The Weekend Report

Kid-lit staple Goosebumps made the big-screen translation well as it scared up an estimated $23.4 million. However, it and the frames other two national newcomers all fell below expectations. Cold War drama Bridge of Spies slotted third with $15.3 million while Gothic chiller Crimson Peak grossed $12.8 million. Shy of a field goal was the inspirational sports drama Woodlawn with $3.9 million.

In a fiercely competitive exclusive field, the battlefield casualties included African boy soldier-saga Beasts of No Nation with $52,100 from 31 skirmishes, while also preem-streaming on Netflix. More encouraging were the newsroom drama Truth with $67,700 (six screens) and Taiwanese Oscar submission The Assassin grossing $47,300 (fourscreens). Hostage tale Room emerged as a contender with a $121,000 tally from four confinements.

In the niches ,the Hindi Bruce Lee – The Fighter bowed on the soft side with $422,000 as did Pyaar Ka Punchnama 2 with a $102,000 tally. In Canada the critically acclaimed The Beeba Boys, about violent Vancouver Sikh gangs, also disappoint with $61,600 from 41 sites. The frame also saw an effective expansion of Steve Jobs and a super hold for the Chinese Goodbye Mr. Loser.

Weekend revenues surpassed $120 million for a slight 2% improvement from seven days back.. It was nonetheless 7% off the 2014 pace when Fury bowed to $23.7 million with the launch of The Book of Life grossing $17 million.

R.L. Stine’s longrunning series Goosebumps previously inspired a successful animated TV series. The not-that-intense tales of terror were positioned as a franchise property and its built-in popularity had pundits predicting a launch of $28-$30 million. Its audience was split evenly by gender with 59% of viewers aged 25-years and younger. Sixty percent were identified as families.

The question hovering over Bridge of Spies was whether the story of the exchange between Russian spy Rudolph Abel and U2 pilot Francis Gary Powers would hold interest for a contemporary crowd. That kept expectations modest with a high end of $18 million. It definitely skewed older with 88% of ticket buyers aged 25-years and older. It also skewed slight male at 53%.

Combining gothic horror and Bronte-esque romance Crimson Peak was tracking to do $14 million to $15 million. It appeared to connect with its core crowd without drawing in a lot of fresh eyes. The audience was 60% female with 55% aged 25-years and older. It also opened in 55 international territories to an estimated $13.5 million with Russia providing $2.5 million and the UK another $1.5 million.

Following a stellar summer, the fall has been on the soft side save for the potency of The Martian. The few awards consideration titles to date have failed to spark the kind of enthusiasm that translates into plaques and statuettes. But there’s still ample time.

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