Weekend Estimates by 100 For A Girl Klady
Wonder Woman is estimating just over the $100 million mark, which could end up being a little high or a little low. Either way, a strong debut better than any of the non-Iron Man standalone character Marvel launches. Not as Wonderful, Captain Underpants closed out the DreamWorks Animation run at Fox with their second lowest opener after delivering their second best opener just a few months ago. The two arthouse winners for the weekend were A24’s The Exception and IFC’s Band Aid.
Wonder Woman is estimating at just over $100 million. Might be more. Word of mouth is strong. Media push is strong.
The key stat, to me, is that this is the best launch of a superhero standalone ever. Iron Man was $98.6 million. And Superman and Batman both launched a generation ago. Did women push Wonder Woman over the top here? The Norse god, chemically enhanced human icicle, and guys who hang out with raccoons, people of non-human skin tones, and tree demos clearly didn’t change their games, although audiences proved they wanted to see all of those films.
This is certainly more proof that the female moviegoing demo is more than commercially viable… as Hollywood is already fully aware, given the summer of all buddy comedies being about female buddies. Next serious mission is to have more women work on these films.
On the arthouse side, Band Aid opened this weekend and if you take a gander at the imdb page, you will see a remarkably high percentage of women working behind the camera… choices worth supporting. (A DP/30 with the filmmaker and co-star lands next week.)
Captain Underpants crapped the diaper. Tra-la-la!!!! The end of the Fox distribution deal with DreamWorks Animation ended not with a bang, but a whimper. The 6-12 set LOVE this movie. I have personally spoken to many of them about it and my son was at a Captain U birthday party yesterday where he saw the film a second time. Butt (hee-hee… read the books) the demo didn’t deliver enough to make this a strong play for DWA. I think a TV version for Netflix would be a home run, however… much more so than Turbo (a movie I liked), which had no serious underlying IP. Dav Pikey’s books are not going away. Generations would watch that show.
Pirates drop was okay… based on a weak start domestically. It’s this summer’s, uh, Pirates of the Caribbean.
Baywatch also held okay… based on a weak start domestically.
Alien: Covenant is looking like the last sequel before Alien. International no longer seems likely to save this prequel series.
Everything, Everything is the surprise success of the summer, even with $28 million in the bank. WB spent nothing, nothing (relative to their norm) to push it out and it will be a moneymaker and, it seems, a strong library title.
Besides Band Aid, the other $10, 000 arthouse movie this weekend is The Exception from A24.
Here’s hoping, Ike Perlmutter is hanging his head in shame. Warners/DC schooled you, Ike. Schooled you! Somewhere, Kevin laughs at his old nemesis, and waits.
Based on the topline number, this weekend would seem to have more potential than is traditionally thought…but holy cow look at those drops. It looks like LEGO will hold off GET OUT after all on the yearly chart, but F8’s drop was so brutal this weekend it may not catch LOGAN…which would mean superhero movies make up 3 of this year’s top 4 at least for a week or so. It also looks, increasingly, that Disney will claim the Top 3 spots at domestic box office this year. (DESPICABLE ME 3 is really the only threat to hit $380 million).
Nice numbers for PARIS CAN WAIT. Can we officially roll this, TUSCAN SUN and NIGHTS IN RODANTHE into the “Diane Lane Melancholy Romance Cinematic Universe” please?
Ethan, that would be one of the best cinematic universes. It would be tremendously sad… And joyful.
“The key stat, to me, is that this is the best launch of a superhero standalone ever.”
Spider-Man (2002) launched with 114 million.
So Perlmutter is the fall guy now, JS? Yes from all accounts, he is a cheapskate dickhead but not sure all of the blame should fall on him.
Let’s see what kind of push they give Black Panther next year….
And Dave or Ethan, whomever is the business expert here – is it me or does it actually look like Alien Covenant will be the first film in the series to LOSE money??
Pretty sure that Alien 3 made profit with international and that ‘Resurrection at least came close….
Geoff, you may have missed it, but emails leaked about him. Where he goes on about not believing in female comic book movies, because of Catwoman. It’s a thing, that’s easily googable. It’s on him.
