The Weekend Report

Blade Runner 2049 dominated weekend moviegoing, hovering at $31.4 million. Two other national releases opened as counterprogramming, with mountain survival drama The Mountain Between Us providing an effective $10.2 million. Less assured was a My Little Pony movie that whinnied up $8.7 million. In limited wide, inspirational canine The Stray impounded limited bow-wow with a $630,000 launch.

Exclusive newcomers included an excellent start for The Florida Project , with $149,000 from four motels. And the expansion of Victoria & Abdul maintained stamina with a $4.1 million tally.

Among international day-and-dates, imports from China were on a tear with Never Say Die (a potent $737,000) and City of Rock posting good returns of $108,000. Filipino rom-com Last Night had an okay start of $137,000 but new titles from India failed to click.

Revenues for the session approached $105 million and took a slight 2% drop from last weekend. It was an 18% decline from 2016 when the debut of Girl on the Train led with $24.5 million and Miss Peregrine’s followed with $15.1 million.

All eyes were on Blade Runner 2049, the follow up to Ridley Scott’s much-debated 1982 sci-fi noir. Critical response was two thumbs way up, tracking was fierce and previews were strong. Industryites were confident of a domestic debut in the neighborhood of $50 million. As Friday matinees trickled in it was clear it wasn’t going to get close to that number and expectations pared back as the weekend progressed.

A studio spokesman felt its overwhelming appeal to older males was the prime reason it fell short of expectations. Exit polling identified the audience as 71% male with 86% 25 and older. That slice of the population was also occupied with baseball playoffs involving teams in the nation’s top two markets as well as college football finals. Nonetheless other factors may well have come into play such as the fact that the original was a success d’estime rather than a popular hit, despite re-issues. The new film als played heavily on its lineage in a reverential fashion … and the material is decidedly downbeat. The film bowed internationally to about $50 million, in line with distribution projections.

Conversely The Mountain Between Us, despite its central situation, seemed the upbeat alternative. It exceeded expectations of $8-$9 million, with unexpected plus ratings via social media. It tilted 58% female with a hefty 81% of viewers aged 25 and older. It also had a limited international start in 11 territories that rescued $3.6 million including $1.1 million returns in the UK and Mexico.

While The Little Pony bowed in line with expectations it nonetheless feels like a brand with fading appeal in the multiplex despite its bromance with an aging male crowd. Viewers swung 59% female with 51% aged 25 and older.

Be Sociable, Share!

• 
•