SATURDAY AM UPDATE: Over what is typically a lucrative Easter box office weekend, there’s unfortunately no great rush stateside to Warner Bros.’ Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledorewhich is heading toward an estimated $44.5M opening. Warners is seeing at least $40M with the potential for upside.
On the high side, that’s 27% off the $62.1M opening of the 2018 second movie The Crimes of Grindelwald,which already had an opening that was 17% off from the first 2016 installment. Yes, threequelitis, as expected has set in, but know that thisHarry Potterspinoff franchise was always light in the canon. Fantastic Beastswas never tied to a long series of J.K. Rowling books which had a ferocious following; in sum it’s no surprise to see this type of opening; not to mention the threequel was conceived during pre-pandemic times. The greater play for the movie is abroad, and its global take is expected to reach $175M tomorrow.
As we come out of the pandemic, and masks come off, there’s an eagerness to re-commune with those around us on a spring weekend. If any studio is going to put a movie on the marquee, it has to be something that we haven’t seen before, that’s truly worth leaving home for, and the 11th Wizarding World movie in 21 years feels like old hat, top to bottom. All of this despite having Dumbledore in the title, which connects the series in marketing materials distinctly to Harry Potter. CinemaScore here is a B+, same asGrindelwald. Comscore/Screen Engine PostTrak exits show 81% positive, 63% definite recommend, 4 stars. If consumers know they can see it on HBO Max in a month-and-a-half, well, then that’s a legit excuse to wait around for the movie in home. Yeah, yeah, there was the whole Rowling controversy over her transgender views, and the Johnny Depp firing, but typically the gravitas of tabloids doesn’t factor into joe moviegoer’s movie ticket buying decisions.
Social analytics firm RelishMix would disagree, seeing that the pic’s fans on social media are missing Depp as Grindelwald; the actor replaced by Mads Mikkelsen in the role.
RelishMix said that pre-weekend buzz on Dumbledore ran “intense and mixed, with loving enthusiasm for the franchise to questions about the chemistry of the cast. There were also countless references from fans and super-fans of Johnny Depp and his ‘cancellation’ — and how he’s ‘irreplaceable’. With the film open in the UK, Europe and China — spoiler alert warnings are abound with a range of response to relationships, deeps dives into the ‘Wizarding World’ and debates over the current Depp trial that’s concurrently underway.
How to revive the Harry Potter franchise? Rowling should write more books, and bring it back to the Potter characters we know. More books conceivably stoke the following, which in turn create more want-to-see when they hit the TV screen or theaters.
On the upside: A $45M opening weekend, afterSonic the Hedgehog 2, Morbius andLost City‘s openings? Theater owners will take it; and there’s nothing to shed tears about. The economics of the IP are different from the economy of popcorn, and there’s a lot more movies coming down the pike to keep exhibition happy. Dumbledoreis fueling a weekend where all movies will gross $111M, which is +2% from the third weekend in April 2019, which was an Easter holiday frame, and which saw Warner Bros. leading withThe Curse of La Lloronawhich opened to $26.3M.
Another bragging point here forDumbledoreis that it’s the best start for a female-targeted movie during the pandemic, ahead ofLost City‘s $30.4M. The David Yates-directed threequel leaned 52% women on PostTrak, 70% over 25, and 57% between 18-34. CinemaScore measured 56% females. Per tracking, women, particularly the older demo, were hesitant to return to the movies during the pandemic, and here’s another title that’s spurring them to come back.
Diversity mix onDumbledorewas 44% Caucasian, 28% Latino and Hispanic, 10% Black and 18% Asian/other. Imax and PLF are driving close to 40% of all ticket sales to date for the weekend, with the West and the Southeast delivering.Dumbledore‘s Friday was $20M (that’s 1.5M moviegoers per EntTelligence), including $6M previews, which is 21% off of Grindelwald‘s opening day, EntTelligence reports that 26% ofDumbledore‘s audience came before 5PM, 44% came during the 5PM to 8PM dayparts, and 30% of patrons showed up after 8PM. Average ticket price was $12.86 toFather Stu‘s $10.87.
RelishMix measured thatDumbledore‘s social media universe reached 214.7M, under the awareness stats of Grindelwald back in November 2018, and trailing on social by 34% primarily with Facebook video views. The new installment includes a new push into TikTok with 3.2M video views and 3.1M views on Twitter. The campaign is stretching Warner’s YouTube muscles across international channels from Indonesia, Brazil, Ireland UK, Spain and more sectors with 125.1M views and strong viral reposting rate of 18:1.
A24 has jumped the theater count forEverything Everywhere All at Onceup by 970 to 2,220. This is turning into a $5.1M fourth weekend, -15%, for an estimated running total of $16.6M by EOD Sunday. The movie made $1.9M yesterday. This is all reminiscent of A24’s 2015 spring hit Ex Machina.That sci-fi film broke 2,000 runs in its 5th weekend on a platform break. The Daniels directed, AGBO produced martial arts fantasy will be running 53% ahead ofEx Machinaby the end of tomorrow. CanEverything Everywhere All at OncebeatEx Machina‘s $25.4M domestic gross?
Sony’s Mark Wahlberg R-rated priest dramaFather Stuis coming in at the lower end of expectations with $7M over 5 days, not a grandiose start, especially for a Sony distributed faith-based movie. The pic’s 3-day looks to be around $4.7M in 5th place. The faithful did show up blessingFather Stu with an A CinemaScore, and 91% PostTrak and 76% recommend. Like a faith-based movie, women showed up at 56%, 40% over 55. Diversity demos were 61% Caucasian, 22% Latino and Hispanic, 4% Black and 13% Asian/other. However, unlike a faith-based film, the pic didn’t play in the Bible belt, rather Northwest, Midwest and South, appealing in blue collar markets. Top plays forFather Stuwere in Phoenix, Sacramento, Minneapolis, Las Vegas Tampa, Detroit. Montana, interestingly enough, overindexed with the movie.
