The Weekend Report

Audiences proved game for Ouija and placed it at the top of the charts with an estimated $20.1 million. That left the session’s other incoming wide release, the actioner John Wick, with the consolation prize of $14.2 million.

In regional release the inspirational high school football yarn 23 Blast failed to score with a $347,000 tally from 617 scrimmages. Another flood of incoming exclusives provided a few encouraging (and better) results including Swedish Oscar submission Force Majeure that entered with $23,400 from two screens. The American indie comedy Laggies also opened well with $81,700 at six sites and the Edward Snowden affair provided Citizenfour with an excellent $117,000 box office from five engagements.

The Diwali festival saw the bow of several high profile Indian imports. The Hindi Happy New Year opened to a solid if unspectacular $1.8 million while the Tamil Kaththi is setting records internationally with the U.S. providing $343,000 to the trove. And the Telugu Karthikeya grossed $143,000. On the Filipino circuit The Trial was also off to a good start of $191,000.

Weekend revenues pushed close to $120 million and an 11% decline from seven days back. It was still 11% improved from 2013 when the $32 million opening of Bad Grandpa usurped Gravity’s three week run at the top.

On the heels of The Purge: Anarchy, Ouija arrived just in time for Halloween and proved that one can adapt an oh so venerable bored game. Industry tracking had tapped the teen horror tale to take the crown with estimates in the $20 million to $22 million range. Still it initially looked like a tight race with John Wick having comparably strong Thursday sneaks and potent Friday matinees.

Studio exit polls showed Ouija with a 61% female audience with 75% of viewers aged 25-years and younger … scary stuff indeed. The film also opened in five secondary foreign climes in Asia and Europe and grossed an OK $1.3 million.

Expectations for John Wick were less than buoyant despite the casting of Keanu Reeves in the title role of a vengeful hit man. It exceeded low ball numbers drawing in a 60% male crowd but failed to bring in a younger crowd based on polling that pegged the audience as 77% aged 25-years and older.

The weekend also featured small platform boosts for Oscar hopefuls Birdman and Whiplash with both films staying on track early in the seasonal admiration race.

Be Sociable, Share!

• 
•