After a dreary October, the box office had come back to life thanks to a legacy franchise alien killer. Dan Trachtenberg’s “Predator: Badlands” debuted to a stellar $40 million in the U.S. and $80 million worldwide. A huge win for a movie whose only recognizable human star is a fantastic Elle Fanning. It was also a record for the franchise, surpassing the debut of “AVP: Alien Vs. Predator‘s” $38.2 million in 2004.
The 20th Century Studios release cost reported $105 million, the most in the history of the franchise. The good news is not only did over overperform pre-release tracking by $10 million, but it had a significant Friday to Saturday jump once Thursday previews are taken into account. That good word of mouth is evident in an A- CinemaScore grade. The first “Predator” film in theaters since 2018’s “The Predator,” this new installment earned a great 71 grade on Metacritic and an 85% on Rotten Tomatoes. Overseas, “Badlands” became the first American release to open no. 1 in China since “Jurassic World: Rebirth” this past July.
Walt Disney Studios joins Warner Bros. as the only studios to pass $4 billion so far this year with “Predator’s” debut.
Another new Fanning release, Joachim Trier’s “Sentimental Value,” had a stellar limited debut. The NEON Oscar contender pulled in $200,000 in just 4 venues for a superb $50,000 per. The Cannes prize winner will expand into new markets over the course of the long awards season.
MUBI decided to open Lynne Ramsey’s “Die, My Love” nationwide instead of an initial New York and LA bow. That may have been a mistake. Despite the star power of Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson, who participated in a significant media push, “Die” found just $2.8 million in 1,923 theaters for an OK $1,428 per. If “Die” was a traditional $10 million budgeted indie, that would be a fine start. The cause for concern is that the indie distributor spent $25 million to acquire the drama out of Cannes. Moreover, despite mostly positive reviews, “Die” earned a horrendous D+ CinemaScore rating. Many will chalk that up to Ramsey’s aesthetic, but that isn’t a good sign for its long-term prospects. MUBI will have to hope a potential Best Actress nomination for Lawrence justifies the cost.
Even more disappointing was the debut of David Michod’s “Christy.” The true story of boxer Christy Martin took in just $1.3 million in 2,011 theaters for a not-great $649 per screen. The first domestic drop for Black Bear’s new theatrical distribution arm was the film hindered by star Sydney Sweeney’s “jeans” controversy or simply the fact that, unless it’s a “Creed” flick, boxing movies are not doing well at the box office?
Sony Classics opened “Nuremberg” on 1,800 screens and it paid off with a $4 million frame and a very good $2,200 per. With mostly positive reviews, the World War II period drama is hoping for good word of mouth and that older audiences, who don’t always flock to opening weekend, support it in the weeks to come.
Surprising with a $4.4 million debut frame was Cyrus Nowrasteh’s “Sarah’s Oil.” The Amazon MGM Studios biopic pulled in a good $1,850 per screen in 2,410 venues. The faith-based release also earned a stellar A+ CinemaScore. It will need that good word of mouth to help make up its reported $18 million production budget.
Among other new releases, Ira Sachs’ “Peter Hujar’s Day” took in $47,000 for an $11,775 per in just four theaters. An average debut, even taking into account the small venues it booked.
Among films still in theaters, Paramount’s “Regretting You” had an incredible third weekend, dropping just 9% with $7 million for $38 million domestic and $70.9 million global. The Colleen Hoover adaptation cost just $30 million, making it a nice moneymaker for the studio.
“Black Phone 2” hit $120 million worldwide, “Chainsaw Man — The Movie: Reze Arc” is now at $137 million global, and “Bugonia” dropped just 30% in its second weekend for $12.3 million in the U.S. and $23 million so far worldwide.
New movies opening on Friday include Edgar Wright’s “The Running Man” and “Now You See Me: Now You Don’t.”
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