Everett-Collection
FRIDAY PM: Oh no, these lukewarm releases from audiences and B CinemaScore are impacting Disney/Marvel Studios’ second weekend Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which is currently experiencing an OMG drop of 71% with a $30 million second FSS and a second Friday of $7.8 million, -83% (read review). If that estimate holds, it’s worse than Thor: Love and Thunder‘s -68% second weekend and Eternals’ -62%. The running total by Sunday EOD would be $165.3 million.
Meanwhile, Universal cocaine bear feasts $8.1M in 3,534 theaters today for what appears to be a $20 million opening (read the review). Very very good. Hopefully no one gets too squeamish about all those body parts between Friday and Saturday. The film is a kind of reunion for Americans teammates Keri Russell, Matthew Rhys and Margo Martindale.
lionsgate jesus revolutionwhich has a 100% Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score, is studying $6.6M today (including $3.3 million in previews) and a very good $13.5M at 2,475 (read review). Does the distributor have another I can only imagine on his hands? Jon Erwin co-directed both films. This 2018 film opened to $17.1 million and achieved a multiple of 4.8 with $83.4 million in the United States. Jesus’ RevolutionThe two-day gross saw AMC lead in ticket sales (26%), with Regal not far behind at 23% and Cinemark third at 18%.
20th Century Studio/Disney/Lightstorm’s Avatar: The Way of the Water booked in 2,495 theaters is experiencing an 11th Friday of $938,000 (-32%), and weekend of $4.25M-47% and a cumulative total of $664.8M (read the review).
Uni/DreamWorks Animation’s 10th Friday Puss in Boots: The Last Wish across 2,840 sites is targeting $850,000, for 3 days of $3.9M-27%, and a cumulative total of $173.2M.
FRIDAY AM: Universal’s campy R gender shot cocaine bear of Elizabeth Banks lifted $2 million last night from previews in 3,000 theaters which started at 5 p.m.
The $30 million budget movie, in a weekend that will easily be dominated by Disney/Marvel Studios Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania with an estimate of $40 million (-62%), is slated for teens, attracting guys (62% last night) and the 18-34 crowd (which showed up at 72%) in 3,534 cinemas.
Any over-indexing would be a surprise. The pic already has strong releases with 82% Rotten Tomatoes audiences and four stars on ComScore and Screen Engine’s PostTrak and 72% new reviews. Uni/Blumhouse’s Winter Horror Hit M3GAN was 94% certified fresh by Rotten Tomatoes critics, 78% with aggregator site audiences, a B CinemaScore, and 3 1/2 stars on PostTrak. Last night’s ticket sales top Universal’s $1.1 million preview violent night (which opened at $13.4 million in December and came out at $49.8 million in the US) and they are just below M3GAN$2.75 million, which turned into an $11.7 million Friday opening of $30.4 million.
cocaine bear is inspired by a true story from 1985 when cocaine went missing in a Georgia forest after a drug dealer’s plane crash, with a black bear gobbling up the goods. In the film, the beast is unleashed, taking out cops, criminals and hikers. WETA participated in the CG creation of Cokey the Bear, the main protag here.
“Revolution of Jesus” (Lionsgate)
Lions Gate
Lionsgate opens its denominational title wide, jesus revolution, which already has five stars and 85% definite recommendations on PostTrak. We heard the studio made around $2 million from Wednesday previews alone. Lionsgate brings in $940,000 from last night’s previews for a lump sum of $3.3M since Wednesday. The follow-up had this Kingdom Story Company film in single digits, but it could potentially hit $10 million in 2,475 locations.
Logline: In the 1970s, young Greg Laurie (Joel Courtney) is looking for all the right things in the wrong places – until he meets Lonnie Frisbee (Jonathan Roumie), a charismatic hippie street preacher. Along with Pastor Chuck Smith (Kelsey Grammer), they open the doors of Smith’s languishing church to an unexpected revival of radical, new love, leading to what Time magazine called it a “Jesus revolution”.
While Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania got Presidents Day Juice on Monday with $14.2 million, Tuesday’s rebate wasn’t that robust, coming in at just $7 million last week. Wednesday was $3.8 million, but yesterday was only down 3% for $3.7M get the Peyton Reed-led sequel to a first week of $135 million in 4,345 rooms.
20th Century Studio/Disney/Lightstorm’s Thursday for Avatar: The Way of the Water was around half a million, +2% for a 10th week of $9.7M to 2,675 and a running total of $660.6M.
Oscar nominee for Universal/DreamWorks Animation Puss in Boots: The Last Wish saw a ninth Thursday estimated at $432,000, +3% and a week of $8.5M for a cumulative total of $169.3M.
The Second Thursday of Warner Bros.’ Magic Mike’s Last Dance (read review) posted $405,000, -3% from Wednesday for a second week of $7.6M and a cumulative total of $20.2M across 3,034 sites.
from Paramount 80 for Brady (read review) booked at 3,199 theaters, grossed $409,000 in fifth place on Thursday for a third week of nearly $6M, for a cumulative total of $34.6M.