Aimless: Nul Points

Despite a sharp sophomore drop Solo: A Star Wars Story held the lead in weekend movie going with an estimated $29.5 million. A trio of new national releases failed to create more than a ripple with Adrift at least providing a respectable start with $11.5 million in third position. The paranoid thriller Upgrade actually exceeded expectations with a $4.4 million start while the stunt hijinx of Action Point pancaked with a grim $2.3 million debut.

In the niches several Indian imports generated potent openings including the Hindi Veere di Wedding that bowed to $1.28 million from 121 venues and the Punjabi franchise Carry on Jatta 2 grossing $443,000 on 60 screens. The Dominican comedy Sanky Panky 3 also had reason to smile with a $169,000 box office. Exclusive debuts were dominated by the true life crime saga American Animals with a $133,000 tally from four sites.

Revenues for the session generated about $108 million and dipped 43% from the three-day portion of the Memorial weekend holiday. It was a scintilla deeper at 44% from 2017 when debuts of Wonder Woman and Captain Underpants opened respectively to $103.2 million and $23.8 million.

Despite largely positive reviews Adrift arrived on the low end of pundit predictions with some tracking pegging it at $14 million on the high end. The fact-based yarn of a couple that sailed into Hurricane Raymond back in 1983 and “survived crippling odds” had a familiar quality. On the one hand strong word-of-mouth was an asset and on the down side its appeal was largely muted by the feeling one had seen this story before … several times.

Upgrade also got the critical thumbs up but lacked the marketing support that might have elevated it to breakout success. Tracking suggested a debut in the range of $2.6 million to $2.8 million and though it significantly over-performed, the film failed to reach a level that would secure screens as the likes of Ocean’s 8 and Incredibles and Mission: Impossible sequels arrive at the multiplex.

Lastly it was a total blowout for the Jackass flavored Action Point that did the limbo of albeit low predictions in the area of $6 million or $7 million. Exit demos revealed that the film reached its target audience with an audience that was 67% male and 50% aged 25-years and older. However, that section of the audience majorly opted for other forms of entertainment to quench their weekend appetite.

Solo debuted at the top of the weekend with an estimated $83.1 million for the three-day portion of the Memorial Day holiday. (All figures reflect three-day box office). It was the sole new national opener but more than the Force contributed to the absence of a competitive counter-programmer. The long weekend was an overall improvement from 2017, but posted a double-digit decline from last weekend’s Deadpool 2 opening.

Best of new Indian imports was Parmanu: The Story of Pokhran, with $171,000. Considerably more impressive were Filipino romance Kasal that wowed with a $243,000 debut and China’s How Long Will I Love U with $208,000, following $80 million on home turf in ten days of release. Among exclusive freshmen, doc The Gospel According to Andre (fashionista Talley) showed the best cut with $53,600 from six screens.

Revenues from the session generated roughly $180 million and ebbed back 16% from last weekend. It was still a 25% improvement from 2017 when the debut of the fifth installment of Pirates of the Caribbean set sail with $63 million and Baywatch hit the beach with $18.5 million.

Tracking for Solo suggested a three-day launch of about $100 million and a holiday box office in the range of $125-$130 million. It appears that it will be a hard slog to reach a nine-figure return for the full Memorial Day session. In the current climate of boffo, the spin-off falls into the category “When $100 Million Isn’t Enough.” On the domestic front the film’s audience skewed 58% male with 64% of the audience 25-and older. The 17-35=year-old base accounted for 44% of viewers.

Internationally, Solo stepped out with an estimated $65 million gross, opening in all major territories save Japan. It had fierce competition from Deadpool 2 and Avengers: Infinity War. Nonetheless it took top spot in such territories as the U.K., Germany, France and Australia, but not China, South Korea or Mexico. Its top-grossing territories included the U.K. with $10.3 million, South Korea grossing $10 million and Australia opening with $5 million.

