Friday Box Office Analysis
By Tim Briody
January 24, 2015
BoxOfficeProphets.com
After last weekend’s historic opening, American Sniper drops only 40% to $18.3 million on its second Friday in wide release. After a weekend that lacked a good explanation, the Clint Eastwood film somehow avoided a major collapse that tends to happen after massive openings. It now stands at $154.1 million and will be on the cusp of $200 million after this weekend, when it looks to finish with around $53 million.
The Boy Next Door
The top opener this weekend is Jennifer Lopez’s The Boy Next Door with a Friday total of $5.6 million. This is okay and shows that J-Lo still has some ability to open a movie despite a critical evisceration. A weekend of $15.6 million is decent enough for the thriller even as viewers continue to flock to American Sniper.
Mortdecai
On the other hand, star power is pretty meaningless if you’re just way too out there. Such is the fate of Johnny Depp’s Mortdecai, which earned just $1.5 million on Friday. And now you know why there’s another Pirates of the Carribbean movie coming. Give it $4 million for the weekend and let us forget it ever happened.
Strange Magic
Also having a completely forgettable Friday is the animated entry Strange Magic, with only $1.3 million on Friday. You almost have to try in order for something CGI to just straight out bomb like this, but that’s what happened. It’s just about time to stop treating anything from LucasFilm as special anymore. By virtue of being aimed at kids, it should surpass Mortdecai on the weekend, but that’s not saying much. Look for $4.1 million on the weekend.