Based on Friday’s grosses, weekend #49 of 2014 looks like $69 million for the top 12 films Friday-Sunday, down 11% the norm for this weekend ($78 million) and down 20% from the same weekend last year.
Opening at a mere 589 theaters, The Pyramid from 20th Century Fox is on track for a $1.0 million opening three-day weekend (no ShowBuzzDaily forecasts this weekend with which to compare). The film is pacing toward a very low $1,700 per theater for the weekend (compared to the $5,333 opening weekend average for all wide-release films the last two years). Critical sentiment is hateful (9% positive overall and 11% positive with top critics). The Pyramid is headed for $1.5 million total domestic after a quick exit.
| Weekend 49: December 5-7, 2014 | ($ millions) | |||||
| Pre-Wknd Showbuzz Forecast | Early Weekend Estimate | Actual Fri Gross | Showbuzz Domestic Final Proj. | |||
| Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 | LG/Sum | [—] | 22.1 | 6.6 | 330 | |
| Penguins of Madagascar | FOX/DWA | [—] | 10.9 | 2.5 | 85 | |
| Horrible Bosses | WB | [—] | 8.6 | 2.7 | 58 | |
| Big Hero 6 | Dis | [—] | 8.0 | 1.8 | 204 | |
| Interstellar | Par | [—] | 7.2 | 2.2 | 182 | |
| Dumb and Dumber To | Uni | [—] | 3.8 | 1.2 | 86 | |
| Theory of Everything | Foc/Uni | [—] | 2.7 | .76 | 26 | |
| Gone Girl | Fox | [—] | 1.5 | .43 | 166 | |
| Birdman | FoxS | [—] | 1.1 | .31 | 25 | |
| St. Vincent | Weins | [—] | 1.1 | .32 | 46 | |
| The Pyramid | Fox | [—] | 1.0 | .46 | 2 | |
Note: The table above summarizes an early look at the weekend. The first column is a reminder of each film’s ShowBuzzDaily Forecast for the weekend (in brackets). The second column, on which the films are sorted, displays the new weekend projection for each film, based on the Friday numbers (the third column). The final column is a preliminary estimate of the ShowbuzzDaily Domestic Total number for the film’s total run in North America. A “++” indicates the Domestic number has been upgraded; a “–” indicates a downgrade.
Top Holdovers
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 is headed for $22.1 million this weekend (down 61% from last weekend). The total domestic outlook for Mockingjay Part 1 has been adjusted to $330 million.
Penguins of Madagascar is headed for $10.9 million this weekend (down 57% from last weekend). The total domestic outlook for Penguins of Madagascar has been adjusted to $85 million.
Horrible Bosses 2 is headed for $8.6 million this weekend (down 44% from last weekend). The total domestic outlook for Horrible Bosses 2 has been adjusted to $58 million.
Big Hero 6 is headed for $8.0 million this weekend (down 58% from last weekend). The total domestic outlook for Big Hero 6 has been adjusted to $204 million.
Interstellar is headed for $7.2 million this weekend (down 54% from last weekend). The total domestic outlook for Interstellar has been adjusted to $182 million.
Total Box Office Volume
The Top 12 Films this weekend are looking like $69 million total Friday-Sunday, down 11% from the four-year average for the comparable weekend and down 20% from the same weekend last year.
| WEEKEND 49 | ($ millions) | ||
| Weekend Volume: Top 12 Films | Top Movies Opening Each Weekend (Fri-Sun only) | ||
| 2014 | $69 | The Pyramid $1.0 | |
| 2013 | $86 | Out of the Furnace $5.2 | |
| 2012 | $72 | Playing for Keeps $5.8 | |
| 2011 | $68 | New Year’s Eve $13.0, The Sitter $9.9 | |
| 2010 | $84 | The Warrior’s Way $3.0 | |
| Avg 2010-13 | $78 | ||
Check back tomorrow for more complete Weekend Studio Estimates based on Saturday’s actual box office, as well as the International Box Office report.
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