Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Box Office

  • ‘Avatar 2’ Opens Below Expectations at a Still Impressive $134M Domestically

    ‘Avatar 2’ Opens Below Expectations at a Still Impressive $134M Domestically

    Expectations were high for Avatar: The Way of Water to leave the box office’s 2022 record holder in the dust. Yet, it seems that the film has surprisingly lost some momentum over the weekend and fell short of its initial $175M+ opening weekend. The reports are in and the film stands at $134M domestic opening, which is $60M higher than the previous entry, the 6th highest opening ever for a December release and ties with The Batman earlier this year.

    Globally, the film managed to pull in a great $435M and if the film keeps the legs that most of James Cameron‘s films have, it ‘s got a good hold for the coming weeks, especially with how the film has no real competition in the coming weeks. Top Gun Maverick also had a lower opening weekend but managed to pull in $1.5B in its entire run but expectations are also high that Avatar: The Way of Water needs to make at least $2B to even be considered profitable.

    It should also be noted that the World Cub’s final game played this weekend alongside a big NFL game, which could also be one of the influencing factors on why the box office isn’t as high as one would’ve initially expected. It’s one thing that is often forgotten when discussing box office numbers, especially information that is lost years later that give a film a massive boost. Marvel Studios’s films have a stronger opening so no one gets spoiled, which isn’t a worry with Avatar: The Way of Water.

    Still, it’s surprising to see the film underperform by around $40M considering just how big of a project it is. Avatar had a lot of excitement surrounding it and it falling even lower than the initially low point of $150M might have some scratching their head. The pandemic has made predictions quite difficult and it’s another project that ended up struggling to meet its expectations at the box office this year. Even Marvel Studios’ frontloaded films had some decent holds after a massive second weekend drop, which might be more reflective of current box office developments.

    For now, the second weekend will be its big test. Even if it fell short of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, it’ll need a strong hold to ensure it doesn’t lose momentum. It’s still curious to think that its CinemaScore stands at an A rather than the A+ of Top Gun Maverick, which might hint at its legs being strong but not as strong as they could’ve been. With Marvel movies having decent runs with B scorings, it’s not as simple as it might seem at times.

    Source: Twitter, Variety

  • ‘Avatar’ Sequel Opens to $53M Domestically, But Set to Hit Lower End of Projection

    ‘Avatar’ Sequel Opens to $53M Domestically, But Set to Hit Lower End of Projection

    You might read the title of this article and denounce Avatar: The Way of Water‘s chances at reaching a billion, as the film is now set to only hit the lower end of expectations at around $150M, though it could go as low as $130M depending on how it tracks over the weekend. We’ve seen this countless times throughout 2022 that the predictions aren’t as accurate as they once were and models have been struggling to really pinpoint where the needle is moving in regards to audience interest.

    As of now, the film has pulled in $53M domestically with another $127M worldwide. With $180.1M worldwide it’s definitely tracking among the best of the year and with the Holidays around the corner, it’ll leg out quite a bit over the next few weeks without any real competition. It’s international release is also enjoying that additional Chinese box office that many other big blockbusters haven’t had a chance to enjoy but it comes at a time where COVID is running rampant in that country once again.

    Also, we can’t forget that three hour runtime and its impact on viewership, especially when you’re going to invest time to sit there that long in a 3D film. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was also on the longer side which affected its box office run early on with less showtimes. Either way, the film has definitely going to pass or even double 2009’s $77M domestic opening but the question remains if it’ll have the legs it needs. It’s opening around the same as Top Gun: Maverick which ended up legging out to an impressive $1.49B. Though, the film might need to do quite a bit more to prove successful given its massive budget.

    Source: Hollywood Reporter

  • ‘Avatar 2’ Opens to $17M Domestically, Already Passes $50M Worldwide

    ‘Avatar 2’ Opens to $17M Domestically, Already Passes $50M Worldwide

    Not a person in the world would’ve denied that the release of Avatar: The Way of Water would draw in an audience, but the question was always just how big the film might go. It could follow the Marvel box office formula with a massive opening but not have the same legs as its original. The film was set to make up to $170M according to analysts, and it does seem like it’s still on track towards at least $150M with it having pulled in a strong $17M in early previews.