And have you not been reading about Black Panther? How much in love they are with that movie? Seriously. Use Google more.
But IRON MAN didn’t have the benefit of 3-D and IMAX. Remove those surcharges, and does WW still beat it?
That would be Dave. ALIEN: RESURRECTION would otherwise be very very close, but video probably got it over the hump back then and Im not really sure the studio splits from movies pre-2000.
Cadavra I know that Dave won’t break this habit but bottom line when we’re comparing films opening today to even those six or seven years ago, it’s just silly it ignore inflation adjusted figures – the differences are that start if you go back to 2011 or 2008, especially when 2010 (post-Avatar) is when 3D pricing kicked in BIG-TIME to the point where there was already a backlash against it already in 2011.
Iron Man opened to $121 million in today’s dollars and that did not include Thursday night previews (which were reported separate back then) so it’s not even close. For even more interesting perspective the original Batman (1989) opened to about $90 million in today’s dollars…….on 2,000 fewer screens. That’s because exhibition exploded in the ’90’s with the growth of multiplexes, dramatically raising the number of screens a film could open on.
Wanna have some fun to try to diminish the Wonder Woman opening even moreso?? In today’s dollars, Hulk opened to around $91 million back in 2003.
Diminishing WW is just silly. Right now, and right here, it has had of a tremendous opening, and I hope it gets that Strange money.
Speaking of Strange, just rewatched on Netflix. Damn if that isn’t one of the best MCU films so far. So much fun, and battles that are actually interesting to watch.
Man, word up to that.
Also, I loved that nutty ass, 2003 HULK movie. Such ridiculousness on display, that it’s hard to not laugh. Hulk does a bicep flex, and destroys a gamma dog. Where does something like that… Even come from? The ending, is also one of the most ludicrous things ever.
I wasn’t TRYING to diminish the WW numbers, just illustrating how silly it is keep doing these apples-to-apples comparisons between box office numbers for films that are 15 years apart….and for Hulk in 2003 to open that big KIND of made sense, there was a LOT of hype for that film as the next big Marvel phenomenon just a year after SpiderMan – at the time, Hulk was definitely a much more well-known brand than Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, and probably any one else associated with Marvel short of Spiderman. You had Jennifer Connelly coming off of her Oscar win, you had Ang Lee coming off of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon – the pedigree indicated that this could be something special. And it was…..interesting.
Like JS, I kinda dug that Hulk film – I really liked the San Francisco locales, the action scenes are pretty well done (even the Hulk dogs), still cool to see Sam Elliott acting so bad-ass WITHOUT the mustache, and yeah that climax with Nick Nolte going full-blown Nolte was silly but never dull.
Getting WW to a $100m opening offers an ephemeral, Monday morning PR opportunity, but let’s face it, after the enormous openings of the last few years, it’s really nothing special.
“Also, I loved that nutty ass, 2003 HULK movie.”
YEEESSSSSSS. I totally get it: movie had zero shot at connecting with audiences, and comic geeks. But damn if Lee didn’t create something really unique and fun in its own right. The Hulk dog fight is of course stupid (because the idea of a Hulk dog is stupid) but so well done. Only downer is Bana. I don’t know if it’s his fault or Lee’s but he comes across as so stilted I often think it was done on purpose. Guy is a good actor, he can handle this shit.
Count me in on the love for Ang Lee’s HULK. It’s both silly and majestic. The action scenes in the desert are fabulously done. The FX still look pretty good to this day. I liked the Hulk dogs, too. And yes, the ending is inspired as hell. It’s as strange a blockbuster as I’ve ever seen but I love the hell out of it. Even Josh Lucas, who I normally hate, was a good hissable villain.
“The FX still look pretty good to this day.”
WHAT??! Haha :p
I also like Lee’s Hulk. I remember leaving having had a good time and wondering why it was so despised. No idea how it holds up as I haven’t seen it since the theatrical release.
Slightly off subject but how the hell am I supposed to watch Murder on the Orient Express with Branagh sporting a mustache that would look a little over the top in a Wes Anderson movie? I understand wanting to out mustache the others in the movie but he went about 200 percent past reality.
