Box Office Report :: November 6•8

© Focus Features

Note: Highlighted links will take you to Apple TV or FandangoNow for title rental or purchase information.

It was a slow weekend at the box office as Americans had more on their minds besides going to the movies, but while it wasn't gangbuster business Focus Features did have a good weekend with two films in the top two spots. The studio's Come Play opened at Number 1 last weekend, and this weekend the Kevin Costner-led drama Let Him Go took the top spot. The film made its debut with $4 million. Come Play dropped to second place with $1.79 million, a 42.5% decline, bringing the two week domestic total to $5.72 million. The film has also earned $1.36 million from foreign markets giving it a worldwide gross of $7.08 million.

Disney placed another reissue in the Top Ten this week as the original Toy Story returned to the charts at Number 6 with $505,000.

Two films in the Top Ten actually saw an uptick in their fortunes. The War With Grandpa held on to the Number 3 spot, earning $1.5 million, up 19% from last weekend. That brings the film's domestic five week total to $13.4 million. Tenet also saw a slight boost of 2%, but still moved down one spot to Number 5 with $905,000. That brings the domestic ten week total to $55.1 million. Overseas, the film's cumulative total has reached $295.6 million, for a worldwide gross of $350.7 million.

Two previous Top Ten films reentered the charts this weekend, even with a deficit at the box office from the previous weekend. The New Mutants dropped 14% of its box office but moved up two spots to Number 9 with $127,720. That puts the domestic total at $23.58 million after 11 weeks of release. Love and Monsters rebounded with a 16% decline, moving from 13 to 10 with $107,674, bringing its four week domestic total to $927,825 (this total does not include digital sales).

One other new release just missed hitting the Top Ten. The Dark and the Wicked opened at Number 12 on 68 screens with $65,000. The film is also available on digital streaming services.

The weekend of November 13 has nothing but limited releases (and some that may also be making digital debuts): Echo Boomers, Chick Fight, Dreamland, Ammonite, Freaky and The Climb. Freaky is the most high profile of the new titles and may end up being a wider release than expected.

Below are the Top Ten grosses for the weekend of November 6-8.

1. [N] Let Him Go - $4,000,470 [NEW]
2. [1] Come Play - $1,793,080 [$5,724,905]
3. [3] The War with Grandpa - $1,506,484 [$13,409,093]
4. [2] Honest Thief - $1,141,091 [$11,177,613]
5. [4] Tenet - $905,000 [$55,100,000]
6. [N] Toy Story - $505,000 [NEW]
7. [5] The Empty Man - $294,350 [$2,741,827]
8. [9] Spell - $135,151 [$390,514]
9. [11] The New Mutants - $127,720 [$23,585,119]
10. [13] Love and Monsters - $107,674 [$927,825]

Source: Box Office Mojo

Box Office Report :: October 30•November 1

© Focus Features

It was another spooky weekend at the box office. Not just because it was Halloween weekend, but because there were only three new releases that managed to hit the charts, with two of the three entering the Top Ten.

The biggest surprise was the Number 1 debut for Come Play, a film that was expected to open in limited release but ended up with 2,183 screens, and a per screen average of $1,429 which gave it an opening weekend of $3.11 million, about a third of the film's budget. It did not get an international release.

Keeping with the horror theme, Appalachian Hoodoo thriller Spell opened at Number 9 on just 369 screens with an estimated $210,000. That film also did not have an international opening. The film did, however, also make its digital debut this weekend, placing in FandangoNow's Top Ten for the weekend. Outside of the Top Ten, the only other "new" release was actually a re-release of the Nicolas Cage thriller Mandy, which landed at Number 19 with $19,169 from 29 screens.

With just two new releases hitting the Top Ten, only 2 Hearts and After We Collided were knocked out. In its second week, The Empty Man wasn't able to offer many scares, dropping 56% and falling two spots to Number 5 with $577,351 from 2,051 screens. The Monsters, Inc. re-release saw a 53% decline but slipped just one spot to Number 8 with an estimated $232,000. Hocus Pocus had the smallest decline of the weekend at 14%, remaining at Number 6 with an estimated $456,000.

With Come Play taking over the top spot, Honest Thief slipped to Number 2 in its fourth week of release with $1.37 million, down 42%, bringing the domestic total to $9.55 million. The film's international cumulative gross has risen to $8.58 million, for a global tally of $18.14 million.