Deadpool 2 swam to the top of weekend viewing with an estimated $124.9 million. The session’s other national newcomers targeted those averse to snark. The golden girls of Book Club charted third with $12.4 million while the kiddie mix of animation and live-action in Show Dogs grossed $6 million.

Pope Francis: A Man of His Word underperformed with a $473,000 offering. Exclusive starts included an OK launch for Brit romance On Chesil Beach of $35,400 from four screens and a potent debut for First Reformed, with $96,700 that from four rectories. Newly un-scrubbed 2001: A Space Odyssey netted $193,000.

Revenues pushed close to $210 million and ballooned 49% from last weekend. It was an even better outcome of 69% plus from 2017 when the debut of Alien: Covenant led with $36.2 million and Guardians of the Galaxy 2’s third weekend was on its tail with $34.6 million.

The second Deadpool came up about 6% short of its inspiration and on the low end of industry prognostications of its premiere potency. One might speculate that a royal wedding put a crimp on its box office but its core appeal crowd hardly appeared to be distracted by pageantry. The least likely Avenger’s hard struggle to the screen in 2016 found an unexpectedly fierce appeal and a rush to get him back on the screen.

Exit polling identified the opening crowd as 61% male and 62% 25 and older. Internationally the film opened in 81 territories (with China and Japan yet to debut) and set a new record debut for Fox estimated at $176 million. Its top grossing market was the UK. Other leading markets included South Korea grossing $17 million, $12 million in Russia, Australia bowing with $11.7 million and Mexico opening with $10 million.

One can quibble with the reading choices of the Book Club but the delight of watching the quartet of veteran performers leafing through their lives was worth the sticker price. The film performed as anticipated and was a bullseye for those in a non-Marvel realm. The audience was 80% female with 88% 35 and older.

Pope Francis profile A Man of His Word failed to reach an anticipated $1 million return. The 81-year-old Pontifex could not compete with 85-year-old Supreme Ruth Bader Ginsburg who saw RBG climb into the Top 10 on its third weekend with $1.3 million and $3.9 million to date.     g

Avengers: Infinity War won its third weekend with an estimated $63.2 million. The back-to-school hijinx of Life of the Party was in second spot with $18.3 million followed by the ferocious matriarch of Breaking In with $16.5 million.

A flood of Indian films arrived for their holidays with top response for the Telugu Mahanati and the Hindi Raazi that bowed respectively to $1 million and $817,000. The Brazilian political drama Nothing to Lose (Nada a Perder) about a real-life political prisoner arrived with a potent $622,000 from 70 screens. It’s grossed more than $34 million since its release last month at home.

Exclusive starters included Brit dramatic thriller Beast with $52,500 at four sites and an adaptation of The Seagull with $77,900 at six venues.

Revenues for the frame pushed past $140 million and slid back 18% from the prior weekend. It was a slight 1% improvement from 2018 when the second weekend of Guardians of the Galaxy 2 led with $65.3 million and newcomers Snatched and King Arthur followed with $19.5 million and 15.4 million.

New releases brought a distaff crowd with Life of the Party providing the more lighthearted perspective with a divorced mom deciding to go back to college. Tracking had suggested a debut in the $18 million to $20 million range. Exit polling identified the crowd as 70% female with 80% aged 25-years and older.

The story of a mother protecting her children against bad guys feels like an evolving subgenre and Breaking In was expected to open a modicum better than Sunday estimates. It’s a female tilt was 65% but it played younger with 53% of the audience 30 and older. It’s worth noting that most studios employ one company to do exit surveys and it targets 19 U.S. cities, 20 locations and 1,000 respondents. There’s a strong likelihood that results will sometimes be outside what is considered an acceptable margin of error.

Following up on last weekend debut of Overboard (which held well domestically), the film had a potent debut in Mexico of roughly $10 million. It was a record start for its star Eugenio Derbez and the year’s second strongest debut (behind Infinity War).