But that American Made trailer hit me right in the sweet spot, hopefully they are able to pull this off.
and they apparently finished filming Don Quixote, dear lord I hope its worth all the effort Gilliam put into it. I haven’t even bothered with his last few projects after reading the reviews, it would nice for this passion project to be the one that lands.
Hcat, hopefully, the film looks great, and there are great performances around him. That’s the only hope. I also agree with you on American Made. I really appreciate Tom Cruise, for turning fifty, and deciding to go balls out with his career. If only Harrison Ford had done the same twenty years ago.
Look at that! The HULK brings people together! Seriously though, that movie is fine for what it is, and what it is… Is insane.
Damn. That’s really it for this Alien prequel series? No chance they let Ridley make the next one? He was talking about shooting it next year. Or shooting 2 more or whatever it was.
I always saw Hulk as a missed opportunity. Here we were just a few years after 9/11 when HULK SMASH was considered a legitimate foreign policy position and an acclaimed filmmaker is making a film about a brilliant man who unlocks magnificent power at the cost of his intellect. They could have used it as an illustration that the power that comes from rage is self defeating and I would have trusted Lee to make it understated enough to stay as subtext within an epic comic book movie. But as always you have to watch the movie they made not the one you wish they made so yes there was some whacko cool stuff and it steered closer to an actual comic book than most adaptations but I was just hoping for a little more from Ang Lee than that.
It’s what Sir Ridley gets. People were excited, for a proper Aliens sequel. What they got was Covenant. Someone at Fox, better call up Neill, and beg him to make that Aliens sequel. If not, they might as well finish the David saga, but make it a Chinese starring feature. This way, they might make some money on it!
EtGuild2 wrote:
““The FX still look pretty good to this day.”
WHAT??! Haha :p:
LOL…OK. Maybe I overstated that. It’s been a while since I’ve seen it –a year and a half maybe– but I remember liking the FX. To my eyes they hold up OK.
ADDENDUM: I went and watched a highlight reel on YouTube. While I still like the FX and animation I can see the limitations, especially compared to Avengers Hulk. I still fucking like the work and the design. Hulk running and jumping through the desert is still cool.
I stand by my right to be wrong!!
And what would be the blog’s thoughts on Hulk 2008? I too like the Lee version. Thought Hulk 2008 was easily very forgettable and even Marvel would like you to forget it was the 2nd movie in the Marvel universe, IMO. I had to check but it opened a mere six weeks after Iron Man blew the doors down.
I’m sure JS would know better, but almost every Marvel movie has been somehow referenced or alluded to in one way or another. Has there ever been any recognition that this Hulk exist? Honest question JS.
William Hurt reprising his role as Thunderbolt Ross in Civil War presumably counts.
It’s truly a mixed bag comparing the two Hulk movies – between the two of them, you have all of the elements to make an exceptional Hulk movie combined.
– Ed Norton has more fun with the Bruce Banner role than Eric Bana and is more relatable. Winner: Hulk 2008
– Jennifer Connelly plays Betsy Ross like she’s going for another Oscar, she still nails it unlike Liv Tyler who’s still playing little girls at this point in her career. Winner: Hulk 2003
– Sam Elliott is bad-ass, surprisingly so even without his mustache as General Ross while William Hurt is wearing an embarrassing fake mustache and pretty boring. Winner: Hulk 2003
– Tim Roth has some fun as the main villain with just the right amount of menace while Josh Lucas….is just Josh Lucas. Winner: Hulk 2008
– The special effects are a bit wonky in both but definitely improved in the more recent film and nicely used in shadows as well. Winner: Hulk 2008
– Ang Lee is doing his best “look at me, I’m directing!” Brian DePalma impression as the director but the film still looks pretty cool, love the dessert shots and shots of San Fran. Louis Letterier gives his film the standard MCU big-screen flat sitcom look though though the college campus fight is impressively staged. Winner: Hulk 2003
– Nick Nolte noltifying at his Noltiest whereas the more recent one has a perfunctory cameo with Robert Downey. Winner: Hulk 2003
– CGI Abomination running through Harlem looks pretty damn silly but not as silly as Hulk poodles. Winner: Hulk 2008
It’s close but slight edge to Hulk 2003.
