(Photo by Marvel Studios)
Welcome to the kickoff of the summer movie season. This year studios are taking the bold step in opening the biggest period at the box office with films from Eugenio Derbez, Jason Reitman and Dean Devlin. Wait, I’m sorry, what? Oh right, the summer box office got a sneak preview a week early this year and Avengers: Infinity War is still dominating with a $112.5 million second weekend, and will continue to do so. For, at least, one more weekend when the narrative will shift.
(Photo by Marvel Studios)
There is nothing to stop the interest in the latest Avengers film until Deadpool 2 hits theaters on May 18. Until then it has been given a clear path for everyone to wonder whether or not a new all-timer is on the horizon. Specifically in regards to Black Panther which now certainly appears to be headed for over $700 million. That journey was already $404 million in after its first ten days and was built upon with little to no challengers over the next three weeks after. This is its 12th straight week in the top ten and it has an outside chance to make it to 14, becoming the first film to achieve that since Disney’s Frozen from 2013-14. Infinity War is not going to make it that long, but it may not need to.
There should be more skepticism that Infinity War will surpass Black Panther’s domestic total given that it is headed into Deadpool 2 and Solo territory at the end of the month. Not to mention Ocean’s 8, Incredibles 2 and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. (Even Action Point should best Avengers’ sixth week total.) But just looking at the numbers now it is reasonable how industry watchers could give Marvel a chance to best itself and continue its world domination. Infinity War has already reached a billion dollars worldwide (a day earlier than The Force Awakens’ 12-day record) and it does not even open in China until this Friday. It’s $1.16 billion ranks it 15th all-time.
At $450 million in America it is $47 million ahead of Black Panther’s pace making it the second highest-grossing film ever after 10 days. The Force Awakens had made $540 million, so don’t start thinking it has a shot at the top spot. But after next weekend (when it will be an easy #1 again) it will likely be somewhere around $550 million (good enough for 8th best all-time) but also starting to lose a little momentum on Panther’s pace. (It did $66 million in weekend three.) At the same time, it is conceivable that by Day 17, Infinity War will have passed Panther’s worldwide gross of $1.33 million
Despite opening in just 1,623 theaters, the remake of Overboard with Eugenio Derbez and Anna Faris (taking on the roles of Goldie Hawn & Kurt Russell, in that order) started with $13.1 million. Last year, Derbez’s How to Be a Latin Lover opened to $12.2 million in 1,118 theaters for a whopping $10,959 per-theater-average. The only 32%-approved Overboard’s $9,088 is nothing to sneeze at either, even if Infinity War’s $25,000+ average sort of does. It was still much better than Tully’s $2,355 average in 1,353 for just $3.1 million. This is a film that could still have potential for growth (with an 89% at RT,) but Focus may already have failed it despite a number of festival appearances in Miami, Cleveland, Wisconsin and Tribeca after a secret limited screening at Sundance this year. The numbers are similar to the prior Charlie Theron/Jason Reitman/Diablo Cody effort, Young Adult, which took the roadshow approach (i.e. no film festivals) to $3.4 million when it expanded to 986 theaters in 2011. That strategy may have cost Theron an Oscar nomination and it was released in December. If audiences quickly forget about this movie it could be déjà vu all over again and that is a shame.
Dean Devlin’s Electric Entertainment has only distributed three films to date. The first, Rob Reiner’s LBJ (54% on the Tomatometer) made just $2.4 million in 659 theaters last November. Their first release, the little heard-of Blackway (20% with just five reviews) with Anthony Hopkins, Julia Stiles and Ray Liotta made $27,079 in 11 theaters. Devlin’s company is now releasing Devlin’s second directorial effort (after his long-delayed Geostorm finally came out in October to crash and burn.) Bad Samaritan, despite not screening for critics in most markets, did better with them (59%) than any narrative feature he’s been associated with since 2000’s The Patriot (61%) but with almost non-existent advertising it only made $1.7 million this weekend despite having the largest theater launch (2,007) amongst new releases this week.
(Photo by Bleecker Street)
Bleecker Street’s Disobedience expanded into 31 theaters this week and grossed another $310,000. The 89%-approved drama with Rachel Weisz and Rachel McAdams had the third-best PTA with $10,000 and has grossed $638,645. Magnolia’s Ruth Bader Ginsburg documentary, RBG opened to $560,000 on 34 screens.
Like this year the top ten featured films with Charlize Theron, Eugenio Derbez and a talking raccoon. May 5, 2017 WAS the official kickoff to the summer season and it was dominated by Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 which made $146.5 million. That was over $52 million more than the August 2014 release of the original. The Fate of the Furious had finally passed the $200 million mark in its fourth weekend. Derbez’s How to Be a Latin Lover dropped 58% and had grossed $20.5 million after ten days.
Melissa McCarthy reteams with husband Ben Falcone on Life of the Party, which should be a healthy #2 at the box office. This is their first PG-13 effort after their previous collaborations, Tammy and The Boss, opened to $21.5 & $23.5 million, respectively. Amy Schumer’s Snatched tried to take advantage of the Mother’s Day weekend last year and made $19.5 million before dropping off sharply. Also opening is Gabrielle Union beating up home invaders in Breaking In from director James McTeigue (V for Vendetta, Ninja Assassin, The Raven) which Universal hopes to get into the teens with.
1. Avengers: Infinity War – $112.5 million ($450.0 million total)
2. Overboard – $14.7 ($14.7 million total)
3. A Quiet Place –$7.6 million ($159.8 million total)
4. I Feel Pretty – $4.9 million ($37.7 million total)
5. Rampage – $4.6 million ($84.7 million total)
6. Tully – $3.1 million ($3.18 million total)
7. Black Panther –$3.14 million ($693.3 million total)
8. Truth or Dare –$1.8 million ($38.2 million total)
9. Super Troopers 2 –$1.8 million ($25.4 million total)
10. Bad Samaritan – $1.7 million ($1.7 million total)
Erik Childress can be heard each week evaluating box office on WGN Radio with Nick Digilio as well as on Business First AM with Angela Miles and his Movie Madness Podcast.
[box office figures via Box Office Mojo]
