‘Uncharted’ & ‘Dog’ Keep Box Office Warm In Second Weekends Before ‘The Batman’ Conquers – Sunday AM Update
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SUNDAY AM Writethru: after Saturday post Before a big tentpole comes into the marketplace, there’s typically a lull at the box office. But it’s an even bigger lull when the major studios don’t have any new wide entries. Everyone is waiting for Warner Bros. The Batman next weekend, and many sources tell me it’s bound easily for a $100M+ opening, in fact $115M+, and the advance ticket sales are there to prove that.
This despite the 3-hour running time, and from what I hear (I haven’t seen it yet) is a more noir, detective story by director Matt Reeves than Christopher Nolan’s previous Dark Knight action-infused movies. iSpot shows Warner Bros. having already spent $28M+ in US TV spots (that’s even a big number from that data agency’s POV) across such shows as the Winter Olympics, NFL, Good Morning America, NBA games and Big Brother: Celebrity Edition.
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Note, Warners’ hasn’t weighed in on these industry projections at the time of writing. But also note, they’ll safely lowball. That said, no one sees it below $100M.
Warner Bros
Until then, Sony’s Tom Holland-Mark Wahlberg movie, Uncharted, is maintaining a great hold in its second weekend with $23.2M, -47%, after a second Friday of $6M, -61% from last Friday and previews and $10.6M yesterday. By EOD, the Ruben Fleischer-directed take on the Sony PlayStation videogame looks to stand at $83.3M. Imax drove another $2M for Uncharted this weekend putting the large format exhib’s total at $7M domestic. All in Imax, so far, has made $15.7M around the world from Uncharted.
Everett
United Artists Releasing/MGM’s second weekend of Channing Tatum’s Dog also had a nice hold, -32%, with a second weekend of $10.1M, better than the $8.5M we saw yesterday, taking its ten-day cume to $30.8M.
So if everything is holding so well, why does the weekend box office still suck, with an anticipated weekend of $64M for all films? This weekend alone is -32% from last weekend.
The eighth weekend of the year in pre-pandemic 2020, post Presidents Day weekend, grossed $102.6M, per Box Office Mojo (led by second weekend of Sonic the Hedgehog at $26.1M), while the weekend at the same point in time in 2019 pulled in $128M, led by How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World with a $55M debut).
Roswell Films/Open Road
Again, we need more major studio-supported and driven product, more meat to fill the gap between the events films and specialty box office. This weekend’s wide release of Dave Grohl horror comedy Studio 666 from Open Road Films in 2,306 theaters won’t cut it, with an estimated $1.58M after a $725K Friday. Unfortunately, a niche movie like this doesn’t have the major studio spend.
At this point in time two years ago, Disney had 20th Century Studios’ upscale family movie Call of the Wild further bolstering the box office with a $24.7M opening, even though that title was a hollow victory, given its $135M production cost.
Studio 666 wasn’t for critics at 56% Rotten, and audiences weren’t excited at 66% positive and a 46% recommend. The numbers speak for themselves. Guys at 58% bought tickets, with 53% being 25-44, 73% between 18-44 and diversity demos standing at 69% Caucasian, 18% Latino and Hispanic, 3% Black and 10% Asian/other. Pic did 47% of its business on the coasts versus the 40% average. A majority of runs didn’t do a lot of business, I hear.
AMC Woodland Hills and Regal Sherman Oaks saw grosses boosted with personal appearances by Foo Fighters and Director BJ McDonnell on Friday. They landed among the top theaters alongside AMC Burbank, AMC Century City, AMC Alderwood – Seattle, AMC Westminster – Denver, Marcus Ronnie’s 20 Cinema, St. Louis; Regal Opry Mills Stadium 20, Nashville; AMC Empire 25, NYC and AMC River East, Chicago.
Social Media analytics firm RelishMix spotted a 97.9M social media universe for Studio 666 “in line with horror genre norms” and fueled by Foo Fighters’ SMU of 22.6M on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok, which “did the heavy lifting for all videos, plus the social for the band members at 4.1M.” Studio 666 videos were fed into The Foo Fighters’ YouTube channel with 3.3M subscribers, and were well-boosted, plus Sony UK in the mix for international. “Reposting runs moderate, but building across movie channels and fan channels at a total of 27.2M views for the six owned posts including additional earned videos — 1.1M from Instagram video views and 123K on TikTok” adds RelishMix.
Ahead of opening, says RelishMix, “convo for Studio 666 ran snarky mixed-positive, with fans of Foo Fighters ready for a fun experimental film event, while some wonder if this is shot as a Spinal Tap-style mockumentary, a Tenacious D film, or a spoof of band movies like Hard Day’s Night and Help, with Dave Grohl’s inspiration being The Beatles. Plus, there was discussion on the level of filmmaking commitment to crafting a functional story cast with the members of the band and amusing cameos like Lionel Ritchie and Whitney Cummings as the neighbor.”
Ritchie’s cameo:
MGM & UAR
UAR has finally released the feature take of original musical, Cyrano, from Joe Wright, which is looking at $1.4M in 10th from 797 theaters in 160 markets. UAR sought to protect this movie, and wait for the right time to release it, given older audiences’ funk over heading to the movies during omicron. This AM’s weekend estimate is an improvement on yesterday’s projection of $1.25M.
Overall, the specialty marketplace is still greatly challenged. All of this gives you an idea of the ground we need to make up: Wright’s Anna Karenina over the 3-day portion of Thanksgiving weekend in 2012 grossed $896K at 66 theaters, while Atonement in its second weekend at only 117 theaters in early December 2007 pulled in $1.8M. Cyrano counted 86% certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, with those RT audiences who saw it giving it a 86% rating. UAR saw best markets from NY, LA, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, Phoenix, DC, San Diego, Dallas, Seattle, Austin, Sacramento, and more.