    It would put it on pace to become one of the highest opening films of the year, but will likely not dehtrone either dominating Marvel Studios’ productions that pulled in over $180M. Though, early critical reception is very positive and could give it a much bigger boost than anyone might be expecting at this point. Still, the $17M are lower than Jurassic World: Dominion that opened to $18M and with an international push managed to get past a billion. The original had some massive legs and projections also have it making upwards of $350M in its Chinese run, something Marvel hasn’t had the privilege to in a while.

    The film has opened in 44 international markets and pulled in $50.4M excluding China, where it pulled in $18.5M. With a $100M opening in China it does have a chance to potentially dehtrone Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness as the highest opening film of the year. Word-of-mouth might be what pushes this film forward even if it’s unclear just how far the film might go. The Way of Water only has the caveat that it needs to make a lot of money to end up profitable for James Cameron‘s vision of multiple films to come true.

    Source: Twitter, Variety

  • ‘Avatar 2’ No. 1 in All International Markets, Strong Day One Box Office

    ‘Avatar 2’ No. 1 in All International Markets, Strong Day One Box Office

    It looks like James Cameron already on a roll, as the day one estimates are already at $15.8M in specific international markets, which includes France, Germany, Italy, and Korea. It’s looking quite strong, even at 99% in some markets and it’s 124% ahead of the original Avatar and even 13% higher than Jurassic World: Dominion. It’s Chinese release isn’t as strong as hoped due to COVID issues in the market. It’s made an additional $5.41M over Wednesday and Thursday.

    Korea has also pulled in $2.6M additionally on Thursday with the Wednesday release being the market’s second highest opening day for the month ever. To no surprise, Avatar: The Way of Water has pulled in thee top spot in all markets with barley any competition out there to slow it down. Estimates surrounding China are quite shy with the markets uncertainty but it’ll still give the film a decent boost for its release.

    Will the film be as record breaking as everyone believes it’ll be? Most still truly believe that the film has a good chance to break records, 2022 has been a rough year for the bo xoffice. Besides a lack of releases and the market building any momentum, there’s the potential that this film could have the same legs that Spider-Man: No Way Home had with no real competition after its release this week. Still, it’s uncertain if it’ll have the same legs that pushed its original release after Top Gun: Maverick already dominated this year.

    Source: Deadline

  • Dwayne Johnson’s Team Reportedly Leaked the ‘Black Adam’ Profit Report Based on “False Assumptions”

    Dwayne Johnson’s Team Reportedly Leaked the ‘Black Adam’ Profit Report Based on “False Assumptions”

    Who would’ve ever guessed that the profitability of Dwayne Johnson‘s Black Adam may end in a big controversy. A first report dropped pointing to the film potentially losing around $50M to even $100M, rivaling Strange World‘s reported losses at the box office. Yet, a sudden article by Deadline dropped revealing that the film will turn a profit of around $52M to even $72M. Johnson even went out of his way to post a tweet that they he was waiting “to confirm with financiers” ahead of sharing the news.

    Now, while some latched unto this news as a confirmation, it did raise many eyebrows. Not only did he compare the film’s box office to Captain America: The First Avenger from 2011 with a much lower budget, but the profits shared include everything beyond its pure box office income. Not only did it include the VOD and Blu-ray revenue streams, but even a payment for its release on HBO Max, an in-house streaming service.

    Now, Puck’s Matt Beloni, who has shared quite a few stories in the past, revealed that according to “several Warners executives” the numbers are based on “false assumptions” and were purposefully leaked by Team Dwayne Johnson. The actor’s tweet seemingly adding to the accusations and added some doubt of the film making the revenue it projected for its home release. He does go on to state that “nearly all movies of this size will ultimately pencil out” but does point that this doesn’t mean they’ll just move forward with the franchise. Some profits are better than others.

    There are already reports that we won’t be seeing a sequel to Black Adam, but there’s also the factor of the newly formed DC Studios mapping out the next ten years that may or may not include whatever Dwayne Johnson has set out for himself in the franchise. He’s no stranger to wanting to create his own roadmap and get his way but we’ll have to see if DC’s future has any plans for Black Adam moving forward. Going over Warner Bros. heads might not have left a good impression if this report turns out to be true.

