SATURDAY AM: A24’s Civil War is winning the box office skirmish against three wide entries with a second weekend of $11M+ after a $3.25M Friday. That’s a -57% second frame ease which isn’t as steep as many would expect for this divided movie. A24’s trick: They know how to generate the chime-in factor and sources tell me kudos are due to their marketing team of Graham Retzik and Zoe Beyer, maestros of entrancing the 18-34 crowd via social media and a guerrilla push.
Meanwhile, everything else is largely coming in under its projections resulting in a blah $65.8M weekend. Not the lowest year to date, but generally an awful number you don’t want to see the overall marketplace at — and we have diversified product, which is what studios and exhibition whine we should have. And not just any kind of product, but movies with great reviews and great audience responses. What gives? Why? It’s all because everyone’s cheapening out on their marketing, not going for a hearty box office number so they can vie to profit in the home window. Profitability and the optics of success mean two different things in the post Covid, post strike box office.
Universal’s B CinemaScore, but 82% certified fresh vampire movie, Abigail, starring Melissa Barrera will at least hit $10M after a $4M Friday. That’s right near where Uni opened Dev Patel’s genre action movie Monkey Man two weeks ago with $10.1M.
Lionsgate’s A- CinemaScore, Guy Ritchie directed, mouthful of a title, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is coming in at singles digits with an estimated $8.7M after a $3.7M Friday — in fourth. The Henry Cavill movie is getting whipped by weekend 4 of Legendary/Warner Bros’ Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire which is looking to come in at $9.2M. The movie was financed by Black Bear.
The Sony Crunchyroll Toho movie, Spy x Family Code: White made $2.2M yesterday for what’s looking like a $4.8M weekend at 2,009. Clearly not everything Crunchyroll does is Dragon Ball Z in fifth. The pic gets an A CinemaScore.
Here’s the chart. More analysis in a bit…
1.) Civil War (A24) 3,929 (+91) theaters, Fri $3.25M (-70%) 3-day $11M (-57%), Total $44.7M/Wk 2
2.) Abigail (Uni) 3,384 theatres, Fri $4M, 3-day $10M/Wk 1
3.) Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (Leg/WB) 3,658 theaters (-189), Fri $2.33M (-40%) 3-day $9.2M (-40%)/Total $171.4M/ Wk 4
4.) Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (LG) 2,845 theaters, Fri $3.7M, 3-day $8.7M/Wk 1
5.) Spy x Family Code: White (Crunch) 2,040 theaters, Fri $2.2M, 3-day $4.8M/Wk 1
6.) Kung Fu Panda 4 (Uni) 2,955 (-149) theaters, Fri $1.1M (-19%), 3-day $4.5M (-19%), Total $179.9M/Wk 7
7.) Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (Sony) 3,109 (-241) theaters, Fri $1M (-26%) 3-day $4M (-30%), Total $102.5M/Wk 5
8.) Dune: Part Two (Leg/WB) 2,014 (-387) theaters, Fri $800K (-33%) 3-day $2.8M (-35%), Total $276.4M/Wk 8
9.) Monkey Man (Uni) 2,641 (-396) theaters, Fri $680K (-46%) 3-day $2.2M (-46%), Total $21.6M/Wk 3
10.) The First Omen (20th) 2,430 (-945) theaters, Fri $530K (-54%) 3-day $1.7M (-55%) Total $17.7M/Wk 3
UPDATED, Friday midday: Mish mosh at the box office with A24’s second weekend of Civil War at $3.5 million Friday and $11M+ for the weekend, and Universal and Radio Silence’s R-rated vampire pic Abigail with $4M today (that includes $1M previews)/$11M vying for No. 1.
Lionsgate’s Guy Ritchie WWII period action pic The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is eyeing $3.9M-$4.3M Friday (including $1.45M previews) and $9M-$11M at 2,845 theaters, but many see the movie, which is 92% with Rotten Tomatoes’ audiences, in third place.
Fourth belongs to Legendary/Warner Bros’ Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire at 3,658 locations with a Friday of $2.3M and fourth weekend of $8.5M, off 45%, for a running total of $170.66M. By Sunday, if those figures hold, the latest Legendary Monsterverse title will be pacing 8% behind 2014’s Godzilla, the only installment to click past the $200M mark stateside with $200.6M. It will also officially make New Empire the second highest-grossing installment in the Monsterverse at the domestic B.O., overtaking Kong: Skull Island‘s $168M.
Fifth this weekend is Sony’s Crunchyroll anime title Spy x Family Code: White with $2M today and a $5M opening. RT critics are 96% fresh on the title while audiences give it a perfect score.
FRIDAY AM: Lionsgate is calling their all-in previews for Guy Ritchie’s The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare at $1.45M, however that includes around $600K in advance shows from last weekend in addition to Thursday’s cash. Which means Universal’s Radio Silence vampire movie, Abigail, won Thursday previews with $1M. Meanwhile, Sony Crunchyroll’s anime movie Spy x Family Code: White did $670K from shows that began at 4PM.
The weekend crown is expected to be a game of rock, paper, scissors between Abigail and A24’s second weekend of Civil War at about $12M+ apiece. Civil War led Thursday among pics in regular release with $1.6M, -14% from Wednesday, for a first week of $33.1M at 3,838 theaters.
Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare started its Thursday previews at 6PM. Abigail started her previews at 5PM in 2,800 last night and will expand to 3,384 locations today. Both movies are R-rated with good reviews on Rotten Tomatoes respectively of 71% and 83% fresh however, the Ritchie movie is expected to log in the mid single digits. Both are sharing PLFs this weekend.
Civil War is sharing Imax screens with Spy x Family Code: White, the latter which will do in the single digits.
Legendary/Warner Bros’ Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire booked at 3,847 saw a third Thursday of $893K, -3% from Wednesday for a week of $19.7M and a running total of $162.1M.
Sony’s Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire at 3,350 finished week 4 with $7.3M after a $372K Thursday, -1%.
Universal/DreamWorks Animation’s Kung Fu Panda 4 at 3,104 sites finished week 6 with an estimated $7.2M, running total of $175.3M after a $423K Thursday, +6% from Wednesday.
Legendary/Warner’s Dune: Part Two at 2,401 finished week 7 with $5.9M, after a $365K Thursday, -7% from Wednesday and a running total of $273.6M.
