Weekend Actuals: Shazam! Rockets to $53.5M; Pet Sematary Unearths $24.5M in 2nd

Monday Update: Warner Bros.’ comedy superhero film Shazam! opened to $53.5M, about in line with pre-release projections.

Paramount’s horror Pet Sematary started in second place with $24.5M, also about in line with projections.

Last weekend’s leader Dumbo dropped -60% to third place with $18.2M. That’s a much larger sophomore weekend percentage drop than other Disney live-action remakes such as Beauty and the BeastThe Jungle Book, or Alice in Wonderland.

STX’s drama The Best of Enemies debuted in sixth place with $4.4M, slightly below most projections.

Comparisons

Total box office this weekend was $146.1M.

That’s +6.0% above last weekend but -11.0% above this same weekend last year, when A Quiet Place led with $50.2M.

Year-to-date box office stands at $2.59B. That’s -15.9% behind this same date last year, up from -16.1% after last weekend.

Most analysts are still predicting 2019’s box office to ultimately beat 2018’s, on the strength of this year’s anticipated strong upcoming slate of films, especially sequels.

Demographics

Demographics

The audience for Shazam! during its opening weekend was 68.0% male and 42.9% under age 25.

Among films in this weekend’s top 10, audience demographics by Vertigo for The Best of Enemies and Unplanned were not yet available. Among the other eight films in the top 10…

The most male audience in this weekend’s top 10 was Shazam! at 68.0%, while the most female audience was Five Feet Apart at 80.9%.

The most under-25 audience in this weekend’s top 10 was Wonder Park at 58.9%, while the most over-25 audience was Pet Sematary at 71.3%.

A full demographic breakdown of the top 30 movies this weekend, courtesy of BoxofficeProfile by Vertigo, is below. (Click to expand.)


Weekend Actuals (Domestic)

FRI, APR. 5 – SUN, APR. 7

WIDE (1000+)

# TITLE WEEKEND   LOCATIONS   AVG. TOTAL WKS. DIST.
1 Shazam! $53,505,326 4,217 $12,688 $56,830,326 3 Warner Bros.
2 Pet Sematary $24,502,775 3,585 $6,835 $24,502,775 1 Paramount Pictures
3 Dumbo $18,213,967 -60% 4,259 0 $4,277 $76,261,456 2 Walt Disney Pictures
4 Us (2019) $13,798,520 -58% 3,512 -231 $4,621 $152,381,515 3 Universal Pictures
5 Captain Marvel $12,431,803 -40% 3,573 -412 $3,479 $373,883,366 5 Disney
6 The Best of Enemies $4,446,190 1,705 $2,608 $4,446,190 1 STX Entertainment
7 Five Feet Apart $3,580,237 -42% 2,484 -362 $1,441 $41,471,489 4 CBS Films
8 Unplanned $3,280,645 -49% 1,516 457 $2,164 $12,548,155 2 Pure Flix
9 Wonder Park $2,155,529 -57% 2,281 -1023 $945 $42,096,042 4 Paramount
10 How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World $1,993,225 -54% 1,928 -857 $1,034 $156,700,470 10 Universal / DreamWorks Animation
11 Tyler Perry’s A Madea Family Funeral $1,142,191 -57% 1,101 -822 $1,037 $72,090,992 6 Lionsgate
12 The Beach Bum $487,078 -72% 1,055 -45 $462 $3,005,408 2 Neon

LIMITED (100 — 999)

# TITLE WEEKEND   LOCATIONS   AVG. TOTAL WKS. DIST.
1 Hotel Mumbai $1,779,566 -44% 930 6 $1,914 $6,420,667 3 Bleecker Street
2 The Mustang $779,215 30% 350 169 $2,226 $2,053,910 4 Focus Features
3 No Manches Frida 2 $404,657 -55% 275 -148 $1,471 $8,736,784 4 Lionsgate / Pantelion Films
4 Gloria Bell $365,980 -65% 642 -485 $570 $5,007,471 5 A24
5 The Aftermath $360,106 -3% 344 183 $1,047 $1,088,679 4 Fox Searchlight
6 The Public $259,455 263 $987 $259,455 1 Greenwich Entertainment
7 Isn’t It Romantic $207,458 -21% 216 -244 $960 $48,429,584 8 Warner Bros.
8 The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part $205,421 -66% 322 -479 $638 $105,114,150 11 Warner Bros.
9 Apollo 11 $196,267 -52% 187 -167 $1,050 $8,080,698 6 Neon
10 The Upside $192,160 -49% 274 -182 $701 $107,839,886 13 STX Entertainment
11 Alita: Battle Angel $169,876 -67% 311 -365 $546 $85,316,378 8 20th Century Fox
12 Green Book $137,995 -48% 213 -234 $648 $84,766,206 21 Universal Pictures
13 Fighting With My Family $85,261 -67% 207 -296 $412 $22,725,893 8 MGM
14 What Men Want $75,450 -63% 123 -186 $613 $54,584,109 9 Paramount
15 Cold Pursuit $68,325 -1% 118 -24 $579 $32,050,710 9 Lionsgate / Summit
16 Palau the Movie $64,346 135 $477 $134,696 2 Trafalgar Releasing
17 They Shall Not Grow Old $47,497 84% 198 140 $240 $17,778,187 16 Warner Bros.

