Friday Box Office Analysis
By Tim Briody
January 30, 2016
BoxOfficeProphets.com
Kung Fu Panda 3
It’s a start of $10.5 million for Kung Fu Panda 3, the latest from DreamWorks Animation. While down from the previous films, it’s not too bad, and breaking $10 million on Friday shows that kids and families haven’t completely forgotten about the franchise in the five years since Kung Fu Panda 2. That was a Memorial Day weekend opener in 2011 and had a first Friday of $13.1 million on its way to a $47.6 million weekend (and then a Monday that duplicated Friday). Kung Fu Panda 3 does not have that same luxury, but there’s little reason to think it won’t perform pretty well over the rest of the weekend. Look for a weekend of $36.7 million.
The Finest Hours
With only $3.3 million on Friday, it’s a disappointing weekend out there for all the openers not named Kung Fu Panda 3 (though the argument can certainly be made there). “Ooooh, weather!” just doesn’t sell tickets like it used to, especially when there aren’t any big names attached. Give it a total of $9.2 million for the weekend.
Fifty Shades of Black
Marlon Wayans’ Fifty Shades of Grey parody could only earn $2.2 million on Friday. That throws under A Haunted House 2 from two years ago, which started with $4 million on Friday (earning $8.8 million on the weekend and finishing with $7.3 million total). This will come and go just as quickly, so look for Fifty Shades of Black to manage just under $6 million on the weekend.