By Leonard Klady Klady@moviecitynews.com

The Weekend Report

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales easily led the Memorial holiday with an estimated $61.9 million debut during the three-day portion of the weekend. (All figures reflect 3-day box office; chart will be updated on Monday). The session’s other national opener — and alternative ocean-splasher — Baywatch had a less auspicious beach experience at $18.1 million.

On Friday, Disney also became the first distributor to cross the $1 billion threshold domestically — it was also first to the mark in 2016 but 19 days earlier — with Beauty and the Beast passing $500 million on Sunday. Internationally, The Fate of the Furious became 2017’s first $1 billion box office behemoth.

Three-day weekend revenues approached $145 million, a 13% uptick from seven days back. It was a 15% dip from 2016 when the bows of X-Men: Apocalypse and Alice Through the Looking Glass with respective starts of $79.8 million and $33.5 million.

In international day-and-date releases, Ramadan prompted a wave of Indian newcomers. Hindi offerings saw OK results of $332,000 for Sachin: A Billion Dreams and $142,000 for Saab Bahadar. Telugu Rarandoi Vekuda Chudham also had good response of $303,000. Incoming exclusive bows were bland, though diehards provided the only-four-hour Grateful Dead doc Long Strange Trip with $36,800 from regular engagements following Thursday special screenings that grossed about $260,000, prior to its Amazon streaming debut this week.

The fifth episode of Pirates of the Caribbean was expected to open at $65-$68 million with critical response targeting narrative fatigue and spectacle over substance. One curiosity was the choice of making Captain Jack Sparrow a supporting character, and the post-credits teaser implies the next edition will focus on new characters from the current film. On the domestic side, the Pirates crew was 53% male with 63% of viewers aged 25 and older. The 18-34 crowd accounted for 49% of the total, with a slim 18% identified as families.

Dead Men Tell No Tales proved more buoyant overseas with a three-day estimate of $208 million from 54 markets (only Japan missing from the mix). China bested the U.S. bow with a $68 million tally. Other top grossing arenas included Russia at $18.1 million, South Korea grossing $11.6 million, $9.3 million in France, Germany providing $8.4 million and Mexico with $6.9 million.

Baywatch joined CHIPs as the TV refugee not reaching a safe haven. Critics were gleeful about kicking sand at the big screen endeavor, citing more giggle than jiggle. Studio exit demos identified the audience as 52% female with 55% aged 25-years and older. Its only foreign playdate was Taiwan where it bowed to a solid $870,000. It expands to 32 international markets next weekend.