The War With Grandpa was also knocked down a notch to Number 3 with an estimated $1.27 million, a decline of 34%, bringing its domestic total to an estimated $11.47 million after five weeks of release. Internationally the film has earned $5.56 million giving it a worldwide total of $17.03 million. Tenet saw a 32% decline but held on to Number 4 with $885,000 after nine weeks, the first time the film has earned less than $1 million domestically. Overseas the film's cumulative total has risen to an estimated $293.3 million, with a global gross estimated at $347.1 million.

The weekend of November 6 has one wide release currently scheduled, Let Him Go, with four films set for limited release: True to the Game 2, Jungleland, The Informer and Kindred. What eventually ends up at Number 1 next week is anyone's guess.

Below are the Top Ten grosses for the weekend of October 30-November 1.

1. [N] Come Play - $3,119,875 [NEW]
2. [1] Honest Thief - $1,373,079 [$9,558,341]
3. [2] The War with Grandpa - $1,270,720 [$11,478,925]
4. [4] Tenet - $885,000 [$53,800,000]
5. [3] The Empty Man - $577,351 [$2,285,028]
6. [6] Hocus Pocus - $456,000 [$4,828,000]
7. [4] The Nightmare Before Christmas - $386,000 [$2,286,000]
8. [7] Monsters, Inc. - $232,000 [$726,000]
9. [N] Spell - $210,000 [NEW]
10. [10] The Addams Family - $186,960 [$585,537]

Source: Box Office Mojo

Box Office Report :: October 23•25

© 20th Century Studios

It was a soft weekend at the box office with two new releases and two re-releases cracking the Top Ten, while the top two films remained firmly in place.

At Number 1 again was Liam Neeson's thriller Honest Thief which added 77 screens (mainly due to New York allowing cinemas outside of the city to reopen) -- 2,502 total now -- but saw a 43% decline from its opening weekend, earning $2.35 million. That brings its domestic total to $7.48 million. Overseas the film has amassed $4.2 million, bringing the global total to $11.68 million. Holding down second place for a second week, The War With Grandpa added 85 screens (2,345 total) and experienced a 24% decline, earning $1.91 million. That brings its three week domestic total to $9.75 million. The film has also earned a cumulative $4.1 million from foreign markets, bringing its global total to $13.85 million.

The New York theater openings didn't help Tenet, which shed 200 screens, now down to 1,801 total, but saw just a 19% decline, moving down one spot to Number 4 with an estimated $1.3 million (Warner Bros. is still not providing actual numbers), bringing its eight week domestic total to an estimated $52.5 million. Overseas, the film's cumulative total is an estimated $289.1 million, with a worldwide gross now at an estimated $341.6 million.

As far as the Top Ten newcomers -- which pushed The New Mutants, Unhinged, Love and Monsters, and The Kid Detective off the chart -- 20th Century Studios' The Empty Man scared up $1.31 million from 2,027 screens which put it in third place for the week. The film had a small foreign opening with $118,376 in the till. The studio is obviously hoping the coming Halloween weekend will give the film a boost as it's currently not available even for pre-order on sights like Apple TV and FandangoNow. After We Collided opened at Number 8 with $422,899, and is also available to stream (click our links to see it from the comfort and safety of your living room). The film has been playing in international markets since September and has a cumulative total of $45.6 million. With the domestic debut, the film's global total stands at $47.67 million.

On the re-release front, Monsters, Inc. and The Addams Family join The Nightmare Before Christmas and Hocus Pocus in the Top Ten. Monsters, Inc. landed at Number 7 with an estimated $494,000, while the animated The Addams Family just barely squeaked into the Number 10 spot with $282,841, beating The New Mutants by just $439.00.

The Halloween weekend is really going to be a weekend to stay home and watch your favorite horror movies with just The Donut King and Come Play slated for limited release. The next wide release comes November 6 with Let Him Go starring Kevin Costner.

Below are the Top Ten grosses for the weekend of October 9-11.

