The box office was full of repeat business this weekend. With only one wide release (a very small one), this weekend gave us a glimpse at what current movies people are enjoying. The top spot was once again claimed by Disney’s Moana, bringing its two-week total to around $120 million. I think Disney is going to be OK. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them crossed $180 million, so it’s looking like the Wizarding World is somewhere audiences want to continue to visit.
The most encouraging holdover was Arrival. This small, thoughtful sci-fi film has actually caught on and managed to clear the $7o million point this past weekend. If you haven’t, please go see Arrival. It’s really good.
The only new film, Incarnate, performed a lot like some other PG-13 horror this year. It opened in ninth place and will probably be out of theaters in two weeks. Aaron Eckhart can’t catch a break.
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. Fandom’s editor Nick Nunziata will also be providing his guesses because two stabs in the dark are better than one.
Last Week:
Incarnate
My Guess: $3,000,000
Nick’s Guess: $2,750,000
Actual: $2,659,000
Result: By a small margin, Nick wins the only release of this week. Too bad Incarnate wasn’t a winner.
This week:
Office Christmas Party
Adult Christmas movies seem to be the thing nowadays. We’ve already gotten Almost Christmas and Bad Santa 2. Now we have Office Christmas Party. The movie has sold itself well in commercials and it’s actually being released in December, so people might feel more inclined to go see it since it’s closer to the holidays. This one could hit fairly big, but it’s being released on less than 3,000 screens. That’s going to hinder its eventual success a little bit.
My guess: $29,000,000
Nick’s guess: $23,000,000
Miss Sloane
This looks like some hard-hitting counter-programming for the weekend. A no-nonsense drama about lobbying in Washington D.C.? And it’s about gun control? This looks like some Oscar bait but with a little edge. Jessica Chastain is always awesome and the politics of the movie will certainly be divisive, but not controversial enough to drive people to see it right away. It’s a shame that Sam Waterston‘s presence in a movie won’t compel people to get to the movie theater.
My guess: $4,000,000
Nick’s guess: $2,750,000
See you next week, box office buddies!
Source: Box Office Mojo
