That’s not great considering how weekend-to-weekend summer fare has grown over last year. But, again, that’s not because nobody wants to go to the movies. It’s because there isn’t a movie that’s interesting enough to merit a trip to the cinema. A24/Stage 6 Films A24 chose to go wider, but not too wide on Bodies Bodies Bodies which has a lower audience score on Rotten Tomatoes at 78% and only 3 stars/63% on CinemaScore/Screen Engine’s PostTrak. This suggests another divide by the studio between moviegoers and critics (90% certified freshers) who love this grisly social satire. The Pete Davidson title is still up to $3M for the weekend at 1,285 theaters after a $960K Saturday, down 27% from Friday’s $1.3M. The guy who bends R-rated film at 52% male and 78% between 18-34 performed better in cities, e.g. Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Dallas, Austin, DC, Boston and Seattle and did well enough at The Alamo Drafthouses that it scored seven of the top ten runs of the picture. Diversity demos were 48% Caucasian, 23% Latino and Hispanic, 13% Black, and 16% Asian/other. Lionsgate While Lionsgate had something to offer at the fair during this theatrical dry spell, it didn’t follow through with the YA Fall title, which actually earned a B CinemaScore but dropped PostTrak to 69% positive and a 44% recommendation. Fall turnouts were 53% male and 56% 18-34. The picture’s most notable business was in the South and West, but it failed to impress with fewer than 100 of the 1,548 theaters breaking $1,000 on Friday. Saturday earned $835,000, -10% from Friday’s $923,000, which looks like a $2.3 million opening. The pic is in contention for No. 10 with Universal’s second weekend of Jo Koy’s family comedy Amblin on Easter Sunday. Paramount has Advait Chandan’s Hindi remake of Forrest Gump Laal Singh Chaddha Booked in 516 theaters in 154 markets, the picture has good numbers in Toronto, Vancouver and some good figures in New York, San Francisco, Houston and Seattle. $580,000 on Saturday, +33% over Friday’s $435,000, will give this film a $1.47 million weekend and $1.8 million over 5 days. Twenty-five reviews on Rotten Tomatoes are so fresh at 60%. ET’s rerun of Universal’s Imax has $310,000 Saturday, -37% from Friday’s $490,000 for a $1M FSS take. Gravitas Ventures’ Diane Keaton-Taylor Paige comedy Mack & Rita underwhelmed with a D+ CinemaScore and 61% PostTrak and a lowly 46% recommendation. Pic took in $370,000 on Saturday for a $988,000 opening in 2,000 theaters. Those who dared to spend little money were in Western and Southeastern Europe. Typically, mid-August is the perfect place to launch a horror film that carries the domestic box office into the fall, e.g. Don’t Breathe ($89.2 million) or Annabelle Creation ($102 million). Maybe Universal’s Idris Elba lion-hunting film Beast does the trick next weekend. Weekend Estimates: 1.) Bullet Train 4,357 theaters, Fri $3.8m, Sat $5.5m, 3 days $13.3m (-56%)/Total $54.4m/week 2 2.) DC League of Super-Pets 3,803 (-529) theaters Fri $1.955m Sat $2.9m 3 days $6.8m (-38%)/Total $57.9m week 3 3.) Top Gun: Maverick (Par) 3,181 (+421) theaters, Fri $1.94M, Sat $2.8M, $6.7M 3-Day (-4%), Total $673.3M /week 12 4. ) No (Uni) 2,760 (-256) theaters, Fri $1.56M, Sat $2.2M/3 days $5.3M (-38%)/Total 107.5M .$/week 4 5.) Thor: Love and Thunder (Disney) 3,175 (-225) theaters, Fri $1.4M, Sat $2.2M, 3 days $5.2M (-33%)/Total 325.2 million $/week 6 6.) Minions: Rise of Gru (Uni) 3,068 theaters (-120), Fri $1.37M, Sat $2.1M, 3 days $4.9M (-30%), Total: 343.7 million $/week 7 7.) Where the Crawdads Sings (Sony) 3,164 theaters (-362), Fri $1.2m, Sat $1.6m, 3 days $4m (-29%)/Total $72.1m/week 5 8.) Bodies Bodies Bodies (A24) 1,285 (+1,279) theaters, Fri $1.3m, Sat $960,000, $3m (+1223%) 3 days, Total $3.3m/wk 2 9.) Elvis (WB) 2,211 (-200) Fri $740,000, Sat $1M, 3 Days $2.5M (-36%), Total $141.2M/Week 8 10.) Fall (LG) 1,548 theaters, Fri $923,000, Sat $835,000, 3 days $2.3M/Week 1 10.) Easter Sunday (Uni/DW) 3,176 (+1) theaters, Fri $660,000, Sat $900,000, 3 days $2.3m (-58%)/Total $9.8m/wk 2 Notables: Laal Singh Chaddha (Par) 516 theaters, Fri $435,000, Sat $580,000, 3 days $1.47M, Total $1.8M/Week 1 ET (Uni) 389 Theaters, Fri $490K, Sat $310K, 3 Days $1M/Total $483.2M/Rerelease Week 1 Mack & Rita (Grav) 2,000 theaters, Fri $400,000, Sat $370,000, 3 days $988,000/Week 1 FRIDAY PM: Those cricket noises you’re hearing are the sounds of the summer box office slowing down. Sony’s No. 1 film a week