SATURDAY PM: Unlike other genre films during this lackluster time at the box office, Paramount’s Smile isn’t even starting to flounder at the weekend box office. Deadline hears that the Parker Finn-directed/written horror pic had a strong Saturday of $7.4M, -10% from $8.2M Friday + previews, which will lead Smile to an opening of 20 million dollars. The pic cost $17 million before P&A.
Paramount leaned heavily on what we understand as digital spending and aired TV commercials around sporting events. The picture was introduced to cinemas by films such as Bullet Train, Black Phone, Beast and Barbarian in recent months. RelishMix noticed that TikTok views boosted engagement to 42 million more YouTube views to 39 million before the weekend, fueling the photo’s social media universe to 110.2 million on Facebook, Twitter , YouTube, Instagram and TikTok; this figure above the terror averages measured by the analytics corp. One weird trick the studio did to raise awareness for the movie was to have people infiltrate MLB games. Paramount placed these individuals in the crowd and had them smile throughout the game right into the broadcast cameras. really
What did we learn this weekend at the box office? It’s worth going to the theater, not streaming. Kudos once again to Paramount Motion Pictures boss Brian Robbins for not sending this one to Paramount+.
We will have more updates in the morning.
SATURDAY AM: Paramount and other studios call Smile to $19M opening. In a deja vu from last weekend with New Line’s Don’t Worry Darling , another genre picture, this R-rated horror film has received a B- CinemaScore and a stern 69%/53 Definitive Recommendation % on Comscore/Screen Engine’s PostTrak, a standard audience reaction for this rate. We see a studio that puts Smile at $20 million, and frankly, with that audience score and the front-and-center nature of horror movies, tonight alone will determine if that goes up. Last weekend, everyone got excited about the opening numbers they were seeing for Don’t Worry Darling, got over their skis, and called the weekend to $20 million on Saturday morning before Monday. reduced to 19.3 million dollars. Smile’s Friday is $8.2M, which includes Thursday’s $2M previews.
Demos, as is typical of R-rated horror, are 28% male over 25, 27% female under 25, 25% male under 25, and 20% female women over 25 years old. If you were at the AMC Porter Ranch yesterday in California, you wouldn’t know it was the fall box office slump, as the place was hopping like a 1920s speakeasy. The 18-34 crowd was presented to 73%. Diversity demos are 32% Caucasian, 32% Latino/Hispanic, 20% Black, 9% Asian, 8% Other – Smile was always expected to play vibrantly at every demo. The best markets were in the west and southwest. Eight of the top ten theaters were in the Los Angeles market. PLF screens drove 25% of ticket sales so far.
Florence Pugh and Harry Styles in ‘Don’t Worry Darling’ New Line
In second place, Don’t Worry Darling at 4,121 theaters is forecast for a second weekend of $7.56M, down -61% for a 10-day $33.1M. This is in the early morning estimates. The domestic outlook for this Olivia Wilde-directed New Line film starring Florence Pugh-Harry Styles-Chris Pine is $50 million. Social media analytics company RelishMix says: “Fans who claim to have ‘seen the film’ are not only positive, but also defending the film and suggesting that Don’t Worry Darling should have of watching without seeing the trailers so that the audience can experience with the clearest mindset.” Adds Relish: “Some fans are throwing spoilers and incidental political shrapnel into the threads. Plus, there are explosive new references to Canadian clinical psychologist Jordan Peterson, who is now being compared to Chris Pine’s character in very recent interviews with the director Olivia Wilde, which attract even more attention.
The image’s social media universe now stands at nearly 184 million across Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. YouTube views are decisive, while Instagram pages are where many of the materials and behind-the-scenes are discovered, along with additional conversations and heated chatter. Posts from the cast since the opening have surged and garnered media attention, including Pugh’s two photo essays on Instagram last Friday with 2.5 million likes and glowing comments. Wilde has added 124,000 fans in the last week on Instagram and there is strong engagement on her BTS posts. Styles posted on his Instagram and Twitter concert and also posted to 1.4 million more on his HSHQ channels.
Bros, courtesy Universal
Universal’s wide release of the Billy Eichner-scripted and starring romantic comedy Bros is coming up just short at No. 4 with $4.75M, edged out by TriStar’s The Woman King at No. 3 with $6.2 million. Still, bravo to Uni for having the guts to make this movie and bring it to the big screen. It took in $1.8 million on Friday, and those in attendance gave the film a solid A Cinemascore and 80% on PostTrak and a 69% recommendation. Boys showed up in 60%, with 63% between 25 and 44 years old. Diversity demonstrations were 61% Caucasian, 19% Latino/Hispanic, 6% Black, and 14% Asian/Other. The film was always expected to play well in big cities, and here we see that NY, LA and San Francisco have the top ten theatrical runs. We are told that Central and South America underperformed the norms. PLF screens only accounted for 3% of photo BO so far.
