost 20% more than the unadjusted 3-day start for 2000’s How The Grinch Stole Christmas, which opened in mid-November and legged it through the holidays for a $260M US total (although since that was a different era for international releases, only $85.1M overseas).  It remains to be seen whether this Grinch can show that kind of staying power–Madagascar 2 opened at $63M in early November 2008 and reached a more sedate $180M (plus a far bigger $423.9M overseas), but with around $175M in production/marketing costs, there should certainly be significant profits here.

BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY (Regency/20th) had a solid hold, down 53% from last Friday to $8.8M.  That’s a bit steeper than the 46% Friday-to-Friday drop for the 2nd weekend of A Star Is Born, and should mean a $30M weekend, putting Rhapsody on track for $160M in the US.

OVERLORD (Paramount) had a dull opening with $3.9M on Friday ($900K of it from Thursday night), for a $10M weekend.  It will need to show some fire overseas to get beyond breakeven on roughly $100M in production/marketing costs.

THE NUTCRACKER AND THE FOUR REALMS (Disney) fell 58% from last Friday to $2.5M and might reach $10M for the weekend, on its way to $55M in the US, which won’t make much of a dent in its $225M of total costs.

THE GIRL IN THE SPIDER’S WEB (MGM/Regency/Columbia/Sony) provides this week’s spectacle of the various production companies all claiming that the others will be bearing the brunt of the inevitable losses.  With $3.1M on Friday ($600K from Thursday night), it may only earn $8M for the weekend, and it has at least $100M in costs.

The word of mouth continues to be red-hot for A STAR IS BORN (MGM/Warners), down just 28% to $2.3M on its 6th Friday, for an $8M weekend and a US total that now seems likely to pass $190M.

NOBODY’S FOOL (Paramount) fell a heavy 61% from last Friday to $1.8M, and may reach $6.5M for the weekend, on its way to $35M in the US, toward the bottom of Tyler Perry’s record as a director.

VENOM (Tencent/Columbia/Sony) dipped 35% on its 6th Friday to $1.3M, heading for a $5M weekend and $215M in the US.

THE HATE U GIVE (20th) lost another chunk of theatres and dropped 42% from last Friday to $500K.  It might get to $2M for the weekend, and is still heading for $30M in the US.

THE FRONT RUNNER (Columbia/Sony) had a dim opening in 4 theatres on Election Day, and things aren’t improving for the weekend, with a lousy $10K per-theatre weekend average.

 

 



About the Author

Mitch Salem
MITCH SALEM has worked on the business side of the entertainment industry for 20 years, as a senior business affairs executive and attorney for such companies as NBC, ABC, USA, Syfy, Bravo, and BermanBraun Productions, and before that, at the NY law firm of Weil, Gotshal & Manges. During all that, he has more or less constantly been going to the movies and watching TV, and writing about both since the 1980s. His film reviews also currently appear on screened.com and the-burg.com. In addition, he is co-writer of an episode of the television series "Felicity."