PLATFORM (1 — 99)

# TITLE WEEKEND   LOCATIONS   AVG. TOTAL WKS. DIST.
1 High Life $99,341 4 $24,835 $99,341 1 A24
2 Amazing Grace $87,691 8 $10,961 $199,080 1 Neon
3 Escape Room $73,238 18% 55 -13 $1,332 $56,884,457 14 Sony Pictures
4 Woman At War $68,744 -10% 53 -12 $1,297 $462,190 6 Magnolia Pictures
5 Transit $66,181 -16% 55 -9 $1,203 $617,624 6 Music Box Films
6 Bohemian Rhapsody $50,027 -27% 58 -43 $863 $216,191,273 23 20th Century Fox
7 Storm Boy $46,676 56 $834 $46,676 1 Good Deed Entertainment
8 Peterloo $26,002 3 $8,667 $26,002 1 Amazon Studios
9 Ralph Breaks the Internet $24,884 -35% 62 -30 $401 $201,086,305 20 Disney
10 Mary Poppins Returns $22,383 -55% 52 -32 $430 $171,952,470 16 Disney
11 Never Look Away $22,015 -37% 26 0 $847 $1,179,137 11 Sony Pictures Classics
12 The Brink $20,808 15% 17 13 $1,224 $47,105 2 Magnolia Pictures
13 Free Solo $18,875 11% 16 -14 $1,180 $17,518,798 28 National Geographic Entertainment
14 The Hummingbird Project $18,747 -84% 71 -161 $264 $348,843 4 The Orchard
15 Sunset $18,462 25% 18 8 $1,026 $62,948 3 Sony Pictures Classics
16 More Than Blue $18,219 -74% 15 -23 $1,215 $709,965 4 China Lion Film
17 Capernaum $11,314 -37% 14 -1 $808 $1,614,606 17 Sony Pictures Classics
18 The Favourite $11,190 -61% 22 -22 $509 $34,231,809 20 Fox Searchlight
19 The Kid $11,137 -75% 22 -55 $506 $1,485,106 5 Lionsgate
20 Faith, Hope & Love $10,457 -49% 8 -1 $1,307 $159,395 4 ArtAffects Entertainment
21 Birds of Passage $9,248 -26% 18 -11 $514 $493,408 8 The Orchard
22 Stan & Ollie $6,711 -52% 21 -25 $320 $5,445,321 15 Sony Pictures Classics
23 Run The Race $6,673 -88% 35 -101 $191 $6,376,148 7 Roadside Attractions
24 Arctic $6,090 -79% 13 -36 $468 $2,335,596 10 Bleecker Street
25 Ramen Shop $4,531 169% 4 3 $1,133 $15,938 3 Strand Releasing
26 3 Faces $3,879 -45% 4 -2 $970 $49,874 5 Kino Lorber
27 Shoplifters $3,855 11% 3 0 $1,285 $3,291,362 20 Magnolia Pictures
28 Climax $3,842 -74% 6 -15 $640 $813,774 6 A24
29 If Beale Street Could Talk $3,746 -58% 9 -9 $416 $14,912,296 17 Annapurna
30 CATVIDEOFEST 2019 $3,244 -83% 5 -7 $649 $407,535 8 Oscilloscope
31 Suburban Birds $3,207 1 $3,207 $3,207 1 Cinema Guild
32 Knife+Heart $2,990 16% 6 2 $498 $22,209 4 Altered Innocence
33 The Heiresses $2,827 51% 3 2 $942 $70,890 12 Distrib Films US
34 Styx $2,571 -5% 7 2 $367 $56,197 6 Film Movement
35 Babylon $2,563 113% 4 1 $641 $63,066 5 Kino Lorber Films
36 Zen For Nothing $2,504 97% 2 0 $1,252 $7,936 2 Kino Lorber / Zeitgeist Films
37 The Last Resort $1,811 50% 4 2 $453 $154,469 16 Kino Lober Films
38 Fate of Lee Khan $1,648 1 $1,648 $1,648 1 Film Movement
39 Police Story and Police Story 2 $1,608 59% 1 0 $1,608 $103,383 10 Janus Films
40 Working Woman $1,296 -67% 2 0 $648 $12,324 2 Zeitgeist
41 Vice $1,070 -79% 6 -11 $178 $47,835,281 15 Annapurna
42 Furie $747 -77% 1 -2 $747 $594,192 6 Well Go USA Entertainment
43 Ruben Brandt, Collector $672 -76% 6 -6 $112 $110,227 8 Sony Pictures Classics
44 The Wife $641 -30% 3 -1 $214 $9,597,359 34 Sony Pictures Classics
45 Hale County This Morning, This Evening $604 1 $604 $109,982 30 Cinema Guild
46 Relaxer $554 2 $277 $3,749 2 Oscilloscope Laboratories
47 The Gospel of Eureka $539 1 $539 $20,578 9 Kino Lorber
48 What Is Democracy? $237 1 $237 $42,995 12 Zeitgeist Films
49 The Wild Pear Tree $65 -92% 1 -1 $65 $28,969 10 Cinema Guild

