M3GAN is a surprise hit as the film is currently overperforming. Initially expected to make around $20M, the film is currently en route toward $28M. If it keeps up the performance with the horror classic B CinemaScore, there’s a chance it could even scratch the $30M. Of course, it’s not that easy with horror films that don’t leg out over the weekend, as they tend to have a stronger hold in the following weeks. It also doesn’t have any real competition so the film is definitely a success for Blumhouse.
The big surprise, however, is that the film managed to dethrone Avatar The Way of Water on Friday. Yes, the monolith of a film was finally pushed out of its top seat even if just for a single day. M3GAN is still unlikely to win the weekend, but it’s something that the film can be proud of, especially in how Blumhouse made use of the empty January to release a fitting counterprogramming that pulls audiences in.
January used to be an infamous dead zone for film releases but has become a popular horror release month. M3GAN almost covered its $12M budget with its opening day and is definitely going to end up profitable by the end of the weekend or early next week. Scream was released on January 13th last year and also managed to pull in quite some impressive numbers. Perhaps there’s a new market this month and Blumhouse is definitely going to make good use of it moving forward. You can read what we thought of M3GAN by clicking here.
Source: Twitter
