Tag: Box Office

‘The Suicide Squad’ Earns $4.1M on Thursday and On Track to a $30M+ Domestic Opening

It looks like The Suicide Squad will become the highest-earning R-rated film during the pandemic. James Gunn‘s film made $4.1M on Thursday preview showings. To be fair, it’s mainly going off against Demon Slayer: Mugen Train, and The Forever Purge. The overall reception has also been very strong, which can push it further over the weekend. Yet, the Delta Variant is still influencing insecurities about visiting the cinema, and the latest entry could add a bit more energy back into the Box Office.

The big question mark over its head lies in the simultaneous release on HBO Max. Just like we saw with other films that utilized this type of digital availability, it pulls the opening weekend down. There’s also the big risk on the second weekend, which has generally shown that general audiences aren’t willing to risk seeing the same film repeatedly, but prefer whatever was the latest release.

Predictions set it at a strong $30M+ opening weekend in domestic markets. It’s Thursday earnings push that prediction, but it’s uncertain if it’ll manage to pass $40M. The film seems to be on par with the release of Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn. It earned $33.2M in its opening weekend before the pandemic close shop on theaters.

The only difference is that James Gunn’s project has a much higher budget, and Warner Bros. might be banking on a strong showing on their streaming service. Plus, given the current situation, the film could still be considered a success even with its hefty $185M budget. The next few days will give us a clearer look at where it’ll land once its weekend ends.

Source: Deadline, Variety, Deadline (Birds of Prey)

August 6, 2021
James Gunn’s ‘The Suicide Squad’ Eyeing a $30M+ Domestic Opening Weekend

We’ve been discussing the Box Office frequently, as the pandemic has changed our perception of what makes a film successful. Even with Black Widow’s great opening weekend with around $80M, it still saw a stark drop in its second weekend and lost to Space Jam: A New Legacy. Yet, it passed the film, which saw just as harsh a drop. These films were made available through digital alternatives, and it’s a general theme that audiences aren’t willing to risk a second viewing of the same film during the quarantine. Now, all eyes are on James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad opening weekend.

It looks like it’ll take on the Box Office with a $30M opening. Unlike past weekends, it won’t have too much competition when it releases worldwide, and there is still hope it might even pass the $40M mark. With a $185M production budget, it’ll be a smaller release, but given current situations, it’s still impressive. Larger releases in the past few months were around that very mark, with Black Widow and F9 being the only exceptions.

Of course, it’s also available on HBO Max, which is WarnerMedia’s big hope for its release. It currently already gained $7M in some international markets and could be heading towards an overall $70M worldwide. It’ll get compared to the previous franchise entry by David Ayer, which managed around $746M, but it wasn’t facing any of the current troubles. Deadline has highlighted that the Delta variant is one of the causes for the overall Box Office drop we’ve seen over the last few months, even after May saw a bit of an uptick. It’ll be curious what it might mean for the future of the Box Office and if September releases will get shifted back.

Source: Variety, Deadline

August 5, 2021
‘Jungle Cruise’ Nabs Decent $34M in Domestic Box Office and Another $30M on Disney+ Premier Access

It looks like the Box Office still requires more time to heal after all. As the Delta variant rages across the world, the latest Disney movie entered cinemas with a decent $34.2M opening. As Forbes points out, it’s in line with Dwayne Johnson’s most non-Fast and Furious films. In a way, it’s on par with Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. In addition, Disney also released their income through Disney+ Premier Access, as they gained an additional $30M.

The film did manage to pass Space Jam: A New Legacy‘s $31M, but it can only hope for a leggier post-launch to ensure it makes back its expensive $200M budget. Overall, the trend continues as the film’s second weekend sees a sharp decline. Last week’s Old dropped by around 70%, while Snake Eyes plummeted by 79%. In a way, we should continue to expect these kinds of drops in future releases.

Black Widow earned another $5.8M, with only $2M keeping it from surpassing F9’s domestic total. As such, it seems likely it’ll hold the title as a domestic top performer for some time. It may remain Marvel Studios’ third worst-performing film due to the current situation, but it still is showing some legs. Of course, the lawsuit surrounding Scarlett Johansson adds some questions on how to perceive its “success.”

Jungle Cruise’s advantage moving forward is it doesn’t have any direct competitors. So, there’s a chance it could leg out like Black Widow is currently. The curious aspect about the Box Office development is that it still seems the overall trends between films are on par with pre-pandemic numbers. Disney releasing their Disney+ numbers only for the opening weekend is curious and opens up a question regarding transparency. We never heard how much about Raya and the Last Dragon, Mulan, or even Cruella‘s numbers. Moving forward, transparency from streamers will be a big question mark.