1. [1] Honest Thief - $2,354,022 [$7,480,296]
2. [1] The War with Grandpa - $1,913,169 [$9,750,216]
3. [N] The Empty Man - $1,310,326 [NEW]
4. [3] Tenet - $1,300,000 [$52,500,000]
5. [4] The Nightmare Before Christmas - $577,000 [$1,900,000]
6. [5] Hocus Pocus - $530,000 [$4,372,000]
7. [N] Monsters, Inc. - $494,000 [NEW]
8. [N] After We Collided - $422,899 [NEW]
9. [6] 2 Hearts - $319,010 [$988,832]
10. [N] The Addams Family - $282,841 [NEW]

Source: Box Office Mojo

Box Office Report :: October 16•18

© Open Road Films

It was a short tenure at Number 1 for The War With Grandpa as Robert De Niro was no match for Liam Neeson whose new action thriller Honest Thief unsurprisingly took the top spot. The film opened on 2,425 screens with $4.11 million, giving it a per screen average of $1,697, not the highest per screen average on the charts this week. The film's international opening scored an additional $1.39 million, giving it a worldwide total of $5.5 million. For now the film's distributor, Open Road, is keeping the budget numbers under wraps.

Surprisingly, there were four other new releases hitting the Top Ten this week (three new films and one re-release). At Number 4, Disney got more mileage out of Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas, which seems to have become a Halloween tradition now (even though everyone involved has admitted it's actually a Christmas movie), which earned an estimated $1.32 million. At Number 6, the based on a true story 2 Hearts earned $522,937 from 1,683 screens, a per screen average of $310. The film also debuted on PVOD services.

At Number 9, one of the few Paramount Pictures titles to not be sold off to Amazon or Netflix, the long-delayed Dylan O'Brien comedy-adventure Love and Monsters earned an estimated $255,000 on 387 screens, an average of $658. The film also debuted on pay streaming services where it landed at the Number 1 spot on FandangoNow and Apple TV. The Adam Brody comedy-drama The Kid Detective opened at Number 10 with $140,218 from 865 screens, an average of $162. Neither film has any international reporting.

In its second week of release, The War With Grandpa saw just a 31% decline and moved down one spot to Number 2 with $2.5 million, bringing its domestic total to $7.26 million. Tenet saw a 24% decline from last week moving down one spot to Number 3 with an estimated $1.6 million, bringing the domestic total to $50.6 million. Overseas, the film has climbed to $283.4 million, bringing the cumulative global total to an estimated $334 million.

Outside of the Top Ten, two films had some impressive per screen averages. At Number 41, The Bra earned $4,472 from two screens, an average of $2,236. At Number 28, She Dies Tomorrow moved up two spots to Number 28 in its 12th week of release, earning $11,471 on two screens, an average of $5,735.

The coming weekend of October 23 will see 20th Century Studios' crime-horror The Empty Man in wide release (the animated Connected was previously scheduled for this weekend but has moved to a date to be announced), with Bang! Bang!, Synchronic, Coming Home Again, and After We Collided in limited release. Can The Empty Man snag audiences craving some big screen horror or will Liam Neeson dig his heels in at Number 1 next week? Stay tuned.

Below are the Top Ten grosses for the weekend of October 9-11.

1. [N] Honest Thief - $4,115,249 [NEW]
2. [1] The War with Grandpa - $2,506,523 [$7,260,855]
3. [2] Tenet - $1,600,000 [$50,600,000]
4. [-] The Nightmare Before Christmas - $1,323,000 [NEW]
5. [3] Hocus Pocus - $756,000 [$3,842,000]
6. [N] 2 Hearts - $522,937 [NEW]
7. [4] The New Mutants - $468,278 [$22,724,804]
8. [5] Unhinged - $424,213 [$20,037,513]
9. [N] Love and Monsters - $255,000 [NEW]
10. [N] The Kid Detective - $140,218 [NEW]

Source: Box Office Mojo

Box Office Report :: October 9•11

© 101 Studios

Well, after six weeks we finally have a new Number 1 film, the family-friendly The War With Grandpa, which had been stuck in distribution purgatory for two years after the fall of The Weinstein Company. Former TWC exec David Glasser formed 101 Studios and rescued the film, though releasing it in the middle of a global pandemic might not have been the best idea even if it did top the charts (less so with critics who have given it an average score of 28% on Rotten Tomatoes). But the film did debut with $3.62 million on 2,250 screens, which works out to an average of $1,609 per screen, one of only two films on the charts this weekend to crack the $1,000 average. The film also banked a few bucks from international markets, earning $1.83 million, giving it a cumulative global tally of $5.45 million. Unfortunately, the film cost $24 million to make so it has a long way to go to make back its money.