Title Distributor Gross (average) % change * Theaters Cume
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men BV 61.9 (14,480) NEW 4276 61.9
Guardians Vol. 2 BV 20.2 (5,220) -42% 3871 333.5
Baywatch Par 18.1 (4,960) NEW 3647 22.7
Alien: Covenant Fox 10.6 (2,810) -71% 3772 57.4
Everything, Everything WB 6.1 (2,190) -48% 2801 21.5
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul Fox 4.4 (1,400) -38% 3174 13.6
Snatched Fox 3.9 (1,470) -50% 2658 40.3
King Arthur: Legend WB 3.2 (1,280) -55% 2503 33.9
The Boss Baby Fox 1.7 (1,290) -39% 1342 169
Beauty and the Beast BV 1.5 (1,430) -40% 1076 500.5
The Fate of the Furious Uni 1.5 (1,080) -54% 1358 222.5
How to Be a Latin Lover Lionsgate .93 (1,390) -55% 669 29.91
The Lovers A24 .66 (1,490) 142% 443 1.3
Lowriders High Top .53 (1,580) -55% 334 5.1
Norman: The Moderate Rise … Sony Classics .48 (1,490) -15% 324 3
Bon Cop Bad Cop 2 Seville .47 (3,840) -33% 123 3.2
Paris Can Wait Sony Classics .44 (1,920) 134% 23 0.85
Gifted Fox Searchlight .36 (950) -53% 380 23.6
Sachin: A Billion Dreams Viva .33 (3,320) NEW 100 0.33
Rarandoi Veduka Chudham US Telugu .30 (2,730) NEW 111 0.37
The Wedding Plan Roadside Attractions .28 (3,010) 72% 92 0.56
Smurfs: The Lost Village Sony .27 (730) -54% 362 43.6
Kong: Skull Island WB .26 (1,040) 28% 246 167.4
Baahubali 2: The Conclusion Great India .24 (2,010) -50% 121 20.7
Going in Style WB .24 (700) -50% 344 43.9
Weekend Total ($500,000+ Films) $135.7
% Change (Last Year) -15%
% Change (Last Week) 13%
Also debuting/expanding
A Quiet Passion Music Box .16 (1,440) -23% 108 1.4
The Zookeeper’s Wife Focus .16 (950) -32% 165 17.1
Saab Bahadar Zee Studios .14 (3,300) 43 0.14
The Lost City of Z Bleecker Street .13 (1,050) -37% 121 8.2
Maudie Mongrel .10 (1,780) -15% 57 1.9
Dear Other Self ABS 76,600 (1,820) 42 0.08
Buena Vista Social Club: Adios Broad Green 59,500 (780) 76 0.06
Long Strange Trip Abramorama 36.800 (18,400) 3 0.04
Berlin Syndrome Netflix 21,200 (850) 25 0.02
Restless Creature: Wendy Whelan Abramorama 19,300 (9,650) 2 0.02
29 + 1 Media Asia 17,300 (1,730) 10 0.02
Hermia & Helena Kino 12,700 (6,350) 2 0.01
Da Co Hoai Lang: Hello Vietnam Galaxy 10,800 (10,800) 1 0.01
Black Butterfly Lionsgate 4,300 (360) 12 0.01
Domestic Market Share (January 2 – May 25, 2017)
Distributor (releases) Box Office Market Share
Buena Vista (6) 980.1 22.70%
Universal (9) 863.2 20.00%
20th Century Fox (15) 709.3 16.40%
Warner Bros. (14) 520.9 12.00%
Lionsgate (11) 398.2 9.20%
Paramount (11) 199.9 4.60%
Sony (8) 172.9 4.00%
Weinstein Co. (3) 63.1 1.50%
STX (5) 49.9 1.20%
Focus (9) 41.7 0.95%
Open Road (5) 41.4 0.95%
Fox Searchlight (5) 38.3 0.90%
CBS (2) 32.6 0.75%
A24 (4) 21.2 0.50%
Roadside Attractions (5) 20.1 0.45%
Other * (147) 169.2 3.90%
4322 100%
* none greater than 0.4%
Top Limited Releases (January 2 – May 25, 2017)
Title Distributor Box Office
Baahubali 2: The Conclusion Great India 20,464,961
The Lost City of Z Bleecker/Elevation 8,112,547
I Am Not Your Negro Magnolia/Mongrel 7,112,123
Silence * Par 6,826,130
20th Century Women * A24/Elevation 5,486,188
Your Name FunImation 4,871,866
Lowriders High Top 4,588,135
A United Kingdom Fox Searchlight 3,902,185
Sleight High Top 3,886,705
Raees Zee Studios 3,618,447
Table 19 Fox Searchlight 3,614,896
Their Finest STX/Elevation 3,253,795
Dangal * UTV 3,197,854
Ballerina Seville 2,991,747
Colossal Neon 2,902,882
2017 Oscar Nominated Shorts Magnolia 2,835,355
Bon Cop Bad Cop 2 Seville 2,762,284
Kedi Oscillosope 2,638,110
Norman: Moderate Rise and Tragic Fall of a New York Fixer Sony Classics 2,506,226
The Salesman Cohen/Elevation 2,409,117
* does not include 2016 box office
Be Sociable, Share!

Comments are closed.

Leonard Klady's Friday Estimates
Friday Screens % Chg Cume
Title Gross Thtr % Chgn Cume
Venom 33 4250 NEW 33
A Star is Born 15.7 3686 NEW 15.7
Smallfoot 3.5 4131 -46% 31.3
Night School 3.5 3019 -63% 37.9
The House Wirh a Clock in its Walls 1.8 3463 -43% 49.5
A Simple Favor 1 2408 -50% 46.6
The Nun 0.75 2264 -52% 111.5
Hell Fest 0.6 2297 -70% 7.4
Crazy Rich Asians 0.6 1466 -51% 167.6
The Predator 0.25 1643 -77% 49.3
Also Debuting
The Hate U Give 0.17 36
Shine 85,600 609
Exes Baggage 75,900 62
NOTA 71,300 138
96 61,600 62
Andhadhun 55,000 54
Afsar 45,400 33
Project Gutenberg 36,000 17
Love Yatri 22,300 41
Hello, Mrs. Money 22,200 37
Studio 54 5,300 1
Loving Pablo 4,200 15
3-Day Estimates Weekend % Chg Cume
No Good Dead 24.4 (11,230) NEW 24.4
Dolphin Tale 2 16.6 (4,540) NEW 16.6
Guardians of the Galaxy 7.9 (2,550) -23% 305.8
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 4.8 (1,630) -26% 181.1
The Drop 4.4 (5,480) NEW 4.4
Let's Be Cops 4.3 (1,570) -22% 73
If I Stay 4.0 (1,320) -28% 44.9
The November Man 2.8 (1,030) -36% 22.5
The Giver 2.5 (1,120) -26% 41.2
The Hundred-Foot Journey 2.5 (1,270) -21% 49.4