Source: Forbes

August 1, 2021
‘Black Widow’ Passes $150M Domestically as M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘Old’ Takes Top Spot

We’ve entered the third Box Office weekend for Black Widow and it’s not looking good for the domestic Box Office overall’s development. M. Night Shyamalan‘s Old took the top spot with a painful $16.5M. It beat out Snake Eyes, which aimed to revive the G.I. Joe franchise. The Henry Golding-led project garnered $13.3M at the Box Office. Even with a smaller budget of $88M, the overall Box Office of the weekend has been rather subpar. Even last week’s top spot holder, Space Jam: A New Legacy, dropped to the fourth spot by 69%. It proves that pandemic releases are extremely frontloaded.

Black Widow held unto the third spot of the domestic Box Office. It even managed to break the pandemic record for passing $150M ahead of F9‘s record. The film did hold surprisingly stated in comparison to its second weekend with a 55% drop. It seems very likely it might pass the latter’s overall domestic Box Office, but worldwide suffering from a limited release. Especially F9‘s dominance in the Chinese movie market is making it this summer’s tentpole release. $215M of its total $621M Box Office was purely in China.

Marvel Studios’ latest entry release in the market remains uncertain. Its Disney+ release has been hurting the film’s potential longevity. But, there have been some similar developments with and without digital releases. The second-week drops have been around 65 to 70% for each film. Space Jam continues the tradition and showcases that repeat viewing is reserved for home. Disney has never released the follow-up numbers for their digital release, but there were hints through third-party analysis that it almost even doubled in its second week.

The lack of transparency is the issue and in comparison to other MCU films, Black Widow is on par with Phase 1 releases. The true test will end up being Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Its September release without a Disney+ Premier Access option may offer a better look at how strong the hold is for an MCU project without the digital influences. Yet, current developments with the Delta Variant may hint at Plus, the current issue with its Chinese release also opens up many questions regarding Marvel’s dependency on foreign Box Office.

Source: Variety, Forbes (BW), Forbes (SE), The Numbers, The Numbers (F9)

July 25, 2021
‘Black Widow’ Drops 67% in its Second Weekend as ‘Space Jam: A New Legacy’ Takes Top Spot

Black Widow was a very frontloaded release, which got boosted by their Disney+ Premier Access release. There was some uncertainty if it’ll have a strong second weekend or face a steep fall. Sadly, it seems the latter has come to pass as its new release Space Jam: A New Legacy took the top spot with $32M. While nowhere near the Marvel Studios’ release, it is still the year’s fourth-best release ahead of Godzilla Vs. Kong‘s 31M. The film is also the biggest family-focused film launch since Pixar’s Onward in March of 2020. Still, early predictions did believe the Scarlett Johnasson-run film would keep the top spot.

The bigger shock is that the film’s international presence also took quite a hit. It barely scratched the $30M, which is on par with F9‘s current running after a two-month release. However, if you take a closer look at its international presence, Black Widow has yet to release in China. The latest Fast and Furious entry has been very dominant in that market throughout its run. The theatric-only release has been playing well into its hand and gave the film some considerable legs, especially as it rolls out into other markets.

Here's a grim box office stat: BLACK WIDOW earned $29.9 million overseas this weekend, which is just barely above the $28.6 million earned by F9 (which began two months ago) as the latter opened in Germany and France.

— Scott Mendelson (@ScottMendelson) July 18, 2021

The second weekend was a 67% drop for the Marvel Studios film, which some expected. The Friday 79% drop was the worst the franchise has ever seen and is on par with Batman v Superman or Man of Steel. To offer a pandemic comparison, F9 dropped 67% and Wonder Woman 1984 around 67.1%. The last two Marvel films to see that kind of drop were quite leggy experiences and managed to hold over quite a bit over their total runtime. So, theories are that the film could still manage a $200M+ domestic launch. If you include their Disney+ numbers, they add another $60M on top, which also doesn’t have to get shared with theaters. Sadly and expectedly, Disney has not released the numbers for their second weekend.

Without a China release, it’s unclear if Black Widow will manage to pass F9‘s total Box Office, which seems likely at around $700M. China’s Hi, Mom is currently the top grosser with $825M. Many factors have been influencing its growth, such as international markets fearing the rise in COVID’s delta variant and the return of harsher restrictions. The film has shown some commendable Monday to Thursday performances, which could be the film’s saving grace, as it topped $100M in record time domestically.

Disney+’s Premier Access also hurts the film’s legs if you consider that a one-time payment includes multiple viewings at your leisure. Why should one risk going to the theaters again if I can watch it from the comfort of my home? Plus, piracy is a growing issue with this approach to film releases. If Disney simply accepted the risk, they might be looking at a much stronger second weekend. Still, the lack of transparency after boasting the numbers may leave a sour taste and it’ll be interesting to see if Jungle Cruise follows the same drop once it releases later this month to have a direct comparison.

