OPENINGS: WINCHESTER (CBS/Lionsgate) didn’t benefit from having the weekend to itself, with a $9.3M opening that was undistinguished even by the standards of low-budget horror Super Bowl Weekend arrivals. (The Messengers: $14.7M, Rings: $13M, Darkness Falls: $12M, The Uninvited: $10.3M, to name a few.) It might reach $20M or so in the US, which may not even break even on its low acquisition and marketing costs.
HOLDOVERS: JUMANJI: WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE (Columbia/Sony) romped back to the #1 slot, down 32% in its 7th weekend (despite the expected crash for Super Bowl Sunday that affects the entire market) to $11M, and well on its way to $375M in the US. It’s a blockbuster overseas, too, where it’s at $501.3M after a $12.6M weekend in all major markets but Japan.
THE MAZE RUNNER: THE DEATH CURE (20th) is playing out as a diminished version of its predecessor Scorch Trials. In the US, it fell 58% to $10.2M, and will end up around $60M, 25% below Scorch Trials. Overseas, it’s much healthier at $142.9M after at $35.2M weekend with a few territories to come, but may not reach Scorch Trials‘ $230.6M.
THE GREATEST SHOWMAN (20th), like it or not, is a phenomenon, down a remarkable 18% even on Super Bowl Weekend to $7.8M, the question being how much beyond $150M it can get. Overseas, it had a $16.2M weekend in 42 markets and has reached $153M already. It still isn’t going to be hugely profitable because of its slow start and roughly $250M in costs, but any profit at all is a triumph.
HOSTILES (Entertainment Services) fell 45% to $5.5M, and might get to $35M in the US, which may be profitable for ES as its US distributor, but won’t do much for the producers/financiers, who face $100M+ in costs and limited appeal overseas.
The conjoined twins 12 STRONG (Alcon/Black Label/Warners) and DEN OF THIEVES (H Brothers/STX) continued to match, both down 46% in their 3rd weekends to $4.7M, and both likely to reach $45M or so in the US. The international campaigns for both are early, with 12 Strong at $8.7M, and Den of Thieves at $9.1M.
PADDINGTON 2 (Studiocanal/Warners) is nearing the end of its US run, down 45% to $3.1M, as it heads to $40-45M. The US is its outlier territory, though, as its international total has hit $159.6M, more than justifying another entry in the series.
Turning to the Oscar nominees, THE POST (DreamWorks/Reliance/Participant/20th) is still on top, down 43% to $5.2M, en route to $75M+, and with $40.2M overseas after a $11M weekend in 46 territories. Several of the nominees continued to pad their theatre counts while multiplexes have screens available, cushioning their drops. THE SHAPE OF WATER (Fox Searchlight) dipped 27% to $4.3M and should pass $50M in the US, while it’s at $19.6M overseas. 3 BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI (Fox Searchlight) lost 21% to $3.1M in the US and should top $45M, and it also has $46M overseas after a $8.1M weekend in 30 territories. I, TONYA (Neon), which hasn’t yet opened outside the US, added almost 500 theatres in the US and slipped 16% to $2.6M as it heads past $25M. DARKEST HOUR (Focus/Universal) added just 153 theatres and held well with a 16% drop to $2.4M, on track to pass $50M in the US, and with $66M overseas after a $7.4M weekend in 55 markets. PHANTOM THREAD (Focus/Universal) fell 28% to $2.1M, and will hope to reach $20M in the US, and it has $3.2M early in its overseas run. LADY BIRD (A24) dropped 28% to $1.4M, and should surpass $45M in the US, its only market to date. CALL ME BY YOUR NAME (Sony Classics) remained the lowest-grossing major contender, down 22% to $1M as it aims for $15M in the US, and with $9.1M overseas.
LIMITED RELEASE: Foreign-Language Film nominee A FANTASTIC WOMAN (Sony Classics) had a fair arthouse start with a $14K average at 5. Fellow nominee THE INSULT (Cohen) expanded to 36 theatres with a $3300 average. FILM STARS DON’T DIE IN LIVERPOOL (Sony Classics), now in 34 theatres, averaged $1600.
NEXT WEEKEND: Hollywood finally gets into 2018 gear, with a trio of contrasting openings: trilogy finale FIFTY SHADES FREED (Universal), Clint Eastwood’s true-live action story THE 15:17 TO PARIS (Warners), and the live-action/animated PETER RABBIT (Columbia/Sony).
About the Author
