Articles

April 2, 2014
 

Weekend Box Office Predictions APRIL 4-6

Weekend #14 of 2014 is looking like a robust $159 million for the top 12 films, 41% above the typical volume for this weekend the past few years ($113 million).

Opening at around 3,900 theaters Friday (well above the 2,886 average theater count for opening weekends the last two years), Captain America: The Winter Soldier from Disney should average $23,700 per theater for the weekend (for a $92.5 million opening weekend). [The average wide-release film the past two years has had a three-day opening weekend of $5,300 per theater for a $14.5 million weekend.] Early reviews at RottenTomatoes are extremely supportive: 92% positive so far. Captain America: The Winter Soldier is on track for around $205 million domestic, slightly above the $176.7 million domestic gross for Captain America: The First Avenger (released by Paramount on July 22, 2011).  The first Captain America grossed $193.9 million overseas for a worldwide total of $370.6 million.  This second Captain America (Winter Soldier) should gross $230 million overseas, which would give it an estimated $435 million worldwide. 

 

NEW FILMS THIS WEEKEND

April 4-6, 2014

Critics Positive ($ millions)
Opening Weekend Forecast Domestic Total Projection
Captain America: The Winter Soldier Dis PG13 92% 92.5 205
Note: Although critic reviews are not related to the size of the opening weekend, they are significantly correlated with the size of the declines in the opening weeks of a movie. The Domestic Total is a very early ShowBuzzDaily projection of the total North American gross, based on the Weekend Forecasts.

 

Among the holdovers, Noah is tops, while Divergent is the only other film doing significant business this weekend.

RETURNING FILMS

April 4-6, 2014

Change vs Last Weekend ($ millions)
Weekend Forecast Showbuzz Domestic Final Proj.
Noah Par -56% 19.4 131
Divergent  LG/Sum -52% 12.4 154
God’s Not Dead Free -22% 6.9 47
Muppets Most Wanted Dis -43% 6.5 64
Grand Budapest Hotel FoxS -29% 6.1 58
Mr Peabody & Sherman Fox/DWA -38% 5.6 119
Need for Speed Dis -46% 2.3 45
Non-Stop Uni -45% 2.2 96
Sabotage Open Road -60% 2.0 10
Cesar Chavez LG/Sum -30% 2.0 9
300: Rise of an Empire WB -52% 2.0 112

 

Box Office Volume

For the past four years, the top 12 films this weekend have averaged $113 million total, ranking 33rd of 52 weeks. Last year, this weekend’s total was $127 million (while 2012 was $117 million, 2011 was $103 million and 2010 was $119 million). This Friday-Sunday is looking like a very good $159 million, 41% above the multi-year average for the comparable weekend and 26% above the same weekend last year.

 

This Weekend Last Two Years

4.5.2013

Evil Dead Sony R Jane Levy Shiloh Fernandez
Opening Weekend — Forecast: $26 Actual: $26
Domestic Gross — Estimate: $63 Actual: $54
International — Estimate: n/a Actual: $43

Jurassic Park 3D Uni PG13 Sam Neill Laura Dern
Opening Weekend — Forecast: $17 Actual: $19
Domestic Gross — Estimate: $57 Actual: $45
International — Estimate: n/a Actual: $71

4.6.2012

Titanic (3D) PAR PG13 Leonardo DiCaprio Kate Winslet
Opening Weekend — Forecast: $30 Actual: $17
Domestic Gross — Estimate: $81 Actual: $58
International — Estimate: n/a Actual: $286

American Reunion UNI R Jason Biggs Seann William Scott
Opening Weekend — Forecast: $31 Actual: $22
Domestic Gross — Estimate: $64 Actual: $57
International — Estimate: n/a Actual: $178

 

Check back throughout the weekend for box office updates as the actual numbers come in.



About the Author

Mitch Metcalf
MITCH METCALF has been tracking every US film release of over 500 screens (over 2300 movies and counting) since the storied weekend of May 20, 1994, when Maverick and Beverly Hills Cop 3 inspired countless aficionados to devote their lives to the art of cinema. Prior to that, he studied Politics and Economics at Princeton in order to prepare for his dream of working in television. He has been Head of West Coast Research at ABC, then moved to NBC in 2000 and became Head of Scheduling for 11 years.