The War With Grandpa pushed Tenet down into the Number 2 spot with an estimated $2.1 million, down 22% from the previous week, bringing its domestic total to an estimated $48.3 million. The film's international total has now hit $275.2 million, for a global total of $323.5 million. Shedding 457 screens, the Hocus Pocus re-release moved down to Number 3 with an estimated $1.16 million, a decline of 40%, bringing its two week domestic total to $3.08 million. Another Disney release, Coco reentered the chart this week at Number 6 with $210,000. The film has been in release for 151 weeks and now has a domestic total of $209.93 million.

The New Mutants and Unhinged also got pushed down one spot each because of The War With Grandpa. The New Mutants moved down to Number 4 with $705,822, a decline of 32%, bringing its domestic total to just over $22 million. Internationally the film is at $21 million with a worldwide total of just over $43 million. Unhinged moved down to Number 5 with $682,819, a 19% decline from the previous week, taking its domestic total to $19.37 million. With its foreign total of $18 million, the film's worldwide gross stands at $37.37 million.

One new film cracked the Top Ten this week, Yellow Rose which made its debut at Number 8 on 900 screens, earning $150,330. The Wolf of Snow Hollow just missed the Top Ten, opening at Number 11 with $91,943 from 112 screens. Neither of those films cracked the $1,000 per screen average mark but I Am Lisa at Number 29 did. With an opening weekend of $6,986 from three screens, the film's average total was $2,328 per screen.

The weekend of October 16 will see two wide releases and we're willing to bet the new Liam Neeson action thriller Honest Thief easily claims the top spot. The only other wide release is the romantic drama 2 Hearts, but judging from the performance of The Broken Hearts Gallery, that one is going to struggle. Other limited releases next weekend include The Shade Shepherd, She Is the Ocean, Escape from Extinction, The Bra, The Devil Has a Name, Harry Chapin: When In Doubt, The Kid Detective and Shithouse. As things stand now with Disney finally giving in on Pixar's Soul, moving it to Disney+ on Christmas Day, and Greenland now headed straight for PVOD in the States, the only two notable releases still sticking to their December dates are Death on the Nile and Wonder Woman 1984. It will be a Christmas miracle if either of them stay put at this point.

Below are the Top Ten grosses for the weekend of October 9-11.

1. [N] The War with Grandpa - $3,620,990 [NEW]
2. [1] Tenet - $2,100,000 [$48,300,000]
3. [2] Hocus Pocus - $1,161,000 [$3,086,000]
4. [3] The New Mutants - $705,822 [$22,011,883]
5. [4] Unhinged - $682,819 [$19,376,204]
6. [-] Coco - $210,000 [$209,936,015]
7. [5] Infidel - $205,602 [$3,819,991]
8. [N] Yellow Rose - $150,330 [$170,168]
9. [6] Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back - $145,000 [$2,403,000]
10. [8] Possessor Uncut - $143,752 [$510,107]

Source: Box Office Mojo

Box Office Report :: October 2•4

© Walt Disney Pictures

It was yet another slow weekend at the box office, and it's not looking to improve any time soon with more November releases shuffling off to the Spring of 2021 at the earliest. The biggest move came Friday, October 2 when the long-awaited Bond film No Time to Die moved to April, about the same time it was due to open this year. That pushed F9, which had already been delayed a year, back to Memorial Day weekend. Those moves were followed today by the Dune remake ditching its December release for October 2, 2021, which is the same day The Batman is scheduled so expect to see that pushed to the holidays, either Thanksgiving or Christmas 2021. For now, Disney is sticking with Pixar's Soul in November and the Death on the Nile remake for December, and WB still has faith Wonder Woman 1984 can save Christmas. But with Regal Cinemas announcing a company-wide closure this week, that could have a huge impact on the holidays and awards season. If the studios do stick with those plans, Regal could reopen for exhibition. For now, Cinemark is staying open, but reports suggest AMC Theaters is running out of money, so if those three films shift to next year that could spell the end for that chain. For now, write on your calendar in pencil (not that people still do that, but you get the drift).

There was some action at the box office this weekend with two new films cracking the Top Ten, one hovering just outside, and a surprise re-release unseating last week's Number 2 film and very nearly knocking Tenet out of the top spot. But Tenet hung on for a fifth week, earning an estimated $2.7 million from 2,722 screens, down 21% from the previous week. The film's domestic gross now stands at an estimated $45.1 million. As has been the case though, the film is still performing well in international markets with the foreign total now at $262 million, with a global total of $307.1 million.

