By Leonard Klady Klady@moviecitynews.com
The Weekend Report
Furious 7’s VIN number remained at the front of the pack with an estimated $29 million but the competition was closing in with newcomer Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 grossing $23.9 million. The frame also saw a potent $16 million bow for the modestly-budgeted cyber-chiller Unfriended.
The ultra low-budget Unfriended also out-performed expectations that suggested perhaps a $10 million to $12 million result. Commercially reminiscent of the response to the original The Purge, the new outing had a great premise that hit a nerve with a younger audience. Studio exit demos identified viewers as 60% female with 74% aged 25-years and younger.
On the alternative side both While We’re Young and Ex Machina continued slow rollouts that maintained strong per screens. Also strong in its initial expansion was Clouds of Sils Maria.
The session also saw wide debuts for the in cold bloodish True Story and the CSIishsky Child 44. Neither film posted box office sufficient to see broader prospects.
In the niches a handful of new Indian imports arrived but only the multiple language OK Kanmani (OK Bangaram in Telugu) registered with a solid $661,000 from 111 venues. In Quebec the critically acclaimed drama Corbo grossed a disappointing $32,600 from 15 sites and South Korea’s Twenty was also soft with a $54,300 tally from 25 screens. Exclusive bows were largely dull with the best of the bunch Quebec multi-cultural Felix and Meira providing an encouraging $14,300 at a solo playdate.
Session revenues generated roughly $120 million for a 10% drop for both the prior weekend and the comparable 2014 frame. A year back the third weekend of Captain America: The Winter Soldier led with $25.6 million and newcomers Heaven is for Real and Transcendence opened respectively to $22.5 million and $10.9 million.
The continuation of 2009 hit Paul Blart: Mall Cop was tracking to do place holder business with top end estimates of $20 million. Still, there was sufficient faith in the bumbling security guard to thrust it into the international marketplace a week ago where it generated an OK $2.3 million from four territories.
Domestically audiences skewed slightly female with 51% with 65% of viewers aged 25-years and younger. The studio also identified the crowd as 41% families which were a major part of its marketing push.
| Weekend (estimates) April 17 – 19, 2015 | |||||
| Title | Distributor | Gross (avg) | % chng | Thtrs | Cume |
| Furious 7 | Uni | 29.0 (7,310) | -51% | 3964 | 294.3 |
| Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 | Sony | 23.9 (6,570) | NEW | 3633 | 23.9 |
| Unfriended | Uni | 16 (5,840) | NEW | 2739 | 16 |
| Home | Fox | 10.2 (2,760) | -45% | 3703 | 142.5 |
| The Longest Ride | Fox | 6.9 (2,040) | -47% | 3366 | 23.5 |
| Get Hard | WB | 4.8 (1,810) | -41% | 2655 | 78.3 |
| Monkey Kingdom | BV | 4.6 (2,310) | NEW | 2012 | 4.6 |
| Woman in Gold | Weinstein Co. | 4.5 (2,220) | -18% | 2011 | 15.8 |
| Insurgent | Lionsgate | 4.1 (1,630) | -38% | 2542 | 120.6 |
| Cinderella | BV | 3.8 (1,590) | -46% | 2414 | 186.3 |
| True Story | Fox Searchlight | 1.9 (2,310) | NEW | 831 | 1.9 |
| While We’re Young | A24/Elevation | 1.3 (1,880) | 11% | 713 | 3.9 |
| Danny Collins | Bleecker/Elevation | .84 (1,300) | -43% | 648 | 3.8 |
| Ex Machina | A24 | .80 (20,620) | 239% | 39 | 1.1 |
| It Follows | Weinstein Co. | .79 (840) | -59% | 941 | 13.2 |
| OK Kanmani/Bangaram | Prime/Great India | .66 (5,950) | NEW | 111 | 0.66 |
| Kingsman: The Secret Service | Fox | .63 (1,130) | -52% | 556 | 125.6 |
| Child 44 | Lionsgate | .58 (1,140) | NEW | 510 | 0.58 |
| SpongBob: Sponge Out of Water | Par | .34 (1,050) | 49% | 328 | 161.7 |
