Long Range Forecast: ‘Rings,’ ‘The Space Between Us,’ ‘Same Kind of Different as Me’

February kicks off with several new movies, two of which are from Paramount. Paramount releases their horror sequel Rings, STX Entertainment debuts the science-fiction romance The Space Between Us, and Paramount comes out again with the drama Same Kind of Different as Me. Could this be the start of what some speculate could be one of the highest-grossing February months ever at the box office?

Rings (Paramount)

PROS:

  • The horror sequel takes place 13 years after the modern classic 2002 film The Ring. The original about a haunted VHS tape that caused the death of anybody who watched it after seven days. This updated version is about an Internet video.
  • The original The Ring earned $129.1 million in 2002, or approximately $192.3 million adjusted for ticket price inflation. That’s pretty much the highest gross a studio could ever possibly expect for a horror release, and is indeed one of the highest-grossing horror films of all time.

CONS:

  • 2005’s sequel The Ring Two earned “only” $76.2 million. While certainly a decent sum, it was coming hot on the heels of the first film and returned star Naomi Watts (this new installment doesn’t), yet only sold about half the tickets of the original. You might have noticed there wasn’t a The Ring Three.
  • The horror film was originally scheduled for release on October 28, three days prior to Halloween, before being rescheduled to February. That may have been a lost opportunity.

The Space Between Us (STX Entertainment)

PROS:

  • This sci-fi drama about the first human born and raised on Mars who moves to Earth as a teenager stars Asa Butterfield, who’s coming off a decently-sized box office hit as the lead of September’s Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children which has earned $86.4 million.
  • Originally scheduled for December 16, the pushback to February might have been a smart move. For one, it was originally scheduled up against Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. That would have been tough competition for any film, but especially a fellow sci-fi release. Also, the original projections of Space as a possible awards contender were steadily dropping as December approached, so moving it away from December means it can’t get swamped by other stronger awards contenders at the box office.

CONS:

  • On the other hand, the release date change could also work against it. The film was originally scheduled for August 2016, then December 2016, and now February 2017. The studio doesn’t seem to have the most confidence in the project. And the 11th-hour release change from December to February may confuse audiences, as television advertisements for the film had already started to air touting the December release.

Same Kind of Different as Me (Paramount)

PROS:

  • Based on the true story of a married couple who befriends a homeless man, the film packs an all-star cast of Oscar winners and nominees including Greg Kinnear, Renée Zellweger, Djimon Hounsou, and Jon Voight.

CONS:

  • Buzz online has been virtually nonexistent, with very few trailer views, especially considering that the trailer has already been online for several months.

Check out the official Boxoffice Pro long range forecast in the table below.

Title Wide Release Date Distributor Opening Weekend Cumulative
Rings Fri, Feb 3 Paramount $19,000,000 $45,000,000
The Space Between Us Fri, Feb 3 STX Entertainment $7,000,000 $20,000,000
Same Kind of Different as Me Fri, Feb 3 Paramount $4,500,000 $12,000,000
Resident Evil: The Final Chapter Fri, Jan 27 Sony / Screen Gems $24,000,000 $52,000,000
A Dog’s Purpose Fri, Jan 27 Universal $16,000,000 $65,000,000
Bastards Fri, Jan 27 Warner Bros. $8,000,000 $22,000,000
Gold Fri, Jan 27 Weinstein Company $7,000,000 $22,000,000
xXx: The Return of Xander Gage Fri, Jan 20 Paramount $32,000,000 $72,000,000
Split Fri, Jan 20 Universal $16,000,000 $45,000,000
The Founder Fri, Jan 20 Weinstein $9,500,000 $39,000,000
The Resurrection of Gavin Stone Fri, Jan 20 High Top Releasing $1,400,000 $3,000,000
Live By Night Fri, Jan 13 Warner Bros. $25,000,000** $69,000,000
Patriots Day Fri, Jan 13 Lionsgate $23,500,000** $78,000,000
Sleepless Fri, Jan 13 Open Road Films $13,000,000** $42,000,000
Monster Trucks Fri, Jan 13 Paramount $12,000,000** $22,000,000
The Bye Bye Man Fri, Jan 13 STX Entertainment $8,000,000** $17,000,000
Underworld: Blood Wars Fri, Jan 6 Sony / Screen Gems $17,000,000 $42,000,000
Amityville: The Awakening Fri, Jan 6 Weinstein / Dimension $8,000,000 $17,000,000
Why Him? Fri, Dec 23 Fox $9,000,000 $54,000,000
Passengers Wed, Dec 21 Sony / Columbia $31,000,000* $145,000,000
Sing Wed, Dec 21 Universal $30,000,000* $165,000,000
Assassin’s Creed Wed, Dec 21 Fox $20,000,000* $77,000,000
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Fri, Dec 16 Disney $155,000,000 $460,000,000
Collateral Beauty Fri, Dec 16 Warner Bros. $13,000,000 $72,000,000

Shawn Robbins and Jesse Rifkin contributed to this report.

*= 3-day weekend (Friday-Sunday)

**= 4-day weekend (Friday-Monday)

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