At Number 3 in its sixth week of release, The New Mutants took just an 11% hit, earning $1.04 million from 2,154 screens, bringing its domestic total to $20.95 million. The film is still tracking overseas with the domestic release, with a cumulative total of $21 million. Worldwide the film has amassed $41.95 million. If you're keeping track, neither of these films earned more than $1000 per screen with Tenet taking $991 on average.

Unhinged saw a 12.5% decrease in its eighth week, dropping one spot to Number 4 with $847,378, and a domestic total of $18.38 million. Infidel kept its place at Number 5 even with a 39.5% decline, earning $460,450 for a domestic three week total of $3.43 million.

Tenet was close to being dethroned by the re-release of Disney's cult classic Hocus Pocus, which only really gained an audience after home video releases and TV broadcasts. For its July 16, 1993 release, the film bowed at Number 4 behind The Firm, In the Line of Fire and Jurassic Park and earned $39.51 million during its original run. This weekend the film earned $1.92 million with many locations selling out. For its Friday opening, the film actually was the Number 1 film of the day. The Sanderson Sisters are still weaving their magic 27 years later.

Opening at Number 8 is the thriller Possessor Uncut which earned $252,664 from just 320 screens, giving it a per screen average of $789, $40 more than Hocus Pocus. At Number 10, the horror/sci-fi/comedy Save Yourselves! opened with $142,694. The number of screens has not been reported. Just outside the Top Ten at Number 12, The Call earned $138,237 from 195 screens, an average of $708 per screen.

As for the coming weekend, there is one new wide release that could dethrone Tenet, the generation gap comedy The War with Grandpa starring Robert De Niro. Also due next weekend are The Bra, Pray: The Story of Patrick Peyton, Aggie, and the re-release of 2018's Henchmen. Be sure to follow @hotchka on Twitter for up to date news on the latest schedule changes!

Below are the Top Ten grosses for the weekend of October 2-4.

1. [1] Tenet - $2,700,000 [$45,100,000]
2. [N] Hocus Pocus - $1,925,000 [NEW]
3. [2] The New Mutants - $1,042,158 [$20,956,219]
4. [3] Unhinged - $847,378 [$18,380,032]
5. [5] Infidel - $460,450 [$3,432,415]
6. [4] Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back - $335,000 [$2,258,000]
7. [6] The Broken Hearts Gallery - $276,336 [$3,734,737]
8. [N] Possessor Uncut - $252,664 [NEW]
9. [7] Shortcut - $212,220 [$655,195]
10. [N] Save Yourselves! - $142,694 [NEW]

Source: Box Office Mojo

Box Office Report :: September 25•27

© Focus Features

Three new movies managed to crack the Top 10 this weekend, but their performances were really nothing to write home about considering the performances of the bigger titles still on the charts. The real news comes from three re-releases. But we'll get to those in a minute.

The big news is still Warner Bros' Tenet, which continues its decline in the US -- even though it's still Number 1 for the fourth week, and it may be able to hold on to that spot simply by default as studios, particularly Disney, continue to shift the Fall and 'awards season' movies to next year. As it stands now, there are no major releases coming until November 20 when No Time To Die and Pixar's Soul are scheduled ... for now, because anything can change in a sea of uncertainty that is the coronavirus pandemic especially as the temperatures begin to drop across much of North America. They said the heat would kill it and it continued unabated, and as temperatures drop, some areas of the world are experiencing increases in infections prompting the concern for a return to lockdowns. So we're not holding our breath for that Bond movie just yet. Disney is still banking on December though, moving Death on the Nile from its previous October date. Disney is, however, sticking with the October 23 date for its horror film The Empty Man. We'll see if any of that holds.

Back to Tenet, the film experienced a 28% drop from the previous week, earning an estimated $3.4 million, bringing the domestic total to $41.2 million. Overseas, the film is performing extremely well, perhaps because those governments and populations have taken things a bit more seriously than we have here. Playing in 58 markets, the film's top two territories are China, with a weekend gross of $3 million, and Japan coming in at $1.6 million, bringing the cumulative international total to $242 million with a worldwide gross now at $283.2 million. With a budget in the neighborhood of $205 million, the film still has a long, long way to go to turn a profit.