| American Sniper | WB | .35 (800) | -40% | 445 | 347.7 |
| Do You Believe? | Pure Flix | .33 (740) | -64% | 449 | 12.2 |
| You’re My Boss | ABS | .32 (5,910) | -40% | 54 | 1.2 |
| The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel | Fox Searchlight | .30 (850) | -52% | 350 | 32.1 |
| McFarland, USA | BV | .20 (750) | -52% | 271 | 43 |
| Weekend Total ($500,000+ Films) | $115.30 | ||||
| % Change (Last Year) | -10% | ||||
| % Change (Last Week) | -10% | ||||
| Also debuting/expanding | |||||
| Clouds of Sils Maria | IFC | .16 (5,260) | 110% | 31 | 0.28 |
| Wild Tales | Sony Classics | .11 (1,390) | -27% | 81 | 2.4 |
| What We Do in the Shadows | Paladin/VSC | .10 (1,070) | -34% | 92 | 3.4 |
| The Salt of the Earth | Sony Classics | 78,900 (1,979) | 4% | 40 | 0.37 |
| Twenty | CJ | 54,300 (2,170) | 25 | 0.05 | |
| Still Alice | Sony Classics | 49,500 (410) | -54% | 120 | 18.6 |
| Nanak Shah Fakir | B4U | 45,300 (780) | 58 | 0.05 | |
| Dior and I | Orchard | 41,800 (10,450) | -9% | 4 | 0.11 |
| Corbo | Seville | 32,600 (2,170) | 15 | 0.03 | |
| Patta Patta Singham Da Vairi | White Hill | 32,400 (1,160) | 28 | 0.03 | |
| Beyond the Reach | Roadside | 29,600 (1,060) | 28 | 0.03 | |
| Mr. X | Fox Intl | 27,100 (620) | 44 | 0.03 | |
| 1915 | Bloodvine | 24,300 (4,860) | 5 | 0.02 | |
| Felix and Meira | Oscilloscope | 14,300 (14,300) | 1 | 0.01 | |
| Salad Days | Circus Road | 8,300 (4,150) | 2 | 0.01 | |
| Alex of Venice | Screen Media | 6,600 (730) | 9 | 0.01 | |
| Full Moon in Paris (reissue) | Film Movement | 5,100 (5,100) | 1 | 0.01 | |
| The Squeeze | Arc Entertainment | 4,800 (440) | 11 | 0.01 | |
| Tangerines | IDP | 4,300 (4,300) | 1 | 0.01 | |
| Domestic Market Share (January 1 – April 16, 2015) | |||||
| Distributor (releases) | Box Office | Market Share | |||
| Warner Bros. (11) | 624.3 | 20.80% | |||
| Universal (9) | 547.7 | 18.20% | |||
| 20th Century Fox (12) | 438.8 | 14.60% | |||
| Buena Vista (7) | 320.9 | 10.70% | |||
| Paramount (7) | 275.1 | 9.20% | |||
| Weinstein Co. (9) | 167.9 | 5.60% | |||
| Lionsgate (6) | 155.6 | 5.20% | |||
| Sony (6) | 128.3 | 4.30% | |||
| Relativity (6) | 71.3 | 2.40% | |||
| Fox Searchlight (3) | 68.1 | 2.30% | |||
| Sony Classics (9) | 39.6 | 1.30% | |||
| CBS (1) | 33.6 | 1.10% | |||
| Open Road (3) | 16.1 | 0.50% | |||
| FreeStyle (3) | 15.1 | 0.50% | |||
| Focus (4) | 14.5 | 0.50% | |||
| Other * (116) | 83.4 | 2.80% | |||
| 3000.3 | 100% | ||||
| * none greater than 0.4% | |||||
| Top Global Grossers (January 1 – April 16, 2015) | |||||
| Title | Distributor | Box Office | |||
| Furious 7 | Uni | 932,561,276 | |||
| Fifty Shades of Grey | Uni | 568,419,620 | |||
| American Sniper | WB | 547,492,108 | |||
| Cinderella | BV | 418,551,185 | |||
| Kingsman: The Secret Service | Fox | 395,538,411 | |||
| Taken 3 | Fox; Europa | 327,944,741 | |||
| The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies * | WB | 324,095,379 | |||
| Big Hero 6 * | BV | 306,564,092 | |||
| SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water | Par | 304,944,220 | |||
| Insurgent | Lionsgate | 254,530,135 | |||
| Home | Fox | 250,845,964 | |||
| Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb * | Fox | 226,041,103 | |||
| Jupiter Ascending | WB | 183,446,794 | |||
| The Imitation Game * | Weinstein; CAA | 176,053,384 | |||
| From Vegas to Macau | Mega-vision | 165,380,086 | |||
| Paddington | Weinstein; Studio Canal | 164,249,987 | |||
| Penguins of Madagascar | Fox; Dreamworks | 157,352,859 | |||
| Focus | WB | 151,125,466 | |||
| Into the Woods * | BV | 142,270,545 | |||
| Wolf Totem | Wild Bunch | 127,844,181 | |||
| * does not include 2014 box office | |||||