Bulldog, they made a reference to Stan Lee drinking the gamma juice, in one of the later films. Also, Ruffalo’s Betty is Liv Tyler, and that pops up at sometime as well.
“Ang Lee is doing his best “look at me, I’m directing!” Brian DePalma impression as the director”
Ang Lee was actually the guy who did a lot of the Hulk CG acting. So what you said is more true than you realize!
I’m loving this Hulk love. Amazing that we had to wait 15 years for people to give it cult status.
Hulk 2003 final battle is one of the stupidest things I’ve ever seen. Add hulk dogs and I’m out.
So with all this Hulk talk, after two financial and critical failures, now that the praise is almost universal for this Hulk, is it time to attempt a Hulk standalone, or is the lesson that Hulk needs to be part of an ensemble?
And kind of like how Civil War wasn’t a true Cpt America story IMO, (I know JS will disagree), is Thor Ragnarok truly a Thor movie, or Hulk movie in disguise, seeing that they seem to be borrowing from Hulk Planet for their main storyline?
I’ll confess that my knowledge of the comics is peripheral only.
The Hollywood Reporter has an article on how The Mummy might open to just $35 million domestically, and place second to Wonder Woman (50% drop = $50 million).
We only have one local IMAX, and it’s abandoning WW for The Mummy this weekend. Anyone else think they might be losing money on that deal?
(And I thought most IMAX runs were at least 2 weeks?)
As for the battle of Hulk films, gotta give props to the second one for using “The Lonely Man” theme from The Hulk TV show. One of the most melancholy melodies ever.
“is it time to attempt a Hulk standalone”
Up to Universal still apparently. Better to wait for a wan year, so probably not.
THE MUMMY is so off my radar that I didn’t even know who directed it until today. Maybe it’ll be good. I hope it is. I’d like to be proven wrong about it and the whole Dark Universe thing. I just don’t see it taking off, especially if the tracking on MUMMY is correct.
Outside of that June is, for me, about It Comes At Night and Baby Driver. I could give a fuck about Cars 3 or more Transformers. Also looking forward to The Bad Batch and The Big Sick, though TBB has mixed reviews as of right now.
Oh, and The Beguiled, of course. I keep forgetting it’s coming out so soon.
What is the rights tangle on the Hulk currently? Universal holds the rights but Marvel can make a movie as long as they release it through Universal? That is sort of the opposite of Spidey where Columbia essentially outsourced the rights back to Marvel. If Universal wanted to make a stand alone Hulk could they still?
Am upbeat on the Mummy simply because of Cruise who I can usually count on to deliver, I am often weary of his projects thinking he is pass his sell by date but have gloriously been proven wrong again and again by MI’s, Edge of Tomorrow and the first Jack Reacher. But there is a slight cloud over the Dark Universe as the only franchise Uni has ever been able to launch off a $100 million plus first film was the quickly extinguished Huntsman franchise. Even Uni’s King Kong is the only of the four versions not to get a sequel.
If The Mummy opens to $35 million and doesn’t do very well domestically, and only manages to break even because of international, how does that change the Dark Universe planning as they are busy announcing other titles and what not? Tighter budgets? Let Blumhouse get in on the action? I am looking forward to seeing The Mummy but it doesn’t seem like it’s going to be an auspicious way to start a new cinematic universe.
the mummy looks fake. overblown crap. i hope it snuffs and they re-think their shit
Haven’t they already? Wasn’t Dracula Untold supposed to be the start of the Dark Universe?
Now nobody wants to even claim it.
I don’t think Dracula Untold was considered part of the Dark Universe during production, and I don’t think Luke Evans is playing the character in the future. So I’m not really sure what the deal is with that one.
Maybe Universal figures with Fast and/or Furious running out of gas, they need an even more redonculous cgi crap fest.
I guess they see Disney’s success with the MCU and Warner starting on the DC movies, they need a new franchise.
Nevermind their biggest successes have been “realistic” sci-fi fantasies. Blockbusters like Jaws and Jurrasic Park/World are fantastic, but there’s a deep root of reality running through.
Dracula untold, was supposed to start things off, then it shat the bed. This led to the new Mummy film, and no one seemingly wanting another go at Mummyville.
