By Leonard Klady Klady@moviecitynews.com
The Weekend Report
Sully was redeemed again with a strong estimated hold of $21.7 million that led weekend viewing. The anticipated horse race with Blair Witch simply didn’t happen with the ghoster a distant second with $9.6 million. Also disappointing among new national releases was the $8.2 million bow of Bridget Jones’ Baby while Snowden was on target with tracking at $7.9 million.
In limited wide, inspirational doc Hillsong – Let Hope Rise failed to reach the faithful with a $1.4 million tally and the return of Eddie Murphy in Mr. Church went largely unattended with $344,000. In the niches, Hindi Pink was off to a good start of $348,000 and Ron Howard’s The Beatles: Eight Days a Week – The Touring Years trilled a tuneful $611,000 at 85 venues. None of the exclusive releases rang up potent results.
Revenues for the frame pushed to about $90 million for a 13% decline from last weekend. It was a steeper 22% drop from 2015, when the launch of Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials and Black Mass led with opening grosses of $30.3 million and $22.6 million.
The reboot of Blair Witch was anticipated to gross close to $20 million but once screening responses came out, that was pared to a mid-teens result. Critical response and buzz on social media proved withering and fan boys and girls gave it a wide berth. The brave disbelievers were 56% male with 61% aged 25-years and older.
More of a head-scratcher was Bridget Jones’ Baby, which encountered skepticism for both a twelve year absence and an undistinguished sequel. Early reports were laudatory and tracking suggested an opening in the low-to-mid teens. The audience skewed to, no great surprise, female with 79% of viewers but the core 17-34 year old core was a mere 26% with 72% aged 35 years and older.
International openings were the opposite where the character was beloved in the UK to the tune of $11 million. It opened in 39 foreign climes to an estimated $30 million. Despite its controversial subject, Snowden proved to be a relatively tame, if unabashedly pro perspective of the whistleblower. It hit modest estimations but failed to get the critical traction necessary for an early award season momentum akin to last year’s Spotlight, from the same distrib, Open Road.
Weekend (estimates) September 16 – 18, 2016 | |||||
Title | Distributor | Gross (average) | % chng | Thtrs | Cume |
Sully | WB | 21.7 (6,150) | -38% | 3525 | 70.2 |
Blair Witch | Lionsgate | 9.6 (3,080) | NEW | 3121 | 9.6 |
Bridget Jones’ Baby | Uni | 8.2 (2,810) | NEW | 2927 | 8.2 |
Snowden | Open Road | 7.9 (3,240) | NEW | 2443 | 7.9 |
Don’t Breathe | Sony | 5.5 (1,710) | -33% | 3208 | 75.2 |
When the Bough Breaks | Sony | 5.5 (2,440) | -61% | 2246 | 22.6 |
Suicide Squad | WB | 4.7 (1,720) | -18% | 2740 | 313.8 |
The Wild Life | Lionsgate | 2.6 (1,050) | -22% | 2493 | 6.6 |
Kubo and the Two Strings | Focus | 2.5 (1,420) | -24% | 1757 | 44.2 |
Pete’s Dragon | BV | 2.1 (1,060) | -33% | 1948 | 72.8 |
Hell or High Water | CBS/VVS | 1.9 (1,270) | -22% | 1505 | 22.7 |
Bad Moms | STX/eOne | 1.7 (1,170) | -33% | 1486 | 110 |
Hillsong – Let Hope Rise | Pure Flix | 1.4 (1,700) | NEW | 816 | 1.4 |
No Manches Frida | Lionsgate | 1.2 (2,720) | -41% | 456 | 9.2 |
The Secret Life of Pets | Uni | 1.2 (1,170) | -23% | 1005 | 363.3 |
Sausage Party | Sony | 1.2 (1,000) | -49% | 1181 | 95.3 |
Jason Bourne | Uni | 1.1 (1,060) | -38% | 1008 | 160.4 |
War Dogs | WB | 1.0 (1,120) | -51% | 902 | 41.7 |
Mechanic: Resurrection | Lionsgate/VVS | .82 (860) | -52% | 958 | 20.2 |
The Light Between Oceans | BV | .75 (660) | -59% | 1133 | 11.2 |
Star Trek Beyond | Par | .62 (1,220) | -33% | 508 | 157.6 |
The Beatles: 8 Days a Week | Abramorama | .61 (7,210) | NEW | 85 | 0.61 |
Florence Foster Jenkins | Par/eOne | .39 (680) | -55% | 567 | 26.6 |
The Disappointments Room | Relativity | .38 (240) | -73% | 1554 | 2.2 |
Pink | NH | .35 (4,900) | NEW | 71 | 0.35 |
Mr. Church | FreeStyle | .34 (970) | NEW | 354 | 0.34 |
Weekend Total ($500,000+ Films) | $83.80 | ||||
% Change (Last Year) | -22% | ||||
% Change (Last Week) | -13% | ||||
Also debuting/expanding | |||||
Don’t Think Twice | Film Arcade | .19 (1,360) | -35% | 140 | 3.8 |
The Hollars | Sony Classics | .12 (1,210) | 85% | 97 | 0.4 |
Café Society | LGF/Mongrel | 88,300 (990) | -37% | 89 | 10.9 |
Captain Fantastic | Bleecker St/e1 | 85,400 (1,030) | -6% | 83 | 5.6 |
Dharam Yudh Morcha | Singh | 72,800 (4,040) | 18 | 0.07 | |
Kicks | Focus | 63,400 (980) | 97% | 65 | 0.1 |
Cock and Bull | China Lion | 32,300 (2,690) | 12 | 0.03 | |
S Storm | Media Asia | 31,700 (2,880) | 11 | 0.03 | |
Embrasses-moi comme tu m’aimes | Filmoption | 27,100 (1,810) | 15 | 0.03 | |
Actor in Law | Urdu | 23,900 (1,040) | 23 | 0.02 | |
The Last Descent | Excel | 22,600 (1,410) | 16 | 0.02 | |
3 Weeks in Yerevan | Richmond | 21,500 (7,170) | 3 | 0.02 | |
Wild Oats | Weinstein Co. | 18,800 (190) | 100 | 0.02 | |
The Vessel | Filmbuff | 11,600 (610) | 19 | 0.01 | |
La Notte (reissue) | Rialto | 9,900 (4,950) | 2 | 0.01 | |
Live Another Day | Dalton | 8,200 (150) | 55 | 0.01 | |
Operation Avalanche | Lionsgate | 5,600 (2,800) | 2 | 0.01 | |
Tanna | Lightyear | 5,400 (2,700) | 2 | 0.01 | |
Command and Control | PBS | 5,100 (2,550) | 2 | 0.01 |