Articles

September 18, 2013
 

Weekend Box Office Predictions SEPTEMBER 20-22

The 38th weekend of the year is looking like a wobbly $71 million for the top 12 films, down 19% from the $89 million multi-year average for this weekend.

Opening at over 3,100 theaters Friday (above the 2,886 average theater count for opening weekends the last two years), Prisoners from Warner Brothers should average $5,900 per theater for the weekend (for an $18.5 million opening three-day weekend). [The average wide-release film the past two years has had an opening weekend of $5,300 per theater.] Early reviews are strong at RottenTomatoes: 81% positive overall and 67% positive with top critics. Prisoners should be on track for $61 million domestic.

Opening at around 1,800 theaters Friday, Battle of the Year from Sony should average $3,800 per theater for the weekend (for a $6.5 million opening three-day weekend). No early reviews yet at RottenTomatoes. Battle of the Year should be on track for $16 million domestic.

 

NEW FILMS THIS WEEKEND

September 20-22, 2013

Critics Positive ($ millions)
Opening Weekend Forecast Domestic Total Projection
Prisoners WB R 81% 18.5 61
Battle of the Year Sony PG13 n/a 6.5 16
Note: Although critic reviews are not related to the size of the opening weekend, they are significantly correlated with the size of the declines in the opening weeks of a movie. The Domestic Total is a very early ShowBuzzDaily projection of the total North American gross, based on the Weekend Forecasts.

 

Insidious Chapter will be the op holdover and the only one north of $10 million this weekend.

 

RETURNING FILMS

September 20-22, 2013

Change vs Last Weekend ($ millions)
Weekend Forecast Showbuzz Domestic Final Proj.
Insidious Chapter 2 FilmDis -62% 15.5 86
The Family Rel -50% 7.1 39
Lee Daniels’ The Butler Weins -30% 3.9 115
We’re the Millers WB -30% 3.8 149
Instructions Not Included LG/Sum -35% 3.2 41
Riddick Uni -54% 3.2 43
Planes Dis -26% 2.3 89

 

Box Office Volume

For the past four years, the top 12 films in this comparable weekend have averaged $89 million total, ranking 46th of 52 weeks. Last year, this weekend’s total was $75 million (while 2011 was $106 million and 2010 was $91 million). This Friday-Sunday is looking like a sub-par $71 million, down 19% from the multi-year average for the comparable weekend and down 5% from the comparable weekend last year.

 

This Weekend Last Two Years

9.21.2012

Trouble with the Curve WB PG13 Clint Eastwood Amy Adams
Opening Weekend — Forecast: $18 Actual: $12
Domestic Gross — Estimate: $42 Actual: $36
International — Estimate: n/a Actual: $13

House at the End of the Street REL PG13 Jennifer Lawrence Elizabeth Shue
Opening Weekend — Forecast: $16 Actual: $12
Domestic Gross — Estimate: $34 Actual: $31
International — Estimate: n/a Actual: $8

End of Watch OPENROAD R Jake Gyllenhaal Michael Pena
Opening Weekend — Forecast: $11 Actual: $13
Domestic Gross — Estimate: $50 Actual: $41
International — Estimate: n/a Actual: $7

Dredd 3D LG R Karl Urban Olivia Thirlby
Opening Weekend — Forecast: $10 Actual: $6
Domestic Gross — Estimate: $19 Actual: $13
International — Estimate: n/a Actual: $22

The Master WEINS R Joaquin Phoenix Philip Seymour Hoffman
Opening Weekend — Forecast: $6 Actual: $4
Domestic Gross — Estimate: $20 Actual: $16
International — Estimate: n/a Actual: $12

9.23.2011

Moneyball SONY PG13 Brad Pitt Jonah Hill
Opening Weekend — Forecast: $18 Actual: $20
Domestic Gross — Estimate: $73 Actual: $76
International — Estimate: n/a Actual: $35

Dolphin Tale WB PG Harry Connick Jr Ashley Judd
Opening Weekend — Forecast: $14 Actual: $19
Domestic Gross — Estimate: $75 Actual: $72
International — Estimate: n/a Actual: $23

Abduction LG PG13 Taylor Lautner Lily Collins
Opening Weekend — Forecast: $13 Actual: $11
Domestic Gross — Estimate: $26 Actual: $28
International — Estimate: n/a Actual: $54

Killer Elite OPENROAD R Jason Statham Clive Owen
Opening Weekend — Forecast: $10 Actual: $9
Domestic Gross — Estimate: $26 Actual: $25
International — Estimate: n/a Actual: $31

 

Check back throughout the weekend for box office updates as the actual numbers come in.



About the Author

Mitch Metcalf
MITCH METCALF has been tracking every US film release of over 500 screens (over 2300 movies and counting) since the storied weekend of May 20, 1994, when Maverick and Beverly Hills Cop 3 inspired countless aficionados to devote their lives to the art of cinema. Prior to that, he studied Politics and Economics at Princeton in order to prepare for his dream of working in television. He has been Head of West Coast Research at ABC, then moved to NBC in 2000 and became Head of Scheduling for 11 years.