In second place, again, was The New Mutants which brought in $1.17 million, down 36% from last weekend. That brings the film's domestic total to $19.48 million. Overseas, the gross has matched that of the US with a cumulative total of $19.4 million, giving the film a global tally of $38.88 million.

In its second week, Infidel added 161 screens but still experienced a big 45% decrease at the box office, dropping two spots to Number 5 with $761,136. That helped lift Unhinged up one spot to Number 3, even with a 24.5% decline and a loss of 142 screens, with $967,903. Also not working in Inifdel's favor was the surprise appearance of The Empire Strikes Back, which has been playing drive-in engagements for several weeks now and is celebrating its 40th anniversary, at the Number 4 spot with an estimated $908,000. Meanwhile, The Broken Hearts Gallery saw a 37.5% decline and slipped one spot to Number 6 with $501,197.

Speaking of re-releases, in the wake of the death of Ruth Bader Ginsberg, two films about the icon were re-released in her honor. On the Basis of Sex returned to 829 screens and brought in $56,210 which was good for Number 14. At number 18, the documentary RBG returned to 878 screens and earned an estimated $34,000.

The three new releases took the 7-8-9 spots this weekend pushing Words on Bathroom Walls, Bill & Ted Face the Music and The Personal History of David Copperfield out of the Top Ten. At Number 7, Shortcut debuted with $305,000. At Number 8, The Last Shift earned $246,491 and at Number 10, Kajillionaire made a smaller splash with $215,675.

The weekend of October 2 will see a handful of limited releases including A Call to Spy, Possessor Uncut, Save Yourselves! (which looks fun from the trailer), Tar, The Keeper and Heaven, so we'll expect at least the Top Three films to remain in place.

Below are the Top Ten grosses for the weekend of September 25-27.

1. [1] Tenet - $3,400,000 [$41,200,000]
2. [2] The New Mutants - $1,172,088 [$19,484,246]
3. [4] Unhinged - $967,903 [$17,157,450]
4. [-] Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back - $908,000 [$1,923,000]
5. [3] Infidel - $761,136 [$2,690,735]
6. [5] The Broken Hearts Gallery - $501,197 [$3,269,620]
7. [N] Shortcut - $305,000 [NEW]
8. [N] The Last Shift - $246,491 [NEW]
9. [N] Kajillionaire - $215,675 [NEW]
10. [6] The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run - $142,355 [$4,435,735]

Source: Box Office Mojo

 

Box Office Report :: September 18•20

 

There has not been a lot of action at the box office aside from more new releases shifting dates later into this year and into next year but before we get to this week's report, let's catch up and look at the past two weekends' grosses.

Below are the Top Ten grosses for the weekend of September 4-6.

1. [N] Tenet - $20,200,000 [NEW]
2. [1] The New Mutants - $3,037,702 [$11,790,329]
3. [2] Unhinged - $1,808,429 [$11,439,637]
4. [3] Bill & Ted Face the Music - $773,108 [$2,267,572]
5. [6] The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run - $345,000 [$3,314,145]
6. [4] The Personal History of David Copperfield - $327,438 [$990,911]
7. [5] Words on Bathroom Walls - $275,642 [$1,535,180]
8. [8] The Eight Hundred - $61,957 [$250,215]
9. [9] Peninsula - $59,867 [$850,967]
10. [7] Cut Throat City - $56,395 [$618,347]

Source: Box Office Mojo

Below are the Top Ten grosses for the weekend of September 11-13.

1. [1] Tenet - $6,700,000 [$29,500,000]
2. [2] The New Mutants - $2,089,204 [$15,329,572]
3. [3] Unhinged - $1,516,422 [$13,842,978]
4. [N] The Broken Hearts Gallery - $1,126,401 [NEW]
5. [4] Bill & Ted Face the Music - $292,653 [$2,748,235]
6. [7] Words on Bathroom Walls - $230,951 [$1,942,487]
7. [5] The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run - $225,829 [$3,964,145]
8. [6] The Personal History of David Copperfield - $194,528 [$1,405,572]
9. [9] Peninsula - $52,110 [$943,460]
10. [10] Cut Throat City - $41,029 [$695,812]

