The Weekend Report

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, the only national opener, commanded roughly 74% of domestic moviegoing with an estimated $144.4 million haul. Guardians of the Galaxy’s set off a week earlier internationally and grossed $106 million from 37 territories. Its second international weekend added 18 markets and an additional $124 million box office. The foreign charge was led by a $48 million bow in China, with South Korea and Russia adding $13.3 million and $11.6 million, respectively. The only $10k-per-screen tallies aside from Guardians was A24’s The Lovers, which did $16,000 on four and the restoration of Stalker at Lincoln Center, grossing over $18,000 on a single journey.

The Weekend Report

The third weekend of The Fate of the Furious again led weekend viewing with an estimated $19.4 million and a global gross that crossed into the rarified realm of $1 billion box office. The session had but one wide national release but it was international day-and-date newcomers that stole the thunder. The storm came from the Hispanic comedy How to Be a Latin Lover that ranked second with $11.8 million and highly-anticipated Indian historic epic Baahubali 2: The Conclusion, which smashed global records, including a U.S. debut of $10.3 million.

The Weekend Report

Not truly turb0charged, but way out in front, The Fate of the Furious cruised to an estimated $38.6 million to lead in its second weekend. A clutch of new releases proved disappointing overall, though Disney’s annual wildlife doc Born in China (opening on Earth Day) was comparatively okay with a $5 million debut.

The rest of the national debuts were below par with distaff revenge thriller Unforgettable bowing with $4.7 million, and the Armenian genocide romantic drama The Promise struggling to $4.1 million. Also grim was the Blair Witch-like Phoenix Forgotten at $1.8 million.

The Weekend Report

It was top gear as the debut of The Fate of the Furious left the pack eating dust with an estimated $100.1 million. It was the only egg opening wide in this year’s Easter roll. A couple of limited releases strived to get into the marketplace (and failed) including the animated Spark: A Space Tail, which grossed $108,000 and golfing origin tale Tommy’s Honour with $220,000.

Exclusive freshman saw an up-tempo start for biodoc Chasing Trane with $15,200 on a solo riff. Also strong were the political “what if” Norman: The Moderate Rise and Tragic Fall of a New York Fixer that grossed $100,000 at five sites and a potent $114,000 bow for period adventure The Lost City of Z from four expeditions.

The Weekend Report

The Boss Baby again edged out Beauty and the Beast for weekend bragging rights with two family movies grossing respective estimates of $26.4 million and $24.7 million. Smurfs: The Lost Village opened with a softish $13.7 million while the octo-heist yarn Going in Style had a surprisingly resilient $12.3 million launch. Best of the exclusive debs were the monster-relationship drama-comedy Colossal, which grossed $121,000 at four playlots and stiff-upper-lipped Brit Their Finest with $78,400.

The Weekend Report

The Boss Baby animated an estimated $49.7 million to take the crown from Beauty and the Beast, which grossed $47.5 million. The session’s other incoming national release Ghost in the Shell, wound up with a disappointing $18.8 million. The frame’s onslaught of new exclusives didn’t generate a single potent grosser.

The Zookeeper’s Wife bowed to a solid $3.3 million. Holidays in India saw a flood of new pictures with only Punjabi Raab de Radio displaying any commercial heft. China’s The Devotion of Suspect X admired a $328,000 launch from 43 venues.

The Weekend Report

Beauty and the Beast diminished by half but nonetheless towered over the competition with an estimated $89 million weekend. That left the incoming Power Rangers securely in second spot with a $40.1 million debut. The session’s two other newcomers had meh results with the Alieneque sci-fier Life opening to $12.4 million and the TV staple CHIPS puttering on the big screen to $7.5 million.

The Weekend Report

Twas Beauty killed the Beast to an estimated record-breaking debut of $171.7 million. The frame’s other new wide release, the James Gunn-penned eerie thriller The Belko Experiment was a slim counterprogrammer with a $4 million launch.

Exclusive newcomers included Terrence Malick’s allegorical musical romantic triangle Song to Song with $51,700 from four bookings and the long-gestating sequel T2: Trainspotting that bowed domestically on five screens to $177,000 following two months of overseas exposure that’s injected $34 million.

The Weekend Report

Kong: Skull Island, the only nationwide opener, sounded the right chord with an estimated $61.1 million debut.