Rounding out the top 5 is Sarigama Cinemas’ title Ponniyan Selvan: Part One at 500 locations in 136 markets, with an opening of $4.1 million after a Friday of $2.1 million. The glamorous Indian epic follows Vandiyathevan, who sets out to cross the Chola land to deliver a message from Crown Prince Aditha Karikalan. Kundavai tries to establish political peace in the land apparently civil war plotted by vassals and petty chieftains. There were strong sales in New York, LA, Chicago, Dallas, San Francisco, Boston, DC, Atlanta, Houston and Detroit for the film directed by Mani Ratnam.
‘The Good House’ Courtesy of Lionsgate/Roadside Attractions
Booked in at 1,062 but underperforming is Roadside Attractions’ Sigourney Weaver-Kevin Kline Amblin comedy-drama The Good House , which is estimated to bring in $688,000 Friday-Sunday. The movie about an alcoholic woman rekindling an old flame is the kind of drama that studios use in the 1980s. Pic had its world premiere at TIFF last year, was later acquired by Roadside, and has earned a 70% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. The public was in line with critics, giving PostTrak a 74% and 51% recommended. 54% of women attended, 65% over 45 and 52% over 55. Diversity demonstrations were 87% Caucasian, 8% Latino/Hispanic, 3% Black, and 2% Asian/Other. Again, not strong business, but where the movie played was the West and the Midwest.
How much money can the current fall box office make without a big campaign stick? The same amount of money as last weekend. Industry estimates are $61.3 million for all titles, 3% behind last weekend’s $62.9 million total, and down 35% from the same head of week of 2019 before the pandemic, which was $94.5 million, which was considered low at the time (and now looks extravagantly rich). The three-year No. 1 picture was DreamWorks Animation title Abominable , which debuted with $20.6 million.
Meanwhile, Sony finally passed $100 million on Brad Pitt’s Bullet Train in its ninth weekend. Woo hoo choo choo.
Saturday AM Estimates:
1.) Smile (Par) 3,645 rooms, Fri. $8.2M, $19M 3D/Week 1
2.) Don’t Worry Darling (NL/WB), 4,121 (+8) theaters, Fri. $2.35M (-75%), $7.56M Three Days (-61%)/$33.1M Total/Week 2
3.) The Woman King (Sony) 3,504 (-261) theaters Fri. $1.7M (-41%), $6.2M Three Days (-44%)/$45.9M Total/Week 3
4.) Bros (Uni) 3,350 theaters, $1.84M Fri, $4.75M 3D, 1W
5.) Ponniyan Selvan: Part One (Sar) 500 Locations, Fri $2.1M, 3D/Week 1 $4.1M
6.)Avatar (re) (20th/Sat) 1,860 rooms, Fri. $1.16M (-65%), $4.04M 3-Day (-62%), $778.4M Total Week 2 Rerun
7.) Barbarian (20th/Sat) 2,720 rooms (-145), Fri. $809K (-42%), 3-Day $2.65M (-45%)/Total $32.9M/Week 4
8.) Bullet Train (Sony) 1,931 (+24) theaters, Fri $365,000 (-27%), $1.3M 3-day (-28%)/, $101.2M/week total 9
9.) DC League of Super-Pets (WB) 1,924 (-427) theaters, Fri. $250,000 (-31%) $1.21M (-30%) over 3 days/Total $91.6M Week 10
10.) Top Gun: Maverick (Par) 1,561 (-464) theaters, $335,000 Fri (-27%), $1.16M three-day (-28%), $713.3M total/week 19
Caitlin Stasey in ‘Smile’ Everett
FRIDAY AM: Paramount’s horror film Smile took in $2 million in Thursday night previews starting at 7 p.m., a figure that’s just above M. Night Shyamalan’s Old from l ‘summer 2021, which earned $1.5 million in previews, and just below Universal/Blumhouse’s Black. Thursday phone previews that were $3 million in June.
Paramount is hoping for a mid-teens start this weekend, though it won’t be a shocker if Smile crosses $20 million. Black Phone opened to $23.6 million. Rotten Tomatoes reviews for the new picture are at 78% fresh, still good for a horror film. The film from writer-director Parker Finn has an RT audience rating of 82%, which is very good. When the film was originally conceived, there was a chance it would go to Paramount+, however, a test screening at a rock concert pushed Smile’s fate for a theatrical release.
Universal ‘Bros’
Universal’s Bros , the LGBTQ romantic comedy starring and co-written by Billy Eichner, earned $500,000 in 2,700 theaters, which started times at 5 p.m. The studio only expects a single-digit number this weekend.
Meanwhile, Olivia Wilde’s genre picture from New Line, Don’t Worry…