Source: Box Office Mojo

Warner Bros. Pictures was certainly hoping that Tenet was going to be the film that got people back into theaters ... except theaters in major cities like New York and Los Angeles were not open yet, and other studios have been cautiously keeping an eye on the situation and then moving their releases to later in the year. WB and theaters owners were really counting on Mulan to help deliver a one-two punch at the box office, but with the move to streaming in the US and other countries where theaters are still not operating a full capacity, Tenet has floundered in the States (although it has flourished in international markets where people didn't object to wearing masks and staying home for their health). The next big movie to come along was supposed to be Wonder Woman 1984, but the performance of Tenet forced Warner to move that to Christmas, leaving October with one major release, Death on the Nile -- if 20th Century Studios/Disney sticks with the date. November will be the next big month but even that is iffy if rumors of Disney pushing Black Widow to a later date -- or to Disney+ Premium Access like Mulan -- come to pass. After that it's the 25th Bond film No Time to Die if Universal sticks to its November 20 release. Also scheduled for release the same day is Pixar's Soul, but there are rumblings that it may now go directly to Disney+ without the premium price attached to it as they did with Artemis Fowl, Hamilton and Onward. So it's really difficult at this point in time to even guess what may be coming down the pike.

As it stands now, after its third week of release in the US, Tenet took a 30% hit from last weekend, earning just $4.7 million (estimated, as Warner has not provided actual totals for the film the past two weeks) which gives it a cumulative total of $36.1 million. The one thing Tenet's performance seems to indicate is that a vast majority of Americans are just not ready to sit in a box of recirculated air with a bunch of strangers. Overseas, the film is going strong in 52 markets, topping out at $5.6 million in China. The film bowed at Number 1 in Japan with $4.3 million. The cumulative international total stands at $203 million, with a global tally of $239.1 million against a $205 million budget. 

Taking second once again is The New Mutants in its fourth week, seeing just a 13% decrease and earning $1.82 million, bringing its domestic total to $17.74 million. Overseas the film has earned a total of $17.3 million, giving it a global total of just over $35 million against a budget anywhere between $65 and $80 million. Unhinged saw its fortunes drop by 15.5%, moving down one spot to Number 4 with $1.28 million for a six week domestic total of $15.69 million.

Sony may be rethinking its decision to release the decidedly low key rom-com The Broken Hearts Gallery theatrically. Even with a modest budget of $8 million, it seems the film's target audience would have been more receptive to the film had it been released theatrically during the summer months, which was not possible so going to PVOD would have been the better option. The film opened at Number 4 last week and this week it slipped by 29% to Number 5 with $802,322, giving it a domestic two week total of $2.40 million. Internationally, the film has earned a total of $212,980, for a worldwide total of $2.62 million.

There were some new releases this weekend but nothing from any of the major studios. Two of them even managed to crack the Top 10. At Number 3, Infidel made its mark with a weekend gross of $1.38 million on 1,724 screens (with an $802 per screen average). At Number 8, Alone made its debut on 174 screens, earning $182,473 ($1,084 average).

Disney isn't releasing any numbers for its premium presentation of Mulan, but some sources have suggested the film has earned well over $200 million to date. Where Disney hoped to make a splash with the film theatrically was in China, but as the film has been dogged by controversy over where it was filmed, the box office response has been lackluster to say the least with the grosses tumbling 72% in its second weekend, bringing the two week total in China to $36.08 million. Worldwide the film's theatrical box office total stands at $57 million.

The weekend of September 25 has a long list of smaller films set to open but none of them except for Kajillionaire have any name recognition so the films at the top of the charts should be secure there for a while.

Below are the Top Ten grosses for the weekend of September 18-20.

1. [1] Tenet - $4,700,000 [$36,100,000]
2. [2] The New Mutants - $1,823,448 [$17,741,422]
3. [N] Infidel - $1,384,296 [NEW]
4. [3] Unhinged - $1,281,563 [$15,695,476]
5. [4] The Broken Hearts Gallery - $802,322 [$2,409,216]
6. [7] The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run - $205,700 [$4,236,803]
7. [5] Bill & Ted Face the Music - $189,014 [$3,117,463]
8. [N] Alone - $182,473 [NEW]
9. [8] The Personal History of David Copperfield - $172,601 [$1,652,515]
10. [6] Words on Bathroom Walls - $147,175 [$2,189,346]

Source: Box Office Mojo

Image © Warner Bros. Pictures

Box Office Report :: August 28•30

© 20th Century Studios

Hotchka's Box Office Report is back! We've shifted the report here to our sister site, but as new movies begin to be released and as theaters hopefully continue to re-open, we thought it was time to get back in the saddle after five-and-a-half months (our last Box Office Report was published way back on March 16!). Before we delve into the report, we'd like to state that Hotchka is not advocating everyone return to theaters hastily. There is still an ongoing pandemic in the US, and caution should be taken. You decide if and when you're ready to make that choice, and when you do please take all the precautions to keep yourself and those around you safe. Trust me, speaking from firsthand experience, it's no joke being sick for several weeks. If a movie is available to watch at home, consider that option. We feel for all of the local cinemas across the country, especially the smaller, independently owned ones, but you must place your own health and safety first.

