Everyone’s favorite heroes in a half shell topped the box office this weekend though it was a minor victory. The sequel will have to fight for a domestic total of $100 million at the box office and competition is going to get tough in the upcoming weeks.
The surprise winner of the weekend was the romance Me Before You which shattered expectations and came close to a $20 million opening. With an “A” CinemaScore from audiences, it’s likely that the movie will play strong for a few weeks. Warner Bros. tapped into an underserved audience and it paid off. The film could end up with a domestic take of over $60 million next to the film’s reported $20 million budget. After the rough patch Warner Bros. has been going through, this small victory probably feels a lot larger to them.
A few tidbits from the numbers:
- X-Men: Apocalypse had the second largest opening for Fox in China, coming behind the re-release of Titanic. As time goes on, we need to pay more and more attention to what hits big in China. They are shaping our blockbuster landscape.
- Zootopia crossed the $1 billion mark worldwide and is only the fourth animated film ever to do so. 2016 is looking to be Disney’s year to lose.
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 editor Nick Nunziata will also be providing his guesses because two stabs in the dark are better than one.
Last Week:
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows
My Guess: $54,000,000
Nick’s Guess: $28,000,000
Actual: $35,250,000
Result: I grossly overestimated the audience’s desire to see Tyler Perry in a lab coat.
Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping
My Guess: $21,000,000
Nick’s Guess: $13,000,000
Actual: $4,630,000
Result: What a bummer. The movie has gotten some critical love but audiences just weren’t interested.
Me Before You
My Guess: $9,000,000
Nick’s Guess: $8,500,000
Actual: $18,270,000
Result: Nick and I will never doubt the Mother of Dragons again.
This week:
Warcraft
Will Warcraft be the must-see summer spectacle that it’s selling itself as? Or have general audiences been unable to penetrate the movie’s dense fantasy world? This is a bad weekend for all three new releases since they are all tentpole films, and that means they will probably end up taking business from each other. Warcraft has the best shot of breaking out thanks to its scale and action, but reviews have been middling-to-poor and non-fans haven’t shown a huge interest. Here’s hoping that it pleases the fans at the very least.
My guess: $40,000,000
Nick’s guess: $28,000,000
The Conjuring 2
My heart is with The Conjuring 2. A higher budgeted horror movie that’s being released in the middle of summer? Yes, please! The first film was a surprise smash hit both critically and financially, and it looks like Warner Bros. gave director James Wan an even bigger canvas to paint with this time around. This could act as a savvy bit of counter-programming to the other new offerings, and The Conjuring 2 does have the benefit of a good critical response. However, the R rating and the long runtime (two hours and thirteen minutes is a stretch for audiences when it comes to horror) could hurt its chances to hit big.
My guess: $29,000,000
Nick’s guess: $45,000,000
Now You See Me 2
The first Now You See Me managed to land well with audiences back in 2013 but was anyone really clamoring for a second go-around with these characters and this concept? The sequel adds none other than Harry Potter himself to the shenanigans but even that bit of meta stunt casting doesn’t feel like a big draw. The film’s gimmick of magicians who are also Robin Hood-esque thieves is certainly fun, but do audiences really want to see the same trick twice? My money is on “No.”
My guess: $19,000,000
Nick’s guess: $13,000,000
See you next week!
Source: Box Office Mojo