Avengers: Infinity War led weekend viewing with an estimated $113.2 million. Three new national releases did little to erode the Marvel juggernaut. Overboard – a remake of the 1987 comedy pairing real-life couple Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell – was second with $14.3 million. Further down the line, the Diablo Cody-Charlize Theron-Jason Reitman reteam Tully struggled to $3.2 million and Bad Samaritan collapsed with $1.6 million.

Indian imports included Hindi comedy 102 Not Out, with two beloved veteran Bollystars, bowing with $454,000 and Telugu Naa Peru Surya comparably strong with a $743,000 tallty. In Québec, French comedy hit La Ch’tite famille bowed with an OK $125,000.

A big surprise was the stamina of 85-year-old associate Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, whose profile RBG debuted to $527,000 from 34 chambers.

Revenues for the frame exceeded $165 million and took a 47% slide from last weekend. It was also 15% diminished from 2017 when the debut of Guardians of the Galaxy 2 dominated the marketplace with a $146.5 million launch.

Slightly twisting the original, Overboard targeted the Latin market with the casting of Mexican superstar Eugenio Derbez, from the reigning Mexican box office champ in the U.S.  Instructions Not Included. It over-indexed with Latinx, who comprised roughly 42% of the opening weekend crowd. It also jumped out a week ahead of its debut South of the border with high end expectations of $13 million domestically. Exit polls identified the audience as 61% female with a surprisingly high 83% aged 25-years and older.

Tully promoted itself as a continuation of the collaboration between director Jason Reitman and scripter Diablo Cody (Juno, Young Adult) with an emphasis of humor rather than substance. Critics appreciated the ambition of the piece, which did not overcome tracking that suggested a modest start of $3-$4 million. Its audience was 60% female with 67% of viewers 30 and older.

Avengers: Infinity War arrived to a jaw-dropping, record-breaking estimated $247.6 million. Among its most significant box office achievements were likely the biggest domestic debut and it holds the crown as the largest global opening with a $630 million gross. In North America, 82% of all movie ticket sales went to the Marvel crew.

There were no takers to become a sacrificial counter-programmer. The sparse collection of freshmen included urban drama Kings, which grossed a flaccid $166,000 from 214 locations. More impressive was recent foreign-language Oscar winner Sebastian Lelio’s English-language debut, a tale of forbidden love, Disobedience, which bowed on five screens with $233,000.

Revenues edged past $300 million and climbed a hearty 143% from last weekend. It ballooned 206% from 2017 when the third weekend of Fate of the Furious led with $19.9 million and was followed by newcomers How to Be a Latin Lover and Baahubali: The Conclusion with $12.2 million and $10.4 million.

The latest from the Marvel universe was too big for one movie (its sequel arrives in April 2019) and pundits anticipated a domestic debut in excess of $200 million. Only three other films have reached that rarified realm so estimating a reasoned number thwarts any  algorithm. Estimates ranged from $210-$230 million and even high-enders were outside the statistical margin of error. Studio exit polling identified the U.S. audience as 58% female with 58% 25 and older. The 17-to-25-year old crowd accounted for 49% of viewers.

On the international front Infinity Wars bowed everywhere save China and Russia with an estimated $380 million that ranks it second all time to The Fate of the Furious. It was the number one film in all territories even such traditional spoilers as India and Turkey. Among the countries where it set a new benchmark for all-time opening box office were Brazil, Indonesia, Korea, Malayasia, the Philippines and the United Arab Emirates. Top grossing territories included the UK with $42.2 million, Korea grossing $39.2 million, a $25.1 million box office in Mexico and the thunder Down Under with $23 million.

The film opens in Russia on May 3 and China closes the book on May 11.

A Quiet Place returned to the top of weekend viewing with an estimated $21.9 million. Two national releases vied for third and fourth. Fantasy-comedy I Feel Pretty grossing $16 million gave a slight edge over the $14.8 million Broken Lizard hijinks in Super Troopers 2. In limited wide release, the thriller Traffik bowed to $3.9 million.