Source: Forbes (Space Jam), The Numbers (F9), Forbes (BW), Deadline, Hollywood Reporter, The Numbers (BW)

July 18, 2021
‘A Quiet Place Part 2’ Trumps ‘Cruella’s Box Office Over Memorial Day Weekend

Godzilla vs. Kong brought in a new era for post-pandemic cinema, as it seemed to showcase that there was a future for indoor sitting after all. Now, the trend is being continued as Paramount’s A Quiet Place Part II opened with $19.3M on a Friday. Even with a weaker Sunday, the film managed to gross $47.4M over three days and $57M with the four-day opening weekend. It’s not too far away from the pre-pandemic predicted $60M opening for the film. Currently, the film is slated to hit Paramount+ after a 45-day theatrical release, which might become the new norm for other projects moving forward.

On the flip side, there was Disney’s latest cinematic release with Cruella that managed to earn $26.5M over the four-day weekend. While it wasn’t able to compete with the A Quiet Place sequel, it still managed to pull in a respectable number. The guess is that its release on Disney+ Premier Access strongly afflicted its release. Disney’s Global Theatrical Distribution Head, Tony Chambers, shared his enthusiasm over the weekend performance:

This weekend repped for many their first experience going back to the theater and seeing the security measures in place. Audiences got to watch the trailers for the upcoming summer blockbuster movies this summer. It will invite them to come back and do it all over again.

As to be expected, no numbers were revealed on Cruella’s performance on the mouse’s streaming service. Still, US cinemas managing to cross the $80M mark over a 3-day weekend is a good sign for where cinemas are heading. July could see another uptick in overall performance within cinemas. Of course, Memorial Day weekend would normally peak around $200M to $300M, but we are still some time away from returning to a pre-pandemic Box Office. It’ll be interesting to see how strong Disney’s next major entry, Marvel Studios’ Black Widow, will do once it premiers on July 9th.

Source: Deadline

May 31, 2021
China Release for ‘Shang-Chi’ and ‘Eternals’ Uncertain As Films Face Backlash

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been a stronghold in cinemas across the world. They’ve also been a mainstay with China, one of the largest growing film markets globally. Its growth has been giving Hollywood quite a bit of competition. At one point, they even tried to strengthen their ties with China by filming exclusive sequences for Iron Man 3. There were even rumors that they’ve adapted specific aspects of their films to appease China’s very strict regulations for allowing Western film releases. It looks like they might be facing some troubles with their upcoming releases, as CCTV6 China Movie Chanel released their list of upcoming releases. They showcased eight of the ten available titles with Eternals and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings noticeably absent.

Why does it matter? Well, the channel is part of China’s propaganda department. They have the final word on what Western releases make it into the country. If these films do not receive governmental approval or pass censorship, they will not be released in any capacity. For now, it doesn’t imply that the films won’t be released but that there are some aspects that may have caught the Chinese official’s attention.

It’s also curious that both have strong connections to the country. Shang-Chi will feature Simu Liu as Marvel Studios’ first Asian superhero, who was born in China. Tony Leung and Michelle Yeoh are also well-known in the country. The issue the film may face is the character’s ties to the racist caricature Fu Manchu in the comics. Chinese politicians have slammed the film for simply replacing the character with another harmful stereotype. The film has also seen some harsh criticism towards Simu Liu and Awkwafina’s appearances not matching the ideal Chinese beauty standard. Mulan’s reception has also been a cause for concern after it received backlash for its portrayal of Eastern culture.

Then there is Eternals‘ director Chloé Zhao, who just recently won an Oscar for Nomadland. She also was born in China and has strong ties to the country. According to Variety, there has been some backlash surrounding the director, as her name and achievements were wiped from the Chinese web. It is still uncertain why they decided to blacklist her after the praise for winning the Golden Globes. As of now, we will have to wait and see if any new developments might give them a chance to release them in the booming market. Currently, it doesn’t look like their chances are good.

Source: Variety

May 12, 2021
‘Mortal Kombat’ and ‘Demon Slayer: Mugen Train’ Dominate the Box Office

It looks like it was a good weekend for the Box Office, as it was a tight race between Warner Bros. Mortal Kombat reboot and Japan’s Demon Slayer: Mugen Train. After Godzilla vs. Kong seemed to revive cinemas after a long pandemic-induced hiatus, there was a lot of hope that the next films would continue that momentum. Luckily, it seems that hope wasn’t misplaced, as Mortal Kombat opened to a sizeable $22.5M. It had some tough competition, as with little more than half the cinemas, Demon Slayer: Mugen Train garnered an impressive $19.5M. With it, the Anime has earned the biggest domestic debut of all time for a foreign-language film.

