The Weekend Report (3-Day)

Rogue One made it three in a row with an estimated $49.2 million (all numbers reflect 3-day portion of holiday with updates tomorrow) at the top of the box office charts as 2017 rang in. Sing closed the gap with $41.4 million.

There were no new releases or significant expansions. Award season favorites, including La La Land, Fences, Manchester By the Sea, Lion and Hidden Figures saw potent spikes

The year’s under-the-wire entries were exclusives 20th Century Women and Paterson, which opened well. The former grossed $110,000 from four get-togethers with the latter bowing to $68,300 also from a quartet of stops.

Revenues for the frame generated about $183 million and slipped just 1% from last weekend. It was a 17% decline from 2015 when Star Wars: The Force Awakens finished the year with $90.2 million followed by Daddy’s Home with $29.2 million.

Initial estimates will see 2016 finish with an $11.5 billion total, a 2.5% improvement from 2015. That should also translate into roughly a 2% decline in admissions.

An ongoing decline in filmgoing remains the industry’s greatest concern. A core audience that’s aging could see more rapid erosion at the multiplex within five years. Developing the moviegoing habit in the next generation of viewers is among exhibition’s priorities.

It’s also troubling for distribution but the majors haven’t approached it head on. The majors are looking at ways of maximizing and reducing the theatrical window which scares the bejesus out of chain operators that have struggled through the digital transition. For now, the revenue template is anchored by what movies gross on the big screen, and until that arena loses dominance, the tension between distribution and exhibition appears healthily divisive.

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