The frame saw an effective expansion of Lynne Ramsay’s Cannes-prized hallucination You Were Never Really Here. Exclusive freshmen lacked a powerhouse starter. Telugu Bharat Ane Nenu had a potent start of $2.9 million.

Revenues for the session generated roughly $128 million and ebbed back 15% from the prior weekend. It was nonetheless an 18% improvement from 2017 when the second weekend of Fate of the Furious led with a $38.4 million box office and the top newcomer was Unforgettable in fifth spot with a $4.8 million tally.

Amy Schumer’s I Feel Pretty, a tale of a woman with an unbridled sense of her beauty and intelligence, was given a top end prospect of $15 million. It did slightly better than that, but the promise of Trainwreck may have gone off the tracks. Her rival Melissa McCarthy will be back on screen next month.

The marketplace surprise was unquestionably Super Troopers 2, expected to open to the tune of $6-$7 million. The original screen venture for the Broken Lizard comedy troupe premiered 16 years ago and proved to be a cult hit. But subsequent screen ventures have produced meh results and the same appeared the case for the retread. Instead the fan base was yearning for this revival.

Traffik, the perennial yarn of a vacationing couple beset by a gang of hooligans in a remote bucolic setting, recruited an audience 52% female and 92% 25 and older.

It was Rampage by a snout as the monkeyshines debuted with an estimated $34.6 million. On its heels was A Quiet Place with $32.7 million. The session’s other wide release was the horror Truth or Dare in third, with $19.1 million. In limited wide political thriller Beirut opened to $1.6 million and animated Sgt. Stubby: An American Hero grossed $1.1 million.

Best of exclusive premieres were Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami with $58,000 and the Cannes-prized rodeo tale The Rider with a $42,300 launch, both debuting on three.

Indian imports saw a strong start for the Punjabi Golak Bugni Bank te Batua of $153,000 at 33 venues while Telugu Krishnarjuna Yudham struggled to $234,000 at 178 locations following a fast start on Wednesday. In Canada, Indian Horse – a saga of a native lad pursuing a hockey life – had a thumbs-up of $373,000.

Revenues for the frame approached $150 million for a 12% slip from last weekend. It was also 15% diminished from 2017 when Fate of the Furious premiered with a stunning $98.8 million.

Despite the presence of the biggest star in the world, Rampage tracked soft with estimates of $34-$38 million. It was anticipated to hit second to A Quiet Place; anticipating the silent scream would decline just 25% from a strong opening. Studio exiting polling broke down the audience as 55% male with 63% 25 and older.

In line with such recent entries as Ready Player One and Pacific Rim Uprising, Rampage had a warmer embrace overseas with an estimated $114 million debut in 61 markets. China provided roughly half the box office with a $55 million tally. The next top grossing markets were the UK and South Korea each grossing $5.7 million and Mexico with $4.8 million.

The Blumhouse brand may not have an Oscar contender with Truth or Dare but it again topped high end expectations of $17 million for its latest venture. Its audience skewed 60% female and 60% 25 and younger. It also dipped into the international marketplace with seven territories that rang up $2.6 million. The UK provided half of foreign revenues.

The whispers were deafening as A Quiet Place swooped to the top of the weekend with an estimated $50.1 million debut. There was good news for  the raunchy table-turner Blockers that bowed third with $21.4 million. Two other national freshmen launched with a long-buried political flashback of  Chappaquiddick overperforming with $6.1 million and female sport saga The Miracle Season opening close to expectations with $4.1 million.

In international day-and-dates, the best Indian imports were Punjabi Subedar Joginder Singh and Hindi Blackmail, which bowed respectively to $223,000 and $164,000. Filipino Never Not Love You had an okay start of $107,000. In Québec, local production La Bolduc, a true-life tale of the province’s 1930s Piaf-like thrush, opened to $471,000. In IMAX, cuddly Pandas scored $151,000 from 33 shoots.

