TAGGED AS: Box Office, movies, news
Over the holiday last weekend, kids flocked the theaters again for the world of Zootopia. This weekend, it was back to the defunct pizza place with the killer animatronic robots. Many figured the numbers would be on the lower side, given how the first film trailed off and wasn’t particularly liked. But apparently not, because even while critics made their voices heard, Freddy’s fans were just not listening.
Though we were pretty much through the pandemic, Universal still made the decision to let Five Nights At Freddy’s go day-and-date on Peacock the same time it was in theaters. That decision did not hurt its opening weekend, when it made $80 million, the fifth-best opening ever for an October release, though one wonders if that ranking could have been higher without the streaming release. Like we saw with many of the 2021 Warner Bros. releases on HBO Max, big drop-offs followed. And it came for Freddy’s — a 76.2% drop, in fact, down to $19 million in its second weekend. The infamy would continue, though, as it still has the fourth-worst multiple for a 3,000+-theater release (not counting films cut short by the pandemic): 1.71 from $80 million to a final tally of $137 million behind only the multiples for Joker: Folie A Deux (1.53), Halloween Ends (1.600), and 2009’s Friday the 13th (1.602).
While those numbers don’t sound great, take a step back to that $137 million, add another $154 million from the global market, and you have over $291 million total on a $20 million production. Hence, we now have Five Nights at Freddy’s 2. Speaking of bad numbers, the critic’s score has gone from 33% on the Tomatometer down to just 12% for the sequel (as of this writing). That officially makes it the worst-reviewed wide release of the year, worse than Bride Hard (14%), Hurry Up Tomorrow (14%), and The Strangers: Chapter 2 (15%). But fans are still fans, and it made $63 million over the weekend. The budget on this one was doubled and then some to $51 million. This will also have no problem getting into profit (it is at $109 million globally already) and with the promise of another chapter, the franchise could be headed for six or seven times their budgets.
Last year, after having the biggest Thanksgiving opening ever, Moana 2 fell 63.3% in its second weekend to $51.2 million. This year, Disney’s Zootopia 2 had the second-best holiday weekend ever and it fell 57% to $43 million. Zootopia is well off of Moana’s pace towards $460 million on the domestic side. Its numbers are closer to Minions: The Rise of Gru, which had a $46.1 million second weekend and was at $225.1 million after 12 days; Zootopia 2 is currently at $220.4 million. That should be good enough for it to surpass the original’s $341 million total and finish somewhere in the $360-380 million region. Worldwide, however, the film is already over $915 million ($430 million in China alone). A billion dollars is inevitable at this point, and it would mark the 30th film to reach that milestone under the Disney banner.
Wicked: For Good continues to add to its many notable numbers. Another $16.7 million this weekend brings its total to $296.9 million. That is the sixth-best total ever for a November release after 17 days. Wicked: Part One had $322.1 million after a $36.4 million third weekend. Same timeframe, different year, different movie. For Good’s fall is closer to that of Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 2, which fell 60% in its third weekend to $17.4 million. For Good fell nearly 73%. Staying on this track, the film could be looking to finish between $325-345 million. At best, that would be about a 27% decrease from the first film, similar declines for films like Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, Avengers: Age of Ultron, and the third and fourth Shrek films from their predecessors. Nevertheless the film is approaching $500 million globally ($440 million to date), which would have both films over $1.25 billion together.
GKids’ release of Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution finished in fourth this weekend with $10.1 million in 1,833 theaters. That may be lower than Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle and Chainsaw Man this year, but it is GKids’ second-biggest opening ever behind only Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and The Heron, which opened to $12.9 million and finished with $46.4 million. Execution’s $9.7 million is already their second-biggest grosser ever as well. So congrats to GKids, whose releases from 2019 to present day have all earned Tomatometer scores over 80%. Jujutsu Kaisen needs a few more reviews to populate a score, but it six of its eight reviews right now are positive.
Now You See Me: Now You Don’t continues to hum along towards a win for Lionsgate. Another $3.5 million this weekend brings its total over $55 million domestic. But the big number has always been its international haul, and that has pushed it over $210 million. If the $90 million production isn’t in profit already, it will be soon. The third film is about $4 million behind the first sequel but appears it will get itself over $60 million. Lionsgate may think about getting out while the gettin’s good on this franchise.
The afterlife romantic comedy Eternity dropped just 14% to $2.7 million in its second weekend. After 12 days the film has grossed $9.5 million. That is not far behind the numbers of A24’s release of The Smashing Machine ($10.4 million after 12 days) but slightly better than Ari Aster’s Eddington this summer ($8.61 million). Its second weekend is better than either of those, and it could be finishing around the $14-15 million area.
Chloe Zhao’s Hamnet expanded to 744 theaters, where it grossed $2.3 million. Awards season is kicking into full gear shortly, and that will certainly drive word of mouth further. Focus is hoping to have a Conclave-like run with this one. So far, it has made $4.1 million in 12 days. They opened Conclave wide into 1,753 theaters in week one, where it grossed $6.6 million the week before Halloween and coasted through the holiday season to gross over $32.5 million and another $83 million overseas. Hamnet has yet to make its play on the international scene.
It was certainly a tale of two 1987 Schwarzenegger updates from last month. Predator: Badlands is the more positive story, as it is over $88 million after another $1.8 million in weekend five. It’s already the highest-grossing Predator film of all time domestically and worldwide, and while it may not get to profit by the time it leaves theaters (nor $100 million), it will certainly make up a little ground at home. On the other hand, all the VOD, streaming rights, and physical media in the world may not make up for the losses on Paramount’s The Running Man. Edgar Wright’s redo of the Stephen King book with Glen Powell is out of the top 10, down to just $1.1 million in its fourth weekend with totals of $36.5 million (domestic) and under $70 million (worldwide). Those are rough numbers for a film that may not even beat Arnold’s $38.1 million domestic gross 38 years ago.
Fans finally got a look at Quentin Tarantino’s (nearly) complete vision. An additional never-filmed animated sequence is currently on Fortnite, but Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair was in 1,198 theaters, and the 4.5-hour epic (with intermission) grossed $3.2 million. Speaking of long epics, the Hindi criminal saga Dhurandhar rounded out the top 10 in 391 theaters, making $1.9 million.
The filmed stage version of musical Merrily We Roll Along with Daniel Radcliffe and Jonathan Groff landed just outside the top 10 with $1.2 million for Sony Classics. Kristen Stewart’s directorial debut, The Chronology of Water, opened to $18,000 in two theaters in NY and LA. Bleecker Street decided to get very selective on who they wanted to let see Fackham Hall. Joke’s on them, because a few more voices adding to its 86% on the Tomatometer could have let more audiences know that there was a comedy worth seeing in theaters. The result was just $620,000 in 1,112 theaters. Fackham Hall, indeed.
James L. Brooks returns with his first film in 15 years with Ella McCay, starring Emma Mackey, Jamie Lee Curtis, Woody Harrelson, Kumail Nanjiani, Ayo Edebiri, Albert Brooks, and more. The ‘80s gets another remake with the controversial Silent Night, Deadly Night released by Cineverse. Roadside is also releasing the horror/fantasy Dust Bunny, Bryan Fuller’s terrific feature directorial debut about a little girl who hires a hitman to kill the monster under her bed.
Erik Childress can be heard each week evaluating box office on Business First AM with Angela Miles and his Movie Madness Podcast. [box office figures via Box Office Mojo]
Thumbnail image by ©Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
