The box office looked like it was in the middle of summer blockbuster season this weekend. Beauty and the Beast roared into theaters and set the record for the largest opening weekend in March. That means it did more business than Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice in the same time frame. That is powerful. It also claimed the seventh largest domestic opening of all time. Disney now can claim six of the seven biggest openings ever. This definitely lends some credence to the argument that the blockbuster calendar is shifting earlier. As of now, the blockbuster season starts in March instead of the summer.
The only other new release, The Belko Experiment, performed at expectations though its critical response was fairly middling. Expect it to have one more weekend in wide release before it shuffles off the scene.
The Numbers Game
Each week, I will guess how much wide-release films will be making on their opening weekend. My estimates come from my heart and my gut. You’d think I’d use my brain, but that makes far too much sense.
Last Week:
Beauty and the Beast
My Guess: $160,000,000
Actual: $170,000,000
Result: With a smash hit like this, I don’t feel bad being off by $10 million.
The Belko Experiment
My Guess: $4,000,000
Actual: $$4,051,000
Result: I had a pretty good weekend! Where’s my No-Prize?
This week:
Power Rangers
If not for Beauty and the Beast, this could have had a shot at breaking out. Now? Oh boy. The nostalgia is strong with this property so you’ll see some big Thursday night numbers and a good Friday showing but after that? The dropoff will probably be inevitable.
My guess: $35,000,000
Life
The Alien lookalike that looks to be dead on arrival. It’s a shame because sci-fi horror with an A-list cast and a good budget is appealing to this writer. But, with strong holdovers and an R rating limiting its audience, this will end up being a big bomb for Sony.
My guess: $10,000,000
CHiPs
As the only real comedy option this weekend, CHiPs might actually be able to find a good audience. It all depends on what the word-of-mouth will be on the film. The property won’t hold much weight for this generation, and the marketing hasn’t done the job it should in terms of selling what makes this different from fare like 21 Jump Street or the upcoming Baywatch. This is probably going to get lost in the shuffle.
My guess: $8,000,000
See you next week, box office buddies!
Source: Box Office Mojo