In addition, the movie didn’t take off at the Oscar noms, with only one nomination for Best Costume Design. That’s not to say that UAR didn’t campaign extensively for this, screening the movie very early during awards season following a world premiere at Telluride. Even this weekend, you can’t stumble upon a website or a social media feed where there isn’t a Cyrano advertisement.
Star Haley Bennett championed this movie extensively on her social media handles, well before release during Q4 of last year. Of the 25M+ social media pull across YouTube views, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, RelishMix observes that star Peter Dinklage at 4.6M and Bennett at 365K “drive the Cyrano train”. Bennett and Dinklage starred the workshop musical at Goodspeed in Connecticut, the former being a catalyst in getting Wright attached to direct. The production was shot during the fall of 2020 during Covid in Sicily.
Everett Collection
The 1997 re-release of Francis Ford Coppola’s 1972 blockbuster, The Godfather, made $1.2M in its entire limited run, and this weekend at 156 runs in 46 markets, the 50th anniversary cut is on its way to earning $900K, for a $5,8K theater average after a $425K Friday and $298K Saturday, which is pretty good. Strong numbers here in NYC, LA, Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, Orlando, San Diego, Nashville and Las Vegas. Box Office Mojo has the lifetime domestic gross for The Godfather at $134.96M, and this weekend would take it to $136.3M.
Other highlights:
Prime Media Pictures’s Saagar K. Chandra directed movie Bheemia Nayak opened in 400 runs in 121 markets (Telugu) with, what I hear, are very good numbers from NY, LA, Dallas, San Francisco, DC, Atlanta, Detroit putting its weekend at $1.24M. Logline: Things change when the egos of an upright police officer and a retired army havildar clash.
Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Gangubai Kathiawadi from Hamsini pulled in an estimated $1M from 485 locations for a $2K theater average. Starring Alia Bhatt, pic is based on the true-crime bestseller Mafia Queens of Mumbai by Hussain Zaidi and follows Gangubai Kathiawadi, who, in the 1960s, was tricked into prostitution in Mumbai’s Kamathipura red-light district. Through her political connections, she rose to become an underworld drug kingpin. She also campaigned for sex workers’ rights and reportedly met with India’s first prime minister, Nehru.
Among Oscar highlights, Paul Thomas Anderson’s Licorice Pizza with $16.1M through weekend 14 is $200K from overtaking his 2012 Oscar nominated feature, The Master ($16.3M domestic). Pic, booked at 607 sites, made $356K, -45% this weekend. NEON’s The Worst Person in the World, up for Original Screenplay and International Film, drew a fourth weekend of $421,6K, -14%, for a running total of $1.8M at 554 theaters.
Universal
Hey, Disney, you’re confident in your decision to send Pixar’s Turning Red straight to Disney+? Because the family marketplace sure looks healthy enough, and could use another family hit. Behold, Universal/Illumination’s Sing 2: In its 10th weekend, the movie, which is available for in-home consumption after a theatrical window, pulled in $2.1M, sending its cume to $151.2M. Worldwide is at $351.4M. Sure, discount houses are likely in play now for the sequel. However, that 10th weekend cash is more than the first Sing‘s take at the same point in time ($488K) and even more than the uber-Illumination hit Minions ($1.5M). Yes, yes, blah, blah, Turning Red is another subscription stunt: Let’s just make sure we’re not burning down the house to keep warm, agree? Warner Bros. sure had the confidence in the pandemic marketplace to keep Batman where it is.
1.) Uncharted (Sony) 4,275 theaters, Fri $6M (-61%)/Sat $10.6M/Sun $6.7M/3-day $23.2M (-47%)/Total $83.3M/Wk 2
2.) Dog (UAR) 3,827 (+150) theaters, Fri $2.4M (-51%)/Sat $4.78M/Sun $2.8M/3-day $10.1M (-32%)/Total $30.8M/Wk 2
3.) Spider-Man: No Way Home (Sony) 3,002 (+46) theaters, Fri $1.3M (-24%)/Sat $2.7M/Sun $1.7M/3-day $5.75M (-23%)/Total $779.88M/Wk 11
4.) Death on the Nile (Dis) 3,420 (+140) theaters, Fri $1.2M (-32%)/Sat $2.08M/Sun $1.2M/, 3-day $4.5M (-31%)/Total $32.7M/Wk 3
5.) Jackass Forever(Par) 2,913 theaters (-158), Fri $870K (-41%)/Sat $1.4M/Sun $865K/3-day $3.175M (-39%)/Total: $52.07M/Wk 4
6.) Sing 2 (Uni/Ill) 2,382 (-94) theaters, Fri $420K (-31%)/Sat $1.09M/Sun $600K/3-day $2.1M (-26%)/Total: $151.2M/Wk 10
7.) Marry Me (Uni) 3,110 (-533), Fri $530K (-51%)/Sat $850K/Sun $470K/3-day $1.85M (-50%)/Total $20.2M/Wk 3
8.) Studio 666 (OR) 2,306 theaters, Fri $725K/Sat $515K/Sun $340K/ 3-day $1.58M/Wk 1
9.) Cyrano (UAR) 797 theaters Fri $473/Sat $562K/Sun $365K/ 3-day $1.4M/Wk 1
10.) Scream (Par) 1,566 (-341) theaters Fri $345K (-34%)/Sat $646K/Sun $354K/ 3-day $1.345M (-31%) /Total: $79.2M/Wk 7
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