Exclusive newcomers were led by Cannes’ Personal Shopper with a $80,700 credit line at four boutiques, and Brit import The Sense of an Ending, which grossed $42,400 from four sites.

Friday Box Office Estimates

Godzilla opening day 2014: $38m. Kong: Skull Island… a little better than half of that. If the opening trajectory holds, Kongwill open to almost $50 million and will fight to get to $100m domestic. The question is, will the rest of the world bail out this turkey… uh, monkey? And a nice rebound weekend for exclusives: three films will do over $10,000 per-screen, led by Personal Shopper.

The Weekend Report

The debut of Logan cut a mean figure estimated at $85.5 million to easily lead weekend movie going. Other national releases saw good returns of $16.2 million for the faith-based The Shack and a crash landing of $4.7 million for the brooding drama Before I Fall.

Also disappointing in limited wide release was the relationship comedy Table 19 with $1.6 million. New imports from India all flat lined and the best of the myriad exclusive freshmen was the dramady The Last Word with a $33,900 tally from four screens. In Canada the animated Ballerina expanded into English-language venues to solid returns of $718,000.

The Weekend Report

Get Out got in with an estimated $30.5 million debut. The session’s other two national openers had less fortuitous results. Animated Rock Dogs charted 11th with $3.6 million. Collide bumped into $1.5 million.

The Weekend Report (4-Day Estimates)

Not much change from the 3-day, except for A Cure For Wellness dropping out of the Top 10 altogether in the 4-day estimates.

The Weekend Report

The Lego Batman Movie and Fifty Shades Darker once again topped weekend releases. The films were estimated at $34 million and $20.9 million for the three-day portion. All figures reflect the 3-day portion. A trio of new national releases failed to catch fire with the Chinese epic The Great Wall fairing best with good results of $18 million. The comedy Fist Fight bowed to a disappointing $12 million while thriller A Cure for Wellness debuted with a moribund $4.3 million.

The Weekend Report

There was no contest in the face-off between Legoworld and Lingerieland. The gap between the $55.1 million bow of The Lego Batman Movie and $46.8 million Fifty Shades Darker was tighter than anticipated. The week’s other newcomer, John Wick: Chapter 2, kicked out a potent bow of $29.4 million.

The Weekend Report

It was a threepeat for Split with Shymalan’s return taking top spot with an estimated $14.6 million and a cume nearing $100 million domestic. That left newcomer Rings just behind with a $12.9 million debut. The other national freshmen received less warm embraces. Interstellar YA The Space Between Us grossed $3.7 million while The Comedian got little applause with a $1 million tally.

The Weekend Report

The Split held sway at the box office with a second weekend estimate of $26.2 million. Nipping at its heels was newcomer A Dog’s Purpose that wow bowed at $18.4 million. Also debuting were a fond farewell for Resident Evil: The Final Chapter, slotting fourth with $13.5 million and pure pyrite for Gold that opened to $3.4 million.

The Weekend Report

The Split decision was a knockout as M. Night Shyamalan’s thriller doubled the box office of any weekend contender with an estimated debut of $40.1 million. xXx: Return of Xander Cage was in a distant second with $20.1 million. The Founder had a disappointing national franchise of $3.5 million, while comic faith tale The Resurrection of Gavin Stone sputtered to $1.3 million.

The 4-Day Weekend Report

Not a lot changed from the 3-day estimates to the 4-days. Hidden Figures stays out front, cracking $60m cume. The 2 family films, Sing and Monster Trucks (first and last time you will see them mentioned in the same sentence) both are estimating stronger days today than the adult fare. And La La Land stays bullish, breaking past $75m domestic 8 days before Oscar nomination morning.

(No Klady column today)

The Weekend Report

Hidden Figures seemed an all-too-appropriate chart topper for the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend with an estimated three-day $20.4 million box office. The first holiday of 2017 offered three new national releases and two limited releases going wide, to grim or bland response. The chief exception was horror The Bye Bye Man , slashing to a $13.4 million debut. The ticking clock Sleepless grossed a passable $8.2 million while the widening of Patriots Day was nearly a flag-waver with $11.9 million. The media has already had a field day with commercial pileup Monster Trucks, which revved up to $10.5 million. But the abject rejection of Ben Affleck’s Live By Night prohibition era gangster costumer hasn’t received its fair share of ink. It bowed nationally to $5.2 million.