I’m excited for it, but my favorite horror films aren’t known by today’s kids. They are not on Netflix, they are rarely shown outside of tcm, so the dark universe is a property for old ass people. What do middle-aged people, generally, not do that much? Go to the movies. Thus, Universal really didn’t think this through, because you need the kids, to pay to see things, and the kids really don’t seem interested.
io9.gizmodo.com/the-mummy-is-monstrous-just-for-all-the-wrong-reasons-1795888589
Wow. Yeah. I may just go see Wonder Woman again. Good lord. That’s bad.
If Universal were looking for a shared universe like Marvel or DC, they’d be smarter to expand on the Unbreakable/Split universe of realistic (ha ha) superheroes. At least both of those films have been successful.
But was that the plan for Dracula Untold from the very beginning JS? My recollection is that when that film initially went into production it was not intended to start the Dark Universe.
It seems like that’s why the marketing has felt so schizophrenic. It’s a Tom Cruise summer action movie! It’s a horror movie! It’s the start of a new cinematic universe! You try to appeal to everyone and appeal to no one.
This is once again, the problem with execs and Marvel Studios. It’s these motherfuckers inate abilities, to ignore how special Marvel is. It’s not like you can just pull this shit out of thin air, but countless Studios think they can. It’s the fucking hubris, that’s the most annoying. “We can have another Potter franchise!” “We can make our monsters successful like they were in the 20th century!” “Yeah. Everyone wants a fucked up Kong movie! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”
If these motherfuckers, took some time to create new ip, instead of trying to bleed shit dry. The film business, could be as fun as TV. What do we get instead? Retread bullshit, that rarely is worth the fucking time.
I hate those fucking new Ape movies, but they at least work for people in ways that most of this stuff never ever does.
SB, maybe not the Dark Universe, but it was supposed to be the start of some Universal Monster shared universe.
It looks like the decision to make it part of the shared universe came right before the Oct. 2014 release. In 2013 when Universal gave it a release date it was referred to as an origin story but there’s no mention of a shared universe. As you allude to this whole endeavor seems poorly planned and the weak tracking and bad reviews don’t inspire much confidence. The way they are talking about all these new movies and shared universe is indicative of a series that has launched successfully and not one that seems on the verge of starting unsuccessfully.
This clean version (or intended for wider audiences) version Sony is making available makes it seem as if they only see expansion potential with the religious audiences who are delivering them mid range hits for their cheap cloying films. It seems to open up a whole previous market for their Sandler and Adam McCay catalogs.
I’m not sure what exactly the non offensive version of Step Brothers looks like but I bet its a funny 17 minutes.
Sooo…Indiewire says of THE MUMMY: “Obviously the worst movie Tom Cruise has ever made.” Yikes. Is it really that bad???? I was under the impression that if a producer and director actually managed to make a movie worse than LION FOR LAMBS or COCKTAIL, they’d be arrested immediately for crimes against humanity.
This “clean version” thing isn’t going to go over well i imagine with the filmmakers. Seth Rogan has already Tweeted his disapproval. Didn’t Spielberg and some others sue that Utah based company CleanFlicks a few years ago for the same dame thing, but on a wider scale?
What a stupid, stupid thing to be doing.
Mummy is getting mostly savaged. That’s a shame. Dave Tweeted he was at a screening last night. Hope we get a review. Love that he’s putting the effort in to write so much again. It’s respected and appreciated.
Cleanflicks didn’t have the legal permission. Sony owns the copyrights and is doing it themselves (or has already done it, these are the airline versions apparently) so they are within their rights. Its funny that these are all dead franchises and moved on movie stars though. Its not like Sandler has any pull at the studio anymore if this upsets him.
Shame about Mummy, hate to see Cruise take one on the chin, especially since Reacher didn’t deliver last fall, but maybe should have seen it coming since all the press talk during his publicity tour was about Top Gun 2.
I know I am likely the ONLY ONE but I have a huge soft spot for the first two Mummy movies (more so than Hulk), completely featherweight breathless action, but loved Weisz in it and actually was able to stand Frasier, which didn’t happen often.