Sunday Update: Shazam! kept the superhero train going this weekend with a strong $53.4 million opening in first place, notching another success for the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) and kicking off the month of April in sizzling fashion following a near-record-breaking March. Fellow opener Pet Sematary also posted healthy numbers in second place, while the Taraji P. Henson drama The Best of Enemies had a so-so debut in sixth.

Despite boasting a title superhero with little name recognition outside of the DC comic book fandom, Shazam! soared in its opening frame thanks to a clever marketing campaign, terrific reviews (93% on Rotten Tomatoes), and a crowd-pleasing tone that, along with recent DCEU entries Wonder Woman and Aquaman, has successfully steered the franchise in a new, more light-hearted direction. The opening for the Warner Bros. release came in just a bit below the $57.2 million debut of the similarly-flavored Ant-Man, another character who – at least prior to launch – was less well-known outside the core fanbase.

As superhero movies go, it was somewhat of an uphill battle for Shazam! in the months leading up to release given the character’s low name recognition among general audiences. But the studio’s marketing team did a sensational job of creating a strong presence for the character both on- and offline while also positioning the film as a seeming antidote to the more brooding likes of DCEU installments like Justice League and Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. As the blockbuster success of last year’s Aquaman proved, fans of the DC shared universe are hungry for a more playful tone along the lines of what Marvel has been serving up for the last decade-plus, and on that front Shazam! delivered. Including the $3.3 million Shazam! racked up in a special preview on March 23 (not included in the opening-weekend tally), the film’s total now stands at a terrific $56.7 million through Sunday. With a three-week window prior to the release of Disney/Marvel’s Avengers: Endgame and likely strong word of mouth (the Cinemascore on this one is an “A”), Shazam! has strong potential for a leggy run ahead.

Coming in a strong second was Pet Sematary, a new adaptation of Stephen King’s 1983 horror novel/a remake of the 1989 film. With $25 million for the weekend, the film finished a bit on the lower end of expectations (perhaps due to the continued strength of Us), but this is nonetheless a solid showing for the Paramount release. The success of the film was certainly boosted by the recent success of It, another Stephen King adaptation that debuted to an astonishing $123.4 million in September 2017 on its way to becoming the highest-grossing horror movie of all time ($327.4 million).

In terms of horror remakes, Pet Sematary opened right in line with 2013’s Evil Dead, which debuted with $25.7 million on its way to a $54.2 million total. Interestingly, both of those films received “C+” Cinemascores, suggesting Pet Sematary could finish in similar territory. That’s not a bad result when you consider its budget came in at a reported $21 million.

Third place went to last weekend’s top finisher Dumbo, which dropped a hefty 60% to an estimated $18.2 million on the heels of its $45.9 million debut. That’s a sharp dip, particularly for a family-oriented release, which suggests that audiences are cooling on the adorable flying elephant rather quickly. The Disney release now has $76.3 million after ten days, a disappointing total for the reported $170 million production and a stumble for Disney in terms of its slate of live-action reimaginings.

Us tallied an estimated $13.8 million in fourth place, a fairly steep drop of 58% from last weekend. That’s in part due to the arrival of Pet Sematary, which seems to have chipped away at its audience a bit. The Universal shocker now has a terrific $152.4 million after three weeks of release, putting the Jordan Peele-directed horror film within striking distance of Get Out‘s $176 million final gross.

