By Leonard Klady Klady@moviecitynews.com
The Weekend Report
The Split decision was a knockout as M. Night Shyamalan’s thriller doubled the box office of any weekend contender with an estimated debut of $40.1 million. xXx: Return of Xander Cage was in a distant second with $20.1 million. The Founder had a disappointing national franchise of $3.5 million, while comic faith tale The Resurrection of Gavin Stone sputtered to $1.3 million.
Awards positioning saw major expansions for 20t Century Women and Silence with both failing to ignite. The announcement of Oscar nominees on Tuesday could provide a second wind. In international day-and-date, India’s latest, Kannada family yarn Pushpaka Vimana, had a dull start of $35,200. In Québec, French import Nelly was sturdy with a $94,500 tally.
Revenues were shy of $150 million and dipped a slight 2% from last weekend’s three-day portion of the Martin Luther King holiday. But it was a tidy 29% uptick from 2016 when the fifth weekend of The Revenant led with $16 million, and new entries Dirty Grandpa and The Boy bowed with $11.1 million and $10.8 million respectively.
International box office revenues are crunched with the sector grossing $27.3 billion for a 2.7% improvement from the prior year. The modest improvement was nearly identical to the domestic increases and indicates a foreign maturation following years of healthy annual boosts as India, Russia and China blossomed. The Hollywood majors generated about $14.3 billion of the total which was 49% better than the domestic final of $9.6 billion.
Top-end tracking predictions for Split woefully underestimated at $26-$28 million. The national mood appeared to be hungry for an eerie thriller propelled by a shrewd marketing campaign that delivered a satisfying experience. On the domestic front, the audience was 52% female with 52% aged 25-years and younger. Internationally the film opened in 20 territories to just shy of $6 million. Its sole major market was the UK at $3.1 million.
The xXx franchise bowed in 2002 to strong global box office but a sequel three years later signaled its quick demise. Its revival, xXx: Return of Xander Cage, was expected to generate a top end of $20 million and proved accurate. However its aggressive day-and-date international launch in 53 markets proved more potent with a $50 million debut. Russia topped the list with a $5.5 million box office with France grossing $3.1 million and Germany and Mexico each adding $2.8 million to the till.
The stateside audience was 53% male with 62% of viewers aged 25-years and older.
The weekend also had the industry buzzing about perceived missteps by Paramount distribution that is currently juggling five national releases including xXx 3 and last week’s freshman Monster Trucks. The consensus is that the new titles have pushed out Fences that’s lost 1675 playdates in two weeks. There’s no talk about a re-issue of Fences based on Oscar nominations though the company is primed to do just that next weekend with Arrival. And this weekend’s 833 new venues for the commercially faltering Silence has caused much tut-tuting as many additions were the result of arranging for it to unspool as the last screening of the day for Monster Truck engagements.
| Weekend (estimates) January 20 – 22, 2017 | |||||
| Title | Distributor | Gross (avg) | % chng | Thtrs | Cume |
| Split | Uni | 40.1 (13,210) | NEW | 3038 | 40.1 |
| xXx: Return of Xander Cage | Par | 20.1 (5,510) | NEW | 3651 | 20.1 |
| Hidden Figures | Fox | 16.2 (4,740) | -22% | 3416 | 84.2 |
| Sing | Uni | 9.0 (2,820) | -37% | 3193 | 249.3 |
| La La Land | Lionsgate | 8.4 (4,520) | 42% | 1865 | 89.8 |
| Rogue One | BV | 7.2 (2,680) | -46% | 2693 | 512.4 |
| Monster Trucks | Par | 7.0 (2,260) | -36% | 3119 | 22.6 |
| Patriots Day | CBS | 6.1 (1,940) | -48% | 3120 | 23.7 |
| Sleepless | Open Road | 3.5 (1,960) | -58% | 1803 | 15 |
| The Founder | Weinstein Co. | 3.5 (3,160) | NEW | 1115 | 3.5 |
| The Bye Bye Man | STX/VVS | 3.5 (1,570) | -74% | 2220 | 20.1 |
| Moana | BV | 2.6 (1,980) | -40% | 1296 | 236.8 |
| Passengers | Sony | 2.4 (1,520) | -55% | 1556 | 94.6 |
| Lion | Weinstein Co. | 1.8 (3,180) | -20% | 575 | 16.4 |
| Live By Night | WB | 1.8 (640) | -64% | 2822 | 9.5 |
| Underworld: Blood Wars | Sony | 1.7 (1,150) | -73% | 1466 | 28.6 |
| 20th Century Women | A24 | 1.3 (2,050) | 321% | 650 | 2.3 |
| The Resurrection of Gavin Stone | High Top | 1.3 (1,490) | NEW | 887 | 1.3 |
| Fences | Par | 1.3 (1,850) | -54% | 693 | 48.8 |
| Why Him? | Fox | 1.1 (1,100) | -68% | 1034 | 58 |
| Silence | Par | 1.1 (710) | -43% | 1580 | 5.1 |
| Manchester By the Sea | Roadside Attract/ Mongrel | .97 (1,790) | -43% | 543 | 38.9 |
| Moonlight | A24/Elevation | .63 (1,290) | -43% | 489 | 15.8 |
| Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them | WB | .43 (1,430) | -54% | 302 | 231.7 |
| Jackie | Fox Searchlight | .37 (1,540) | -50% | 239 | 11.3 |
| Arrival | Par | .33 (1,850) | -39% | 180 | 95.7 |
| Weekend Total ($500,000+ Films) | $142.60 | ||||
| % Change (Last Year) | 29% | ||||
| % Change (Last Week) | -2% | ||||
| Also debuting/expanding | |||||
| Sailor Moon R | Eleven Arts | .18 (1,510) | 78 | 0.18 | |
| Paterson | Bleecker Street | .12 (3,210) | 22% | 38 | 0.53 |
| Elle | Sony Classics | .11 (780) | -58% | 143 | 1.6 |
| Nelly | Seville | 94,500 (4,340) | 22 | 0.09 | |
| Julieta | Sony Classics | 91,400 (2,290) | -25% | 40 | 0.67 |
| Pushpaka Vimana | Thoogudeepa | 35,200 (1,760) | 20 | 0.04 | |
| Toni Erdmann | Sony Classics | 26,700 (4,680) | -28% | 6 | 0.26 |
| The Red Turtle | Sony Classics | 20,900 (6,970) | 3 | 0.02 | |
| Faith’s Song | Northface | 10,400 (1,300) | 8 | 0.01 | |
| Panique (reissue) | Rialto | 6,100 (6,100) | 1 | 0.01 | |
| Bakery in Brooklyn | Gravitas | 4,700 (590) | 8 | 0.01 | |
| Strike a Pose | Bond 360 | 3,500 (700) | 5 | 0.01 | |
| My Father Die | FilmRise | 3,400 (425) | 8 | 0.01 | |
| Staying Vertical | Strand | 3,300 (820) | 4 | 0.01 | |
| They Call Us Monsters | BMP | 2,600 (1,300) | 2 | 0.01 | |
