Based on Friday’s grosses, weekend #4 of 2014 looks like $94 million for the top 12 films Friday-Sunday, within a few percentage points of comparable weekends the past few years.
Opening at 2,753 theaters Friday, I, Frankenstein from Lionsgate/Summit grossed a tiny $2.8 million Friday, putting the film on track for a $7.6 million opening three-day weekend (way below our $15.5 million ShowbuzzDaily forecast). The film is pacing toward a truly scary three-day average of $2,800 per theater for the weekend (about half the $5,333 opening weekend average for all wide-release films the last two years). Critical sentiment is dismissive (6% positive overall at RottenTomatoes and 0% positive with top critics). I, Frankenstein is headed for a quick exit from theaters and maybe $11 million total domestic.
Ride Along, Lone Survivor and The Nut Job are slightly below our forecasts for the weekend, and the final domestic numbers have been adjusted slightly.
In limited release, Gimme Shelter from Roadside Attractions opened at 385 theaters and is heading for a disappointing $1,755 per theater for the weekend. The film grossed $229,000 Friday and should total $676,000 for the weekend.
| Weekend 4: January 24-26, 2014 | ($ millions) | |||||
| Pre-Wknd Showbuzz Forecast | Early Weekend Estimate | Actual Friday Gross | Showbuzz Domestic Final Proj. | |||
| Ride Along | Uni | [22.0] | 20.5 | 6.3 | 122 | |
| Lone Survivor | Uni | [13.0] | 12.3 | 3.6 | 130 | |
| The Nut Job | Open R | [12.4] | 11.4 | 2.5 | 64 | |
| Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit | Par | [8.8] | 8.9 | 2.6 | 52 | |
| Frozen 3D | Dis | [8.5] | 8.9 | 2.0 | 370 | |
| I, Frankenstein | LG/Sum | [15.5] | 7.6 | 2.8 | 11 | |
| American Hustle | Sony | [7.2] | 6.8 | 2.0 | 151 | |
| The Wolf of Wall Street | Par | [4.5] | 5.1 | 1.5 | 114 | |
| August: Osage County | Weins | [4.7] | 5.0 | 1.5 | 42 | |
| Devil’s Due | Fox | [3.0] | 2.7 | .90 | 15 | |
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.
Total Box Office Volume
The Top 12 Films this weekend are looking like an unexceptional $94 million total Friday-Sunday, down 6% from the four-year average for the comparable weekend but up 6% from the same weekend last year.
| WEEKEND 4 | ($ millions) | ||
| Weekend Volume: Top 12 Films | Top Movies Opening Each Weekend (Fri-Sun only) | ||
| 2014 | $94 | I, Frankenstein $7.6 | |
| 2013 | $88 | Hansel and Gretel Witch Hunters $19.7, Parker $7.0, Movie 43 $4.8 | |
| 2012 | $98 | The Grey $19.7, One for the Money $11.5, Man on a Ledge $8.0 | |
| 2011 | $92 | The Rite $14.8, The Mechanic $11.4 | |
| 2010 | $110 | Edge of Darkness $17.2, When in Rome $12.4 | |
| Avg 2010-13 | $100 | ||
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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