Exclusives included an encouraging first trot of $48,800 for Lean on Pete at four road stops and a lyric $267,000 for Hector el Father: Conoceras la Verdad on the Puerto Rican Reggaeton singer who departed a first career for a life of social activism on 14 screens domestically.

Revenues for the session edged close to $170 million and expended 20% from last weekend. It was a more profound 40% boost from 2017 when the second weekend of Boss Baby led with $26.4 million and newcomers Smurfs: The Lost Village and Going in Style bowed respectively to $13.2 million and $11.9 million.

There was no denying that A Quiet Place benefited from a snowball effect that tracking did  not keep pace with as opening day approached. Crystal ball gazers had it slotted at $35-$39 million but studio insiders suspected even better returns. Exit polling identified the opening crowd was 51% female with 63% 25 and older. The 18-to-34  audience accounted for 53% of sales. A Quiet Place opened day-and-date in 40 other markets to an estimated $21 million. Top territories included the UK with $3.6 million, Mexico with $2.7 million and Australia with $2 million,

Blockers proved a solid alternative, outpacing high-end estimates of at$19 million. Its audience was 55% female with 56% 25 and older. Blockers sailed in international waters last weekend to a potent $6 million from a handful of territories. This weekend saw the addition of 11 secondary markets and a $3.2 million tally. The next major market will be next weekend in Germany.

The surprise of the frame was Chappaquiddick, which relives the death of female aide Mary Jo Kopechne in the car of Edward Kennedy and the political fumbles that followed. Trackers saw no more than a $3 million opening prospect but it’s likely its core audience (exits indicated it was heavily attended by 55 and older which would have known the incident) bought tickets rather than wait until later in the run.

Ready Player One led the Easter parade with an estimated $53.6 million. There was good news for the session’s other national opener, Tyler Perry’s Tyler Perry-free revenge thriller Acrimony, which bowed at $17.1 million. The third new release God’s Not Dead: A Light in the Darkness failed to inspire with a $2.6 million start for a waning franchise.

New titles in international day-and-dates included a potent start for Telugu Rangasthalam at $1.8 million and a solid beginning of $592,000 for Hindi Baaghi 2. In Hawaii, locally-made Kuleana grossed $32,300 from eight venues. Exclusive freshmen failed to provide thunderbolts, although L.A. neo-noir Gemini had an encouraging $36,400 box office at four dives.

Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One, based on Ernest Cline’s best-selling virtual reality-set novel, recalls Raiders of the Lost Ark with younger protagonists. Still industry tracking reflected some reticence with predictions of a $35-$40 million opening for its four-day. It also opened in 62 alternate realities to an estimated $128 million led by an estimated $61.7 million gross in China. Other top markets included South Korea with $8.1 million, the UK grossing $7.3 million and Russia providing a $6.1 million box office. As with last weekend’s performance of Pacific Rim Uprising, Ready reflected a tidal shift between domestic and international returns.

Revenues for the holiday period approached $140 million and inched 6% ahead of last weekend’s performance. It was conversely a 19% decline from 2017 when the debut of Boss Baby led with a $50.2 million tally and newcomer Ghost in the Shell ranked third with $18.7 million.

The Tyler Perry machine was underestimated, with the opening potency of Acrimony with top-end predictions of $15 million. Perry has never made more than the most minuscule expansion into a wider, mainstream audience. Acrimony proved an effective counterprogrammer with a crowd was 74% female and 85% 25 and older. African Americans accounted for 60% of viewers, significantly lower than the majority of his output.

While the media has been shining the light on faith-based movies the only recent release that managed to cross over to a wider audience is I Can Only Imagine. Ironically the 2014 God’s Not Dead also fit into that category but its subsequent follow ups — including A Light in Darkness — along with the recent Samson and Paul, Apostle of Christ have played to the faithful.