What makes these numbers even more impressive is that both projects are R-rated. So, we aren’t just talking about the usual PG-13 fair. BoxOffice Pro’s Shawn Robbins offered a comparison to Wonder Woman 1984 to highlight how far we’ve come:

To really get a sense of how far pandemic-era moviegoing has progressed, we just have to look at the fact that two R-rated films with some crossover audience appeal are combining to nearly triple the opening weekend of Wonder Woman 1984 just four months ago. People are increasingly comfortable and ready to get back to the movies

We also need to consider that the latest adaptation of Mortal Kombat was also released simultaneously on HBO Max. Even so, it managed a respectable $50.1M internationally. These projects had a strong male viewership and were able to dominate the April marquee, which normally is flooded by larger Hollywood projects. In a way, the consequences of the pandemic may have helped some of the smaller projects that might’ve otherwise struggled. Godzilla vs. Kong held on to the third title making $86.6M domestically.

It also may be a sign that Anime films, which are normally targeting a niche group, have a much stronger chance in the US market. Demon Slayer‘s first film released in Japan last year and was the countries’ top-grossing film. It now stands at a very impressive $400 million.

Source: Hollywood Reporter

April 25, 2021
‘Godzilla vs. Kong’ Roars US Cinema Back to Life With $48M+ Easter Weekend

We’ve been waiting to hear the words that the American Box Office was healing. There were many attempts in the last few months to see if blockbuster films could revive the market. We’ve seen some movement in international markets but the local one was still suffering from the pandemic. So, there was some hope the further we get in 2021, we would see the market recover somewhat. It looks like it took for the release of Godzilla vs. Kong to accomplish that task. The latest entry in the Monstersverse opened over the Easter holiday and offered a 5-day opening of approximately $48.5M. It had an overall $32M kickstart to revive cinemas somewhat.

Welcome back to theaters, North America. Been awhile.

WB's GODZILLA VS KONG stomped into cinemas with a $32M debut and $48.5M over the 5-day Easter holiday.

— Exhibitor Relations Co. (@ERCboxoffice) April 4, 2021

Of course, these numbers aren’t what they use to be. We’ve seen blockbusters open upward to 200M, but this is a sign that the Box Office is recovering somewhat. Godzilla vs. Kong was well-received and managed to surpass expectations and was on par with another Easter opener, Ready Player One in 2018. We also have to keep in mind that the film is also available for HBO Max owners for free. As Forbes points out, the film is performing similarly to the usual Monsterverse fair in a non-COVID situation, such as Godzilla: King of the Monsters’ $48M opening two years ago. The way the film focuses on Kong as an action-hero facing off against Godzilla may also have played in the film’s favor, as the 50s icon has a stronger following in the West. It’ll be interesting to see how the next films will perform to see if we are witnessing an upward trend to normalcy.

Source: Twitter, Forbes

April 4, 2021
‘TENET’ Box Office Sees Slight Drop as Warner Bros. Delays Its October Releases

Tenet was supposed to rejuvenate cinemas. Production studios were hoping that this blockbuster could bring people back. Yet, its opening weekend was at the lower end of expectations. On labor day weekend, Christopher Nolan‘s film only drew in $20 million. Warner Bros. got nervous about how it would be reported. Not all cinemas were open, so they worried it would’ve been portrayed as a major flop. No one was expecting the film to surge like it was pre-pandemic but it was understandable. At one point, the studio didn’t want to release the numbers, which led to rival companies to call out the lack of transparency. These difficult times are leaving their mark.

Now, everyone was anxiously waiting for the second-weekend results. Tenet has no major tentpole rivals so it could hold steady, or even increase as more cinemas across the country open. This weekend saw the opening of 100 more cinemas. As such, Tenet managed to remain somewhat steady and only drop by 29%. It’s a good hold for the current situation with $6.7 million. Internationally, the film did reach the $200 million mark. China is currently the top-grossing country. If you’re wondering if this is somewhat of a success, keep in mind that Warner Bros. just postponed Wonder Woman 1984 to December. Their other October release Candyman was delayed into 2021 without a specific release date.

In the grand scheme of things, cinemas won’t see a resurgence anytime soon. Warner Bros. and Sony have a strange obsession with only releasing in cinemas. It’s a noble gesture but we have no idea when “normalcy” will return, or even if. Numbers have been increasing once again in countries that saw a strong decrease. My own hometown has been hit hard lately with renewed restrictions. There is a good chance cinemas will have to temporarily close again. Tenet‘s performance is a reminder of rushing out a film in these times. It just continues to confirm that a potential digital or hybrid-model will become the new standard.

Source: Variety, IndieWire

September 14, 2020