    Source: Deadline, Variety, Twitter, Puck via The Direct

  • ‘Wakanda Forever’ Repeats the Original ‘Black Panther’s Box Office Record

    ‘Wakanda Forever’ Repeats the Original ‘Black Panther’s Box Office Record

    Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has kept its position at the top of the box office, as the film has finally crossed $400M to do so. What stands out though is that while it’s a rough weekend for the box office, this marks Ryan Coogler as the first director to have two of his films stand at the top spot for five weeks consecutively; that back-to-back releases. The film did luck out with Wakanda Forever having no true competition until Avatar: The Way of Water that’ll release next weekend.

    One thing is clear though, Wakanda Forever is not going to scratch the $700M domestic or the $1.3B global from the original Black Panther in 2018. While some corners of the internet are calling it a flop, the film is far from it. Its success is quite commendable if you also consider it lost its main draw, the title star Chadwick Boseman, and a movie market that is simply not what it once was. Only in 2022 can a film that’s going to pass $800M be considered a flop of any kind; a fate cursed upon Thor: Love and Thunder just a few months back. As of now, Wakanda Forever stands at an impressive $767.8M and is the sixth-highest grossing movie of 2022.

    The big question on everyone’s mind is: what is going on? The weekend pulled in $38.5M and marks the second worst of the entire year followed by the soft opening back in January at around $35M. Sadly, with no real releases throughout the last few weeks, there’s simply no momentum or reason for people to go to the theater. We’ve seen some standout successes this year that still managed to revive the box office, such as Marvel Studios’ three massive openings, The Batman and Top Gun: Maverick‘s impressive legs, Jurassic World still showing its dominance, and even a Minion movie almost crossing a billion.

    Yet, the fall release schedule has been abysmal with minor releases and barely anything to draw audiences in. Black Adam did not reignite the spark that Warner Bros. hoped it could when it’s saving measures led to it only releasing two films for the rest of the quarter. Smaller releases did quite well like Violent Night‘s impressive hold at the second spot but Disney couldn’t give it a boost with its undermarketed Strange World animated film. Devotion went on to proof that Top Gun Maverick was more a lightning in a bottle rather than the new norm. There’s hope that the packed schedule for 2023 could bring some more life back into theaters, but 2022’s only remaining hope is Avatar: The Way of Water.

    Source: Twitter, Variety

  • ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ Spends 5th Weekend at No. 1

    ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ Spends 5th Weekend at No. 1

    With no other new releases this weekend, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has taken the top spot at the box office yet again. The weekend is heading towards the second lowest box office weekend of the year with an estimated $37.2 million. Depending on how Saturday’s numbers go, the box office could end up being the lowest box office of the year.

    Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which is now in its fifth week, is estimated to take in $11 million after earning $2.8 million on Friday. Along with retaining the top spot, the film officially crossed $400 million at the domestic box office and is currently sitting at $401.55 million. That puts it ahead of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness after 29 days of release; that film, of course, earned $411 million domestically and $955.77 million at the worldwide box office.

    Wakanda Forever should finally lose the top spot next weekend when 20th Century Studios/Disney’s Avatar: The Way of Water finally hits theaters. The film is expected to open to $200 million domestically, although that estimate could change – especially given early reactions have praised the long-awaited sequel.

    Source: Deadline.

  • ‘Black Adam:’ Trades Say It’ll Cost Warner Bros., Johnson Argues It’ll Profit

    ‘Black Adam:’ Trades Say It’ll Cost Warner Bros., Johnson Argues It’ll Profit

    Even the prowess of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is not enough to stop Black Adam from sliding into the abyss of failing movies. Far from the hype of announcing the film in 2019, the movie never seemed to find its footing at the box office when it hit theaters in October. Recent reports from the trades have suggested Black Adam will lose $100 million for Warner Bros. Discovery, a report Johnson himself has since refuted.

    On Monday, Variety revealed that Black Adam was looking to lose $10 million from Warner Bros. Discovery. The report came after the film, which has only earned $387 million worldwide, hit streaming at the end of November. Per Variety, the Warner Bros. DC Universe film took $195 million to produce with an $80 global advertising budget. Unfortunately, the film has only generated $387 million worldwide, well below the projected break-even point of $600 million. Experts believe Black Adam will stall at around $400 million, severely impacted by the shifting home entertainment landscape. Industry experts say these ancillary revenue streams are growing more profitable when paired with a shorter theatrical release. For example, films hit platforms in 33 days versus the standard 75, reducing the money needed to revive campaigns. At any rate, “Black Adam” could be on the losing end for the foreseeable future.