You are not alone hcat! My wife and her family adore the first two Mummy movies and watch them all the time. They are pretty fun. When they first came out I remember being annoyed that they aren’t horror movies, but now I appreciate them for being goofy entertainment.
Can I make a modest proposal to the studios? Wait to announce your “shared universe” until you’ve made a great movie worth following up. OK?
I mean, come on. How many of us rolled our eyes when they announced they were doing 5 (or whatever) Fantastic Beasts movies before the first even came out? Now how can anyone be excited about four more movies of such mediocrity? Yes I know it made money but does anyone seriously think this is a growth franchise? This will be a downward slope, in both grosses and interest. Now with likely no heat after the Mummy are we supposed to be excited about what comes next in this universe? I have stuff to do, stop wasting my time and don’t come back until you have something worth sticking with.
Those Stephen Sommers Mummy movies are good, lightweight fun. hcat is right about Weisz. She’s adorable and engaging (but she always is). And Kevin J O’Connor is a lot of fun. I remember seeing him in There Will Be Blood and being amazed at his range. He’s underemployed.
The MCN Tweets –and reviews– of The Bad Batch have me both worried and excited. Sounds like a divisive film. Anybody here seen it?
It’s… psychedelic.
What’s the controversy about it and the q&a?
Loved the first Sommers Mummy movie. Liked the 2nd much better once it was on DVD and with subtitles I could understand what their son was saying.
Gotta give some love to John Hannah in those films. He brings the comic relief in truck loads.
Go here and search for “Ana Lily” and scroll down for a sampling of remarks after the Music Box screening in Chicago.
“It’s…psychedelic”
I found A Girl Walks Home At Night almost inpenetrable but still loved it. It gave me nightmares. Same with Wheatley’s A Field In England. So “psychedelic” sounds promising.
I also what the kerfluffle was over the Q & A.
Technically, there’s an embargo on review until next week. Take a look at the trailer. On the Chicago fracas, go two comments below this one:
Um, I tried to figure it out from the twitter feeds, but that is what got me confused in the first place. Twitter really isn’t good for explaining things.
A woman (in the feed) asked AL Amirpour a question about deaths in the film. She didn’t give an answer, apparently, and things grew rowdy. Firsthand accounts vary, twitter isn’t clear, either. But the questioner didn’t appreciate the answer/lack of answer/lack of immediate accountability. “When I asked [about] her message of showing a white woman kill a black mother in front of her child, not only did she refuse to answer. I was publically humiliated in front of everyone at musicboxtheatre and walked out shaking.”
A critic who was at the same advance screening added online: “Also to act ignorant about the ongoing deaths of black people in CHICAGO. Sis. Come on.”
Four tweets from two hours ago, today:
“i think the part that upset me the most instead of having a conversation of why The Bad Batch can be viewed as antiblack I was just silenced
“there’s plenty of people telling [Amirpour] to “not listen to that angry black girl” than to actually come to a point of understanding
“the solution is to not silence the voices of the oppressed but to actually listen to them this is just overall disheartening & disappointing
“we must do better, I am still willing to have a conversation with Ana Lily about her directorial choices, the ball is in her court”
Thanks, that helped.
Yes, thank you. Very strange. Will be worth following.
sommers’ first ‘the mummy’ is good fun action adventure buoyed by weisz (who is a golden god) and fraser’s palpable chemistry (hello gadot and pine), a good cast and cleanly-written and executed story, which goes a long way toward overcoming the shitty vis effects, which don’t really overpower the movie so they’re kind if kitsch rather than horrible.
i mean really, cruise in this ‘action hero’ ego mode is just getting silly and repetitive (and paired with a bland woman 1/3 his age of course, sad trombone)
why not play him against type (which is when he usually shines anyway) playing like a scholar his actual age who gets caught up in ‘the curse of the mummy’, go old school rather than remake sommers’ first ‘mummy’ but messier and faker
er also, it’s not just the one ‘girl’ who had serious problems with the fates of the black characters in ‘the bad batch’, i saw several bits of commentary from different people
I liked the first Fraser Mummy a lot, but it boggles my mind that anyone adored, liked or even tolerated the second, which was a frantic mess. I thought my head would explode. Not sure why I didn’t just walk out.