Weekend Wrap-Up
Deadpool's Second Frame Matches First Weekend Expectations
By John Hamann
February 21, 2016
Reviews for The Witch were excellent, with the RottenTomatoes score coming at 87% fresh. It had 115 reviews to the positive and only 17 to the negative. While reviews were fabulous, they didn't translate into audience reaction. The horror flick earned a Cinemascore of a shocking C-, a score that's even low for horror (The Blair Witch Project earned a C+). A24 would rather The Witch not drop too heavily next weekend, but the Cinemascore might be its undoing. A24 got its first big success last year with Ex Machina, which had a domestic take of $25.4 million, a number The Witch could challenge by the end of its run.
That puts How To Be Single into fifth place, and it gets hammered as it is coming off of Valentine's Day. Last weekend, the Rebel Wilson starrer had its biggest day of last weekend on Sunday (up 12% over Saturday, where this weekend Sunday will be its lowest. After pulling in $17.9 million over three days in the last frame, Single earned $8.2 million this weekend, giving it a deflating drop of 54%. The Warner Bros. film, which cost $38 million to make, now has a solid domestic total of $31.8 million. It earned $8.1 million overseas last weekend, putting it in a good position to be profitable, if it can hit $50 million both domestically and overseas.
Our last opener, Race, the biopic about Jesse Owens, opens in a disappointing sixth. Race earned only $7.3 million from 2,369 theaters. This result is in-line with expectations, and given the 61% fresh rating, I shouldn't be too surprised at the weekend result. Focus Features picked up Race for a rumored $5 million, a film that once had The Force Awakens' John Boyega attached to star. If the rumor is true, Race should be a good investment given the A Cinemascore it received and its opening weekend figure.
From Focus Features, Race appears to be Oscar bait at first glance. It's a biopic about a famed minority athlete who faced off against Hitler and won. When we look closer, the film is directed by Stephen Hopkins, an acclaimed TV Director (House of Cards, The Life and Death of Peter Sellers), but as a film director, has had more than a few films go sideways (Predator 2, Lost in Space, The Ghost and the Darkness). Race's biggest star is Jason Sudeikis in a supporting role, as the film is carried by newcomer Stephan James. Given the reviews, it didn't have enough for Oscar, but people like it, and this genre can often see heavy legs following release.
Zoolander 2 is seventh following a slower-than-expected start last weekend. Following its $13.8 million debut, the Ben Stiller sequel fell 60% in weekend two, earning $5.5 million. The $50 million production is already in serious trouble, as the domestic result is not going to match its production budget, which puts huge pressure on the overseas result. So far, Zoolander 2 has picked up $23.7 million domestically, and took $10 million from about 20 overseas markets last weekend.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens dips all the way down to eighth, as it is now playing on only 1,618 screens. Following a $6.2 million President's Day frame, The Force falls 38% this weekend, earning $3.8 million. Its total now stands at $921.6 million, and it looks to leave the top ten next weekend as three new films debut.
The Revenant is ninth. The Leonardo DiCaprio film earned another $3.8 million, dropping 42% from its President's Day gross. The Oscar hopeful now has a domestic gross of $165.1 million and has earned over $200 million overseas.
Hail, Caesar! is tenth, as the Coen Brothers release makes a quick entry and exit. The $22 million film pulled in $2.6 million (off 59%), which brings its domestic total up to $26.2 million. Caesar is going to have to do impressive business overseas if Universal doesn't want a black eye from this one.
Overall, the top 12 films grossed $123.3 million, a solid score considering that several of the last few years had top 12s that failed to reach $100 million. Last year's top 12 came in at $107.3 million but featured an impressive six films that earned more than $10 million. Next weekend, things will heat up again at the box office as openers include Gods of Egypt, the gods versus gods flick starring Gerard Butler and Geoffrey Rush, Eddie The Eagle with Hugh Jackman, and Triple Nine, the John Hillcoat thriller with Casey Affleck, Woody Harrelson, Anthony Mackie and The Walking Dead's Norman Reedus.
1 |
Deadpool |
Fox |
$55,000,000 |
- 58% |
$235,394,000 |
2 |
Kung Fu Panda 3 |
Fox |
$12,500,000 |
- 37% |
$117,104,000 |
3 |
Risen |
Sony |
$11,800,000 |
New |
$11,800,000 |
4 |
The Witch |
A24 |
$8,685,270 |
New |
$8,685,270 |
5 |
How to Be Single |
New Line Cinema |
$8,220,000 |
- 54% |
$31,764,000 |
6 |
Race |
Focus Features |
$7,275,000 |
New |
$7,275,000 |
7 |
Zoolander 2 |
Paramount |
$5,500,000 |
- 60% |
$23,718,000 |
8 |
Star Wars: the Force Awakens |
Disney |
$3,836,000 |
- 38% |
$921,643,000 |
9 |
The Revenant |
Fox |
$3,800,000 |
- 42% |
$165,116,000 |
10 |
Hail, Caesar! |
Universal |
$2,640,000 |
- 59% |
$26,153,145 |
11 |
Ride Along 2 |
Universal |
$2,200,000 |
- 51% |
$86,485,480 |
12 |
The Choice |
Lionsgate |
$1,860,000 |
- 64% |
$16,677,478 |
|
Also Opening/Notables |
|
The Mermaid (mei Ren Yu) |
Sony |
$1,015,000 |
New |
$1,015,000 |
|
Busco Novio Para Mi Mujer |
Lionsgate |
$900,000 |
New |
$900,000 |
|
Neerja |
Fip |
$583,000 |
New |
$583,000 |
|
Ebrace of the Serpent |
Oscilloscope |
$50,165 |
New |
$50,165 |
|
Where To Invade Next |
Drafthouse Films |
$560,210 |
- 40% |
$1,987,080 |
|
The Boy |
Stx Entertainment |
$1,482,000 |
- 53% |
$33,406,000 |
|
The Finest Hours |
Disney |
$1,007,000 |
- 63% |
$25,470,000 |
|
2016 Oscar Nominated Short Films |
Shorts Hd |
$240,000 |
- 45% |
$2,300,000 |
|
The Lady In the Van |
Sony Classics |
$1,500,990 |
+ 171% |
$3,814,177 |
|
Son of Saul |
Sony Classics |
$84,194 |
+ 18% |
$1,111,978 |
|
The Big Short |
Paramount |
$875,000 |
- 35% |
$67,122,000 |
|
Brooklyn |
FOX SEARCHLIGHT |
$728,000 |
- 33% |
$35,326,000 |
|
Spotlight |
Open Road Films |
$515,216 |
- 26% |
$38,095,287 |
|
Room |
A24 |
$417,702 |
- 7% |
$12,667,721 |
Box office data supplied by Exhibitor Relations
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