    Johnson, however, took to Twitter on Wednesday to say the film will see a profit between $52 million and $72 million, according to financiers he spoke with. He then compared Black Adam‘s box office with what Captain America: The First Avenger did back in 2011.

    The actor also shared an analysis from Deadline, where the outlet reports the film should break even. The analysis, unsurprisingly, seems to match Johnson’s tweet word-for-word, with Deadline even citing The First Avenger‘s box office, stating Black Adam could still prove to be a franchise starter.

    The movie industry is still struggling to reclaim its glory despite the growing pivot to normalcy as the pandemic shifts. Relying on outsized attendance isn’t enough anymore. Admittedly, Johnson has been open about creating a sequel to Black Adam, but the question remains: will audiences share his same passion? And is the film’s box office performance enough for the new folks in charge of DC to want to revisit this story?

    Source: Variety and Deadline.

  • ‘Black Panther 2’ Remains at #1 for 4th Weekend in a Row, Passes $700M Worldwide

    ‘Black Panther 2’ Remains at #1 for 4th Weekend in a Row, Passes $700M Worldwide

    With little competition, it seems that Black Panther: Wakanda Forever had no problem keeping its hold on the No. 1 spot with another $17.6M. That makes it the fourth weekend in a row; the first to do so since the release of Sony and Marvel Studios’ record-breaking Spider-Man: No Way Home. It did have some competition this weekend as David Harbour‘s Violent Night, a story about John Wick if he was Santa Clause, managed to pull in $13.3M over its premiere weekend, ahead of early projections.

    Wakanda Forever now stands at $394M domestic and will definitely pass $400M and has a good chance at pulling in $450M by the end of its run. If the film will manage to hold that top spot in the next weekend depends on the return of Top Gun: Maverick which has been the only film so far to really outperform any expectation during 2022’s release. For those wondering if this means people are tired of superhero films: it had a pull with a long-dormant audience with its increase of older movie goers that may have generally been cautious ever since the pandemic hit and simply held a nostalgia for Tom Cruise and Top Gun. Good word-of-mouth did the rest.

    Worldwide, Black Panther has already passed the $700M mark and proudly stands at $733M. It’s foreign tally of $339M is quite interesting as normally Marvel productions are bigger internationally than domestically though the split was similar with the original Black Panther release. The film is unlikely to pass the original’s run and a billion does seem far-fetched, more dependent on how long Marvel Studios can keep it in theaters at this point. Still, in the later $800M area seems possible but there’s some uncertainty if it can pull through with $900M; though Doctor Strange did surprise earlier this year as well.

    Strange World is continuing to bomb as it is struggling quite a bit with only $4.9M taking in over the weekend and standing at a depressing $25.5M. With $42.3M worldwide, the film is likely to lose Disney more than $100M at this rate. Also to make a point regarding Top Gun earlier, Jonathan Majors and Adam Powell‘s Devotion didn’t quite become the same hit like Top Gun did earlier this year while trying to bandwagon off of its success with a similar style only set during the Korean War. It still did decently with a 12-day domestic of $13.8M, pulling in $2.8M this weekend.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • ‘Strange World’ Stumbles at Box Office

    ‘Strange World’ Stumbles at Box Office

    This year’s Thanksgiving box office was less than stellar with the new titles struggling to pull in audiences. Strange World, Disney’s latest animated film, was originally projected to earn around $30 million over the holiday weekend. Instead, the film looks to have debuted with just $18.6 million, which would make for one of the worst openings for an animated Disney film in modern times. The film, of course, had a poor CinemaScore working against it – having earned a B CinemaScore – a first for Disney Animation – and poor word of mouth from audiences.

    It also didn’t help that the movie had to compete with Marvel Studios’ Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which came in at number one for the third weekend in a row. That film managed to secure $64 million in its third outing, bringing its worldwide haul to an impressive $675 million so far.

    The only other new releases this weekend were Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, which saw a limited theatrical release from Netflix, and Devotion. While insiders believe Glass Onion pulled in around $12-$13 million this weekend, that figure is not expected to be counted on any official box-office charts. As for Devotion, the film is expected to pull in $9 million for the weekend, while The Menu is expected to pull in $7.4 million in its second outing.

    Source: THR.