Never underestimate the power of a well-trained panda. In its third weekend, Kung Fu Panda 3 held off all the newcomers and carried its domestic box office totals to the sum of an estimated $69,050,957. It’s respectable though the film will probably not become a gigantic smash like the others in the series.
A certain film about people in space crossed the nine hundred million dollar mark over the weekend and the juggernaut that is The Revenant continued cutting a swath through the competition. The new releases for the weekend all experienced some trouble, none more so than Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. The period horror action flick was undead on arrival and pretty much puts a nail in the coffin of the trend of zombie-themed crossover films for a while. That may be a good thing. The Choice was also a dud, which makes sense considering its lack of buzz or a young leading man or woman hailed as the “next big thing”.
Hail, Caesar! did decent but it’s a head-scratcher of a movie for the Coen Brothers. It’s not nearly as approachable or fun as the marketing alludes and the showing I was at featured a general sense of anger directed towards the film from the nearly packed house. It may be a film that grows on folks over time but my initial take was that it was one of their least rewarding films.
Next week looks to bring with it some real big guns. It’ll be a fun one to watch unfold.
The Numbers Game
I’ve added a little fun into the box office report. A little guessing game. Let’s see how close we can get to guessing the correct box office numbers for the movies opening next week.
Last Week:
Hail, Caesar!
My Guess: $14,000,000
Actual: $11,440,000
Result: Never underestimate a panda.
The Choice
My Guess: $10,000,000
Actual: $6,085,000
Result: Guess people chose wisely.
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
My Guess: $12,500,000
Actual: $5,200,000
Result: I was way too optimistic!
This week:
Deadpool
It’s finally time to see if they pulled it off. Deadpool is an success before the first ticket is sold due to the crazy way it was willed into existence by its creators and the bananas way in which it was marketed. It’s a hit. Ryan Reynolds finally has his superhero gig. Whether the film’s winking at its audience and fratboy vulgarity will endure is another thing altogether. But it’s going to win the weekend and that should be a good start.
My guess: $40,000,000
Zoolander No. 2
Has it been too long since Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson made a goody idea about male models a huge sensation? Time will tell but one thing Zoolander No. 2 has done wisely is in delivering trailers that don’t insult fans of the original. No one involved needed this movie to happen so it’s likely the product of some great ideas. It’s going to be a crowded box office this weekend.
My guess: $30,000,000
How to Be Single
Red hot female stars. Valentine’s Day. Counterprogramming. A lot is working in the favor of How to be Single. It doesn’t need to do the same kind of business as next weekend’s other releases to be considered a hit. It’ll do enough.
My guess: $15,000,000
See you next week!
Source: Box Office Mojo