Industry estimates are noticing two prints for Sigaram Cinema and Viva Entertainment’s K.F.G. Chapter 2,one in Hindi, and another in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam, each respectively making between $1.4M-$1.5M each. These two titles are being separated on the chart rather than combined for a weekend total of roughly $3M. Sigaram has the Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, & Malayalam version booked in 510 theaters in 129 markets with solid runs in New York, Chicago, Dallas, San Francisco, Atlanta, Detroit and Phoenix. Viva’s Hindi print is playing at 300 runs in 114 markets with OK business in NYC, Dallas, San Francisco, Atlanta, however, Canada was big. The Prashanth Neel directed movie is 44% Rotten from nine reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.
1.)Fantastic Beasts…Dumbledore(WB), 4,208 theaters, Fri $20M, 3-day $40M-44.5M/Wk 1
2.)Sonic the Hedgehog 2(Par) 4,258 theaters (+24), Fri $10.85M (-59%), 3-day $26.5M (-63%)/Total $116.1M/Wk 2
3.)The Lost City(Par) 3,430 (-367) theaters Fri. $2.07M (-20%), 3-day $5.85M (-35%)/Total $77.9M/ Wk 4
4.) Everything Everywhere All at Once (A24) 2,220 (+970) theaters, Fri $1.9M, 3-day $5.1M (-15%)/Total $16.6M/Wk 4
5.)Father Stu(Sony) 2,705 theaters, Fri $1.64M/3-day $4.7M/Total $7M/Wk 1
6.) Morbius(Sony) 3,462 (-806) theaters, Fri $1.57M (-46%), 3-day$4.2M (-59%)/Total $64.6M/Wk 3
7.) Ambulance(Uni) 3,412 theaters, Fri$1.3M (-59%), 3-day $3.7M (-57%)/Total $15.3M/Wk 2
8.) The Batman(WB) 2,535 (-719) theaters Fri $1.28M (-28%), 3-day: $3.5M (-46%) Total $364.7M/Wk 7
9.) K.F.G. Chapter 2 (Viva, Hindi) 300 theaters $495K, 3-day $1.52M/Total $1.85M/Wk 1
10.) K.F.G. Chapter 2 (Sia) 510 theaters, Fri $522K, 3-day $1.44M/Total $2.8M/Wk 1
FRIDAY AM UPDATE: Warner Bros.’Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledorewhirled up $6M in Thursday previews that started at 2 p.m. at 3,350 venues.
The David Yates-directed movie co-scripted by J.K. Rowling is expected to make $45M-$50M over the Easter holiday weekend stateside, with 73% of all K-12 schools off today, according to Comscore. Dumbledore also is expanding into 44 more offshore markets including France, Italy and Korea and looks to make at least $40M abroad, bringing the threequel’s global take to $157M by Sunday. Already, Dumbledore‘s first week overseas, including LatAM, Italy, and France debuts, stands at $97M. Rotten Tomatoes critics gave Dumbledore a 51% Rotten ratingm which is an improvement on the 36% Rotten for 2018’s Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald but way off the 2016 first movie’s 74% fresh.
‘Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore’ Review: Mads Mikkelsen Is A Malevolent But Charismatic Villain In Emotional Third Installment
That figure is under the preview grosses of the firstFantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, which made $8.75M (before a $29.7M first Friday and $74.4M opening) and its 2018 sequel, which did $7.3M in its Thursday alone (not counting the sequel’s earlier-week $1.8M previews). Grindelwald posted a $25.4M Friday and $62.1M three-day. At the same time, in regards to pure Thursday previews, Dumbledore is ahead of the $5M made by Paramount’s Sonic the Hedgehog 2 last week.
The other wide release this weekend is Sony’s Mark Wahlberg priest drama,Father Stu,which did an estimated $765K Thursday at 2,705 theaters, -51% from its $1.55M Wednesday (which included previews), ranking fifth for the day. Outlook this weekend for the R-rated film, which is 45% Rotten, is between $7M-$10M.
‘Father Stu’ Review: Mark Wahlberg Inspires In True Faith-Based Story
Among films already in release,Sonic the Hedgehog 2ends its first week with an estimated $89.6M at 4,234 locations, 12% ahead of its 2020 first installment’s first week. Thursday rang up $4.4M, +22% over Wednesday.
‘Sonic The Hedgehog 2’ Review: Overlong Insta-Sequel Provides Plenty Of Frenetic Action For Franchise Fans
Sigaram Cinema’sK.F.G. Chapter 2from filmmaker Prashanth Neel racked up an estimated $1.4M on Thursday at 510 locations. Logline: In the blood-soaked Kolar Gold Fields, Rocky’s name strikes fear into his foes. While his allies look up to him, the government sees him as a threat to law and order. Rocky must battle threats from all sides for unchallenged supremacy.
Paramount’sThe Lost City,booked at 3,797, saw an estimated $907K yesterday, +22% over Wednesday, in third place for a running total through week 3 of $72M.
Sony’sMorbiusearned $808K at 4,268 sites, +8% over Wednesday for a running total through Week 2 of $60.4M.
A24’sEverything Everywhere All at Onceat 1,250 locations made $751K, +4% over Wednesday, for a running three week total of $11.4M.
Universal/Endeavor Content’sAmbulanceended its first week with $11.6M at 3,412 after a $638K Thursday, +1% from Wednesday.