With that being said, let's take a look a the top films for the last weekend in August.

Opening in the Number 1 spot on 2,412 screens after several delays that were only exacerbated by the pandemic, and concerns that the film would never hit the big screen, The New Mutants finally saw the light of day, earning just over $7 million which was at the lower end of studio expectations. But we're still in uncharted territory here, and as more theaters begin to re-open, the film could see an uptick. The real problem over the weekend was that the box office just did not sustain the promising Friday opening at $3.1 million, dropping 21% on Saturday and 41% on Sunday. It will be interesting to watch as the weeks progress. Internationally, the film earned $2.9 million, bringing the worldwide gross to $9.9 million.

Opening in third place was the hotly anticipated Bill & Ted Face the Music which opened on 1,007 screens, mostly drive-ins, and on Pay Video on Demand (PVOD) services such as FandangoNow, Vudu and iTunes. The theatrical gross was $1.12 million, and the film is sitting atop all of the streaming charts but no grosses are yet available. The film does not yet have an international release.

Coming in at Number 4 is The Personal History of David Copperfield with $475,800 on 1,360 screens. The film did see a 14% increase on Saturday but dropped 21% Sunday. The film has had an interesting history in foreign markets, opening at the end of January in the UK and playing until the weekend of March 13 before everything shut down. The film resumed its run the weekend of July 10 on 1 screen, but was out of the game again until the weekend of August 7 with five screens, the last weekend it played in the UK. The film has opened in New Zealand, Australia and the UAE throughout July, and its cumulative international gross stands at $9.91 million, giving it a worldwide total of $10.38 million.

Three weeks ago was when new wide releases really made a comeback with the Russell Crowe thriller Unhinged, which held the Number 1 spot for two weeks and slipped slightly this week, dropping 35%, landing at Number 2 with $2.6 million, giving it a domestic total of $8.84 million. The film's foreign totals have hit $8 million, giving it a global tally of $16.84 million.

In its second week, Words on Bathroom Walls saw 2% growth by adding 432 screens (1,356 total) but still slipped two spots to Number 5 with $441,166, which helped bring its domestic total to just over $1 million. Two other second week films saw mixed results. On 349 screens, down 40 from the opening weekend, Cut Throat City saw a 34% drop and moved down two spots to Number 7 with $161,245, bringing the domestic total to $507,436. At Number 10, Tulsa moves up three spots even with a 42% decrease and a loss of 32 screens (159 total) from its opening week, earning $45,809, giving it a domestic cumulative total of $159,092.

The coming weekend will see the US release of Christopher Nolan's Tenet, which rolled out in 41 international markets this weekend earning $53.6 million. The film opens September 3 in the US and Russia, and September 4 in China and six more international markets. All eyes will be on its US performance. Disney will also be rolling out Mulan theatrically next weekend to international markets and PVOD in the US and other countries where cinemas are not yet open, so it will be interesting to see how that gambit pays off.

What comes next is anyone's guess, but we'll be here to keep track of the situation.

Below are the Top Ten grosses for the weekend of August 28.

1. [N] The New Mutants - $7,037,017 [NEW]
2. [1] Unhinged - $2,603,382 [$8,841,582]
3. [N] Bill & Ted Face the Music - $1,125,007 [NEW]
4. [N] The Personal History of David Copperfield - $475,800 [NEW]
5. [3] Words on Bathroom Walls - $441,166 [$1,071,411]
6. [N] The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run - $424,544 [$2,969,145]
7. [5] Cut Throat City - $161,245 [$507,436]
8. [7] Peninsula - $92,177 [$741,479]
9. [19] The Tax Collector - $69,181 [$942,666]
10. [13] Tulsa - $45,809 [$159,092]

Source: Box Office Mojo