By Leonard Klady Klady@moviecitynews.com

The Weekend Report

Unlike Blade Runner 2049 movie goers were undeterred that they hadn’t seen 1995’s Jumanji (both were box office disappointments at the time of their respective releases) and put its sequel Welcome to the Jungle on top of the weekend chart with an estimated $36.1 million. The session’s sole new wide release – from a more vigorous franchise – Insidious: The Last Key was close behind with a $29.2 million debut.

With the Golden Globes hours away a number of titles did strategic expansions including such contenders as Darkest Hour, I, Tonya and Molly’s Game. The trio maintained commercial momentum.

Imports from China included Goldbuster with a $78,600 opening and Hanson and the Beast grossing $43,300. While both were modest debuts continuing titles such as Ex-File 3 indicate that the Chinese market is evolving much in the way the Indian has evolved in the past two decades. In 2017 more than 150 Indian movies played in the U.S. and grossed in excess of $100 million for the first time.

Revenues for the frame exceeded $165 million and dipped 16% from last weekend. It was 19% improved from 2017 when the third weekend of Hidden Figures pushed ahead of Rogue One by $800,000 with a $22.8 million tally.

Final crunching for 2017 rendered a domestic box office of $11.135 billion (see charts) that translated into a 3.5% decline from 2016. It was a 5% downturn in terms of admissions. International revenues are still being sorted but initial figures indicate a slight improvement of 7%.

On the domestic front it was a good year for the majors (apart from Paramount) but the news of Fox’s acquisition by Disney has put the industry in a quandary. Obviously consolidation will change the landscape and that’s going to put a squeeze on independents. There’s a big question mark hanging over Weinstein Co. (obviously) as well as STX, Open Road and Bleecker Street that are all in desperate need of a very big picture with franchise potential. The latter aspect is exactly the kind of thing that elevated Lionsgate into the status of a major player.

Weekend (estimates) January 5 – 7, 2018
Title Distributor Gross (avg) % chng Thtrs Cume
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle Sony 36.1 (9,490) -28% 3801 244.5
Insidious: The Last Key Uni 29.2 (9,380) NEW 3116 29.2
Star Wars: The Last Jedi BV 23.7 (5,600) -55% 4232 572.7
The Greatest Showman Fox 13.7 (4,100) -12% 3342 76.8
Pitch Perfect 3 Uni 10.2 (2,950) -39% 3458 86
Ferdinand Fox 7.7 (2,430) -33% 3156 70.5
Molly’s Game STX/eOne 7.0 (4,340) 197% 1608 14.2
Darkest Hour Focus 6.3 (3,650) 15% 1733 28.4
Coco BV 5.4 (2,840) -28% 1894 191.9
All the Money in the World Sony 3.6 (1,680) -36% 2123 20.2
The Shape of Water Fox Searchlight 3.1 (3,880) -11% 804 21.7
Wonder Lionsgate 2.4 (1,900) -26% 1258 126.6
I, Tonya Neon 2.4 (9,290) 288% 255 5.2
Downsizing Par 2.1 (1,060) -54% 2020 22.9
The Post Fox 1.7 (48,050) 208% 36 3.9
Lady Bird A24/Elevation 1.6 (2,780) 7% 562 34.1
Father Figures WB 1.3 (750) -66% 1717 16.8
Call Me By Your Name Sony Classics .74 (6,350) -1% 117 6.1
The Disaster Artist A24/Elevation .73 (1,530) -21% 478 19.4
Three Billboards Fox Searchlight .71 (2,280) 5% 310 25.4
Justice League WB .55 (1,060) -54% 518 227
Thor: Ragnarok BV .52 (1,610) -39% 325 312.5
Daddy’s Home 2 Par .50 (1,140) -74% 429 102.9
Murder on the Orient Express Fox .44 (1,400) -29% 314 101.6
Tiger Zinda Hai Yash Raj .37 (2,240) -60% 164 5.6
Weekend Total ($500,000+ Films) $161.25
% Change (Last Year) 19%
% Change (Last Week) -16%
Also debuting/expanding
Hostiles Entertainment .28 (6,130) 743% 46 0.41
Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds Well Go .27 (7,630) 38% 35 1.1
Phantom Thread Focus .24 (40,330) 12% 6 0.95
Le Trip a trois Seville .23 (4,290) -23% 54 1.4
Ex-File 3 China Lion .17 (9,280) 34% 18 0.51
Goldbuster Well Go 78,600 (3,270) 24 0.08
Youth China Lion 76,200 (2,540) -62% 30 1.8
Loving Vincent Good Deed/Mongrel 61,700 (1,060) -10% 58 6.4
Hanson and the Beast Media Asia 43,300 (2,160) 20 0.04
Namiya China Lion 41,300 (1.970) 21 0.04
Chamak Kannada 38,400 (1,420) 27 0.04
Chupan Chupai Hum 8,900 (730) 12 0.01
Giac Mo My – The American Dream Galaxy 5,300 (5,300) 1 0.01
Blame Goldwyn 4,500 (450) 9 0.01
The Strange Ones Vertical 4,200 (380) 11 0.01
Day of the Dead: Bloodline Lionsgate 4,100 (410) 10 0.01
Top Domestic Grossers (January 2,2017 – January 1, 2018)
Title Distributor Box Office
Star Wars: The Last Jedi BV 531,511,829
Beauty and the Beast BV 504,014,165
Wonder Woman WB 412,563,408
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 BV 389,813,101
Spider-Man: Homecoming Sony 334,201,140
It WB 327,621,899
Thor: Ragnarok BV 311,500,126
Despicable Me 3 Uni 264,759,902
Logan Fox 226,277,068
The Fate of the Furious Uni 225,966,192
Justice League WB 225,913,169
Dunkirk WB 188,373,161
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle Sony 185,224,946
Coco BV 172,372,459
The Lego Batman Movie WB 175,969,510
Get Out Uni 175,589,248
The Boss Baby Fox 175,001,663
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales BV 172,610,484
Kong: Skull Island WB 168,583,087
Hidden Figures * Fox 167,061,097
* 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