The box office’s two newest entrants are having very different results, as Paramount’s “Smile”It is making a strong start at No. 1 spot while Universal’s “Bros”It looks like the latest theatrical disaster.
“Smile”The film opened on the upper end in pre-release independent projections, with $8.2 Million earned Friday at 3,645 locations. It also has an estimated $19,000,000 opening. This would be the third consecutive weekend that a No. This amount has been earned by 1 film.
That puts Parker Finn’s feature debut horror film already past its $17 million production budget and on course to turn a solid profit after marketing costs are recouped. However, there are signs that the film was frontloaded. The film received a B- on CinemaScore and a 75% score from critics. Rotten Tomatoes and a 69% positive rating on Comscore/Screen Engine’s PostTrak.
But “Bros”It is the No. Opening in the No. The first LGBT romantic comedy from a major studio wasn’t expected by analysts to perform well in rural states, but the film is also underperforming in coastal areas, falling far below projections of an $8-10 million opening even as New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco comprise its entire Top 10 theaters list.
Despite strong reviews from people who have seen it, this is despite the fact that it has received strong reception. “Bros”It has been awarded an A CinemaScore and a 91% critics score. Rotten Tomatoes. As always, there is still the chance that such strong word-of-mouth could give it a second wind; but as films like last year’s “In the Heights”This has been proven to be false.
Another film that is proving to be frontloaded is Warner Bros./New Line’s “Don’t Worry Darling,”The film made $2.3 million its second Friday, a 75% decrease from the opening day. Industry estimates show that the Olivia Wilde thriller earned $7.4million in its second weekend. This is 62% less than its $19 million opening. Good news: The total for the 10-day period was $33 million. “Darling”It is still working towards turning a profit on its $35 million budget.
Sony/eOne’s “The Woman King”The film is showing more strength in its third weekend. Sony projects a $6.2million total, which will bring its domestic sum to $45.9million. With a budget of $50 million co-financed jointly by TriStar, eOne and eOne, Gina Prince-Bythewood’s historical epic is getting closer to breaking even.
The Indian import completes the Top 5 “PS-1: Ponniyan Selvan Part One,” a Tamil-language historical epic that has earned an impressive $4.2 million from just 500 theaters, putting it just a step ahead of 20th Century’s “Avatar” re-release. It is still less than half the $9.5 million opening, but Telugu cult hit “RRR”In April, the success was “PS-1”It shows how Indian films are joining anime offerings to make a profit in the struggling specialty market.