By Leonard Klady Klady@moviecitynews.com
The Weekend Report
It was a threepeat for Split with Shymalan’s return taking top spot with an estimated $14.6 million and a cume nearing $100 million domestic. That left newcomer Rings just behind with a $12.9 million debut. The other national freshmen received less warm embraces. Interstellar YA The Space Between Us grossed $3.7 million while The Comedian got little applause with a $1 million tally.
In limited release, Oscar documentary contender I Am Not Your Negro, reading author James Baldwin, set records with a $674,000 gross from 45 screens.
International day-and-date included Indian films with a solid $633,000 box office for Telugu Nenu Local and a relatively strong $198,000 for Kannada Kirik Party. China’s Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back, which opened last week to record business in China, translated exceptionally well with a $468,000 opening from 66.
Revenues were shy of $100 million for a 32% decline from last weekend and a slight 5% boost from 2016’s Super Bowl weekend. Last year’s kickoff had the second weekend of Kung Fu Panda ahead with $21.2 million and freshman Hail, Caesar! trailing with $11.4 million.
Counterprogramming the Patriots and the Falcons isn’t a particularly enviable task, and the latest adaptation of the Rings Japanese horror franchise, on and off the release schedule for over than a year, wasn’t expected to do more than $15 million. The film drew a 54% female crowd with 67% of viewers aged 25 and younger. Rings also launched in 35 foreign territories to an estimated $15 million. Top grosser chimed in with a $2.7 million box office in Brazil, Mexico grossing $2.2 million and Russia with $1.9 million.
Industry trackers were estimating a $6-$8 million debut for The Space Between Us. Withering film reviews put a damper on those projections. Similarly The Comedian was viewed as largely DOA once its Oscar qualifying run fizzled.
With the Academy Awards broadcast three weeks away, multi-nominated Lion expanded nationally to good results. BUt only La La Land and Hidden Figures are drawing large crowds with Hidden Figures benefiting from Black History Month and other factors.
| Weekend (estimates) February 3 – 5, 2017 | |||||
| Title | Distributor | Gross (avg) | % chng | Thrs | Cume |
| Split | Uni | 14.6 (4,320) | -43% | 3373 | 98.7 |
| Rings | Par | 12.9 (4,410) | NEW | 2931 | 12.9 |
| A Dog’s Purpose | Uni | 10.8 (3,400) | -41% | 3178 | 32.9 |
| Hidden Figures | Fox | 10.2 (3,000) | -27% | 3401 | 119.5 |
| La La Land | Lionsgate | 7.4 (2,290) | -39% | 3236 | 118.3 |
| Resident Evil: Final Chapter | Sony | 4.4 (1,430) | -67% | 3104 | 21.8 |
| Sing | Uni | 4.1 (1,770) | -36% | 2293 | 262.9 |
| Lion | Weinstein | 3.8 (2,720) | 63% | 1405 | 24.5 |
| The Space Between Us | STX/VVS | 3.7 (1,310) | NEW | 2812 | 3.7 |
| xXx: Return of Xander Cage | Par | 3.6 (1,460) | -58% | 2478 | 39.9 |
| Rogue One | BV | 2.9 (1,820) | -44% | 1613 | 524.6 |
| Monster Trucks | Par | 2.1 (1,110) | -49% | 1901 | 31.1 |
| The Founder | Weinstein | 1.5 (1,590) | -43% | 936 | 9.9 |
| Gold | Weinstein | 1.4 (660) | -58% | 2166 | 6.2 |
| Manchester By the Sea | Roadside | 1.3 (1,320) | -37% | 974 | 43.8 |
| Moana | BV | 1.3 (1,490) | -49% | 847 | 242 |
| Fences | Par | 1.2 (1,310) | -14% | 948 | 52.7 |
| Patriots Day | CBS | 1.1 (1,120) | -59% | 1003 | 30.2 |
| Moonlight | A24/Elevation | 1.1 (1,290) | -27% | 842 | 19.5 |
| The Comedian | Sony Classics | 1.0 (1,220) | NEW | 848 | 1.1 |
| Sleepless | Open Road | .93 (1,380) | -47% | 672 | 19.3 |
| Passengers | Sony | .86 (780) | -5% | 1104 | 97.4 |
| Arrival | Par | .79 (1,160) | -46% | 685 | 98.6 |
| I Am Not Your Negro | Magnolia | .67 (14,980) | NEW | 45 | 0.67 |
| Nenu Local | Blue Sky | .63 (4,910) | NEW | 129 | 0.8 |
| Raes | Zee Studios | .52 (1,960) | -71% | 265 | 3.3 |
| Also debuting/expanding | |||||
| Journey to the West: Demons Strike Back | Sony | .47 (7,090) | 66 | 0.47 | |
| 20th Century Women | A24 | .44 (1,750) | -51% | 253 | 4.8 |
| Jackie | Searchlight | .41 (1,260) | -38% | 327 | 12.9 |
| The Salesman | Cohen Media | .23 (5,020) | 225% | 46 | 0.34 |
| Kirik Party | Jolly Hits | .20 (2,920) | 68 | 0.26 | |
| Silence | Par | .19 (1,230) | -70% | 152 | 6.8 |
| Paterson | Bleecker Street | .18 (3,120) | 6% | 58 | 1 |
| Julieta | Sony Classics | .12 (2,090) | 0% | 58 | 1 |
| Toni Erdmann | Sony Classics | .10 (4,150) | 4% | 24 | 0.52 |
| Elle | Sony Classics | 91,600 (880) | -27% | 104 | 1.9 |
| The Red Turtle | Sony Classics | 72,800 (3,470) | 0% | 21 | 0.23 |
| Bogan | Sri Green | 69,200 (1,080) | 65 | 0.07 | |
| Growing Up Smith | Good Deed | 16,800 (3,360) | 5 | 0.02 | |
| Oklahoma City | PBS | 7,700 (2,570) | 3 | 0.01 | |
| Youth in Oregon | Orion | 7,400 (260) | 29 | 0.01 | |
| The Lure | Janus | 6,300 (6,300) | 1 | 0.01 | |
| Eloise | Vertical | 4,400 (240) | 18 | 0.01 | |
| Dark Night | Cinelicious | 3,800 (1,900) | 2 | 0.01 | |
| Domestic Market Share (January 2 – February 2, 2017) | |||||
| Distributor (releases) | Box Office | Market Share | |||
| Universal (5) | 199 | 21.60% | |||
| 20th Century Fox (6) | 148.8 | 16.20% | |||
| Buena Vista (3) | 129.7 | 14.10% | |||
| Paramount (9) | 104.2 | 11.30% | |||
| Sony (4) | 82.6 | 9.00% | |||
| Lionsgate (5) | 79.5 | 8.60% | |||
| CBS (1) | 28.5 | 3.10% | |||
| Weinstein Co. (3) | 25.4 | 2.80% | |||
| Warner Bros. (6) | 24.5 | 2.70% | |||
| STX (2) | 21.5 | 2.30% | |||
| Open Road (1) | 18.4 | 2.00% | |||
| Roadside Attractions (1) | 12.7 | 1.40% | |||
| A24 (2) | 9.2 | 1.00% | |||
| Focus (4) | 6.6 | 0.70% | |||
| Fox Searchlight (1) | 5.5 | 0.60% | |||
| Other (32) * | 24.5 | 2.60% | |||
| 920.6 | 100% | ||||
| * none greater than 0.4% | |||||
