FRIDAY TIME: For an early January weekend that falls after the New Year’s Day and before MLK, it sure isn’t sleepy. Some adult films may be struggling to work at the box office as cinema attendance emerges from the pandemic, but you can put the house on horror films. Universal has a feisty #2 winner in Blumhouse’s creepy posh doll movie M3GAN looking at a $26.7M Opening after a $11.4M Friday (plus previews) in 3,509 cinemas. The Gerard Johnstone-directed PG-13 horror film has a 94% critic fresh rating and a current rating of 78% on Rotten Tomatoes. This film is in such great shape that I hear they already have ideas for a sequel.
AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER © Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection
Meanwhile James Cameron Avatar: The Way of Water is on track to break even (according to the filmmaker) with a running total in the US well over half a billion by Sunday. This is what the fourth Friday of the 20th Century Studios/Disney/Lightstorm movie looks like $10M-60% from last Friday for a 3 day $37M-45%, for a running total of $508.7 million in first place at 4,340 cinemas.
Universal also owns #3 in DreamWorks Animation’s third weekend Puss in Boots: The Last Wish at 3,913 locations. is friday $2.5 million (-62%), third weekend is $10M (-40%) and the running total is through Sunday $84.6M.
Courtesy of Sony
In fourth place in the top 5 is Sony’s limited release of A man named Otto that goes from four theaters in NYC and LA to 637 locations for an estimated Friday of $1.2M3 days from $3.4M. The film ended its first week with just over $85,000. The image is 67% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes but remains a crowd favorite at 94%.
Fifth place goes to Disney/Marvel Studio Weekend 9 Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in 2,255 cinemas with a $900,000 Friday, -53%, 3 days from $3.1M-39% and a running total of $445.1M.
The third weekend of Babylon from Paramount/C2 is at number 6 with a Friday from $400,000-57% from a week ago, $1.3M 3 days, -50%, for a running total through Sunday from $13.4M.
FRIDAY AM: The Blumhouse-Universal PG-13 genre title got off to a great start after 5pm with $2.75 million. Universal is betting $17 million on M3GAN while tracking was well over $20 million. Horror fans always come out on Thursday nights, so I hope this great momentum continues.
A Blumhouse film with great reviews targeting the under 25 demo always bodes well for box office prospects: critics gave M3GAN a 95% on Rotten Tomatoes. The picture is booked in 3,509 theaters and is expected to take second place behind Avatar: The Way of Water, which is eyeing between $25 million and $30 million in its fourth weekend. Currently, the James Cameron-directed sequel is making less than $472 million over the weekend — it has a chance of hitting the half-billion mark in the US.
If the reviews are good, then the rotten tomatoes rating is VERY IMPORTANT. When reviews are bad, critics don’t matter. 🙂
— Jason Blum (@jason_blum) January 4, 2023
In terms of comps, Thursday’s previews for M3GAN are just below Scream a year ago, which grossed $3.5 million ahead of a $30 million opening weekend, but that was over an MLK holiday weekend. It’s also above Sony’s The Escape Room, which kicked off 2019 with $2.3 million in previews before scoring an $18.2 million opening. This image was rated 50% by critics on RT with a viewer rating of 52%.
Avatar: The Way of Water Disney/20th Century Studios
Among regular films to be released, 20th Century Studios/Lightstorm/Disney’s Avatar: The Way of Water leads Thursday with $6.7 million in 4,202 theaters, down 10% from Wednesday’s running total of 471.7 million dollars. The sequel grossed $113.5 million for the week.
Puss in Boots: Uni/DreamWorks Animation’s Last Wish made $2 million yesterday from 4,121 locations, down 11% from Wednesday for a second week of $30 million and a running total of $74.6 million.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever at 2,310 finishes its eighth week with an estimated $8.8 million, a $490,000 Thursday and a running total of $441.9 million.
I Wanna Dance With Somebody at 3,625 from Tri-Star/Compelling Pictures/Black Label Media grossed $444,000 on its second Thursday, $6.7 million on its second week and $17.3 million overall.
Paramount’s Babylon at 3,351 posted an estimated $353,000 on Thursday, down 16% from Wednesday, a second week of $4.7m and a running total of $12m. That beats the $11.3 million domestically for Guillermo del Toro’s historic Nightmare Alley, which was later nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Proof that bad ticket sales don’t necessarily hurt the odds of awards season.