By Leonard Klady Klady@moviecitynews.com

The Weekend Report

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle returned to the top of the weekend viewing charts with an estimated $11 million. As the Patriots and Eagles await kick off of Super Bowl LII in frigid Minneapolis, moviegoing takes a back seat. And with that chill in mind the sole national newcomer – haunted house Winchester – opened in third with $9.1 million.

Exclusive debuts were led by Chilean Oscar nominee A Fantastic Woman with a $69,500 box office from five screens. Another foreign-language nominee, Lebanon’s The Insult, has had an effective slow rollout, generating $121,000. A third nominee, Hungary’s Of Body and Soul, also opened this weekend; results were not available.

There was a strong start of $513,000 for Telugu import Chalo at the expense of Touch Chesi Chudu with a $149,000 kickoff. Also of note was the impressive 298 theater count for Emirate epic Bilal: A New Breed of Hero that grossed $308,000.

Revenues for the frame came up slightly short of $100 million and ebbed back 34% from last weekend. It was a slim 2% decline from 2017 when the third weekend of Split topped the charts with $14.4 million and newcomer Rings took second spot with $13 million.

Winchester, inspired by a real-life San Jose mansion, had tepid critical response. However it proved to be an ample guilty pleasure and football diversion to exceed high-end expectations of $8 million. Studio exit polling identified the audience as 58% female with 64% of viewers 25 and older.

Last night’s Directors Guild award to Guillermo del Toro for The Shape of Water (also cited by the Producers Guild) gives the imaginative fable an edge in the continuing Oscar race. Still there’s not a strong sense of inevitability or even a feeling of rising momentum for it or really any of the other contenders including Lady Bird and Three Billboards. One can only imagine the buildup of mounting dread at Academy central as officials brace for what could be one of the lowest rated broadcasts of the past decade.

Weekend (estimates) February 2 – 4, 2018
Title Distributor Gross (avg) % chng Thtrs Cume
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle Sony 11.0 (3,290) -32% 3352 352.7
Maze Runner: The Death Cure WB 10.3 (2,720) -57% 3793 39.9
Winchester CBS 9.1 (3,670) NEW 2480 9.1
The Greatest Showman Fox 7.8 (3,030) -18% 2588 137.5
Hostiles Entertainment/Elevation 5.3 (1,810) -47% 2934 21
The Post Fox 5.2 (2,100) -43% 2462 67.2
12 Strong WB 4.6 (1,590) -47% 2918 37.2
Den of Thieves STX/VVS 4.6 (2,170) -47% 2112 36.2
The Shape of Water Fox Searchlight 4.3 (1,850) -27% 2341 44.6
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri Fox Searchlight 3.1 (1,780) -20% 1726 41.8
Paddington 2 WB 3.1 (1,290) -45% 2388 36.2
I, Tonya Neon 2.5 (1,700) -18% 1450 22.5
Darkest Hour Focus 2.4 (1,620) -16% 1486 48.8
Forever My Girl Roadside/Elevation 2.4 (1,660) -34% 1427 12.6
Padmaavat Viva 2.3 (6,610) -47% 354 8.8
Star Wars: The Last Jedi BV 2.2 (1,530) -47% 1467 614.4
Phantom Thread Focus 2.1 (1,790) -29% 1186 14.1
The Commuter Lionsgate/VVS 1.6 (1,090) -52% 1494 34.2
Coco BV 1.6 (970) 11% 1636 204.7
Insidious: The Last Key Uni/Sony 1.4 (1,50) -55% 1253 65.7
Lady Bird A24/Elevation 1.3 (1,200) -30% 1109 43.7
Call Me By Your Name Sony Classics .93 (1,600) -28% 581 12.9
Molly’s Game STX/eOne .81 (960) -10% 843 27.1
Pitch Perfect 3 Uni .77 (810) -44% 951 103.9
Ferdinand Fox .63 (1,100) -38% 575 81.4
Proud Mary Sony .55 (1,070) -59% 513 20.2
Chalo Sarigama .51 (4,460) NEW 115 0.61
Weekend Total ($500,000+ Films) $92.40
% Change (Last Year) -2%
% Change (Last Week) -34%
Also debuting/expanding
Bilal: A New Breed of Hero Vertical .31 (1,030) 298 0.31
Ang Dalawang Mrs. Reyes ABS .21 (5,190) -17% 41 0.64
Touch Chesi Chudu Blue Sky .15 (1,380) 108 0.16
The Insult Cohen Media .12 (3,360) 99% 36 0.29
Hochelaga, Terre des ames Seville 72,300 (2,190) -23% 33 0.45
A Fantastic Woman Sony Classics 69,500 (13,900) 5 0.07
Till the End of the World China Lion 59,100 (2,190) 27 0.06
Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool Sony Classics 53,700 (1,580) 56% 34 0.31
The Disaster Artist A24/Elevation 51,800 (780) -48% 65 21
Oru Nalla Naal Paathu Soiren AP Intl 41,900 (790) 53 0.04
24 Frames Janus 8,200 (8,200) 1 0.01
Before We Vanish Super LTD 8,100 (4,050) 2 0.01
Braven Saban 7,800 (780) 10 0.01
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