ago, David Leitch’s Bullet Train , will hold the top spot again this weekend in a session that technically has no releases backed by a major multimillion-dollar campaign. The Brad Pitt actioner is looking for $12.6 million for the frame, down 58% week over week, after a $3.75 million Friday from 4,357 theaters. The pic is eyeing $53.6 million in 10 days by the end of the weekend, with some competing distributors believing it has reached $100 million by the end of its run and could hold up better than what we see here this weekend. Pete Davidson in “Bodies Bodies Bodies” A24 A24 is going ahead with Pete Davidson’s horror comedy Bodies Bodies Bodies, but not super broad as word of mouth piques. it sits at 85% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes with a 90% certified fresh rating. Millennial Meltdown has $1.3M today at 1,275 venues for a $3M second weekend in what looks like a sixth-place ranking, +1.224% from last weekend and good for a 10-day total of $3.3 millions. (A24’s Everything Everywhere All at Once this spring expanded to about 1,200 in its third weekend, earning $6 million after a first weekend in 10 theaters and a second weekend in 38 locations.) Lionsgate has the Scott Mann-directed YA Fall in 1,548 theaters. It’s an experimental release for the studio: a picture that isn’t exactly stream-worthy, but that tested well with audiences and was intended for a big-screen release. The thriller currently sits at 71% among critics on Rotten Tomatoes with an 84% audience rating. Lionsgate Lionsgate’s “Fall.” Connection: For best friends Becky (Grace Caroline Currey) and Hunter (Virginia Gardner), life is about conquering fears and pushing boundaries. But after climbing 2,000 feet to the top of a remote, abandoned radio tower, they find themselves stranded with no way down. Now their special climbing skills will be put to the ultimate test as they desperately struggle to survive the elements, lack of supplies and vertigo-inducing heights. No mg in the film from the producers of the 47 Meters Down franchise (Jamie Harris and Mark Lane) and a low budget of $4 million for a 46-day window. a title for exposure in what is the beginning of a 2 1/2 month desert in the marquee. Fall looks like $800K today and anywhere between $1.75M-$2M on the lower end of the top 10 chart. RelishMix noted on social media that buzz for The Fall is “mixed positive, as fans wonder about the length and complexity of the story — or if it’s one note, with a predictable outcome. Fans are very intrigued by the outrageous visual hook of the trailers, while some question the CGI. Chatter is embedded in the reminder that “Autumn hits theaters August 12.” RelishMix also noted, “In an 8-week digital increase for Fall since the first trailer release, the studio has 5 videos that have moderate traffic and moderate viral reposts. The engagement of Facebook and Instagram pages for the show is also positive for the genre.” Universal has the exclusive Imax 40th anniversary re-release of ET the Extra-Terrestrial , which is taking $430,000 today in 389 theaters for a $1 million three-day total of $438.2 million. The picture’s 20th anniversary release in 2002 grossed $35.3 million domestically and $69 million worldwide. It’s the first time the Steven Spielberg-directed film has been shown in Imax. Jaws will also hit Imax and RealD on September 2nd “Mack & Rita” Gravitas Premiere Across the board is Gravitas Ventures’ all-female comedy Mack & Rita starring Taylour Paige, Diane Keaton and Elizabeth Lail with an estimated $300,000 today and a three-day $865,000. Thirty-nine critics on Rotten Tomatoes are at 26% Rotten, with audiences unimpressed at 46%. “Awareness is tracking light on social with few materials in rotation and light engagement momentum on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube,” observes RelishMix, which indicates social media chatter that says “been there, done that” , as the photo looks like Big and 13 Going on 30. In the film, 30-year-old self-proclaimed homebody McMartin (Lyle) reluctantly goes on a bachelor trip to Palm Springs for her best friend Carla (Paige), and her inner 70-year-old is unleashed—literally. The disillusioned author and influencer is magically transformed into her future self: Aunt Rita (Keaton). Freed from the constraints of other people’s expectations, Rita comes into her own, becoming an unlikely social media sensation, sparking a tentative romance with Mack’s adorable dog Jack (Dustin Milligan).