In fifth, Captain Marvel continued to hold up well with an estimated $13 million, a drop of just 36% from last weekend. With $374.1 million so far, the MCU blockbuster is closing in on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, which finished its North American run with $389.8 million. Once it surpasses that, the Disney release will rank as the seventh highest-grossing MCU release ever in North America. It currently stands as the twelfth highest-grossing superhero release of all time in North America.

Sixth place went to the weekend’s final wide newcomer The Best of Enemies, which stars Taraji P. Henson as a civil rights activist circa 1971 who goes toe-to-toe with a Ku Klux Klan leader (Sam Rockwell) over the issue of school integration. The STX release brought in an estimated $4.5 million, a so-so result about in line with the wide opening of last fall’s eventual Best Picture winner Green Book. Unfortunately, without an awards campaign to keep the film afloat and only mediocre reviews (it’s currently at 51% on Rotten Tomatoes), this one is probably looking at a short life at the multiplex. It’s worth noting that audiences liked this one much better than critics; it received an overall “A” Cinemascore and an “A+” among women 35 and over, a demo that made up a large portion of its opening-weekend audience.

In seventh, the YA hit Five Feet Apart eased 40% to an estimated $3.7 million, giving The CBS Films title $41.5 million after four weeks of release.

After debuting to a stronger-than-expected $6.3 million last weekend, Pure Flix’s anti-abortion drama Unplanned fell to an estimated $3.2 million in its sophomore frame. The total for the faith-based film now stands at $12.4 million.

The two final spots in the Top 10 went to animated holdovers Wonder Park and How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, which brought in an estimated $2.04 million and $1.99 million, respectively. The former’s total now stands at a disappointing $41.9 million after four weeks, while the latter has a solid $156.6 million after seven weeks of release.

Limited Release:

A24’s “cosmic sci-fi epic” High Life starring Robert Pattinson and Juliette Binoche boasted the highest per-screen average of the weekend in its limited debut, opening to just over $100K on four screens (a per-screen average of $25K). The critically-acclaimed film from director Claire Denis will expand further next weekend.

Overseas Update:

Shazam! took in a solid $102 million this weekend from 79 overseas markets, bringing its worldwide opening gross to $158.6 million. The latest DCEU entry opened to $30.9 million in China (making it the No. 1 U.S. release in the market), $6.2 million in Mexico, $5.3 million in the U.K., $5.2 million in Russia, $5.1 million in Brazil, $4.1 million in Indonesia and $3.9 million in Korea. The Warner Bros. release opens in its final market Japan on April 19th.

Pet Sematary brought in an estimated $17.3 million overseas, bringing its worldwide opening total to $42.3 million. This weekend’s gross represents 73% of the film’s international footprint; markets left to release include France (April 10), Korea (April 11) and Brazil (May 9).

Dumbo brought in an estimated $39.6 in international markets, bringing its overseas cume to $137.5 million and its global tally to $213.8 million. Country totals include $18.6 million in China, $15.3 million in the U.K. and $14.7 million in Mexico.

Grossing another $10.3 million overseas, Us surpassed the $200 million mark worldwide over the weekend, a tally that includes $64.2 million from international markets.

Captain Marvel grossed an estimated $27 million internationally this weekend, bringing its overseas cume to $663.5 million and its global tally to an incredible $1.0376 million. The Marvel blockbuster is now the ninth highest-grossing superhero release of all time worldwide.


Studio Weekend Estimates (Domestic)

FRI, APR. 5 – SUN, APR. 7

WIDE (1000+)

# TITLE WEEKEND   LOCATIONS   AVG. TOTAL WKS. DIST.
1 Shazam! $53,450,000 4,217 $12,675 $56,775,000 3 Warner Bros.
2 Pet Sematary $25,000,000 3,585 $6,974 $25,000,000 1 Paramount Pictures
3 Dumbo $18,224,000 -60% 4,259 0 $4,279 $76,271,489 2 Walt Disney Pictures
4 Us (2019) $13,810,000 -58% 3,512 -231 $3,932 $152,392,995 3 Universal Pictures
5 Captain Marvel $12,682,000 -39% 3,573 -412 $3,549 $374,133,563 5 Disney
6 The Best of Enemies $4,500,000 1,705 $2,639 $4,500,000 1 STX Entertainment
7 Five Feet Apart $3,700,000 -40% 2,484 -362 $1,490 $41,591,252 4 CBS Films
8 Unplanned $3,200,000 -50% 1,516 457 $2,111 $12,467,510 2 Pure Flix
9 Wonder Park $2,040,000 -59% 2,281 -1023 $894 $41,980,513 4 Paramount
10 How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World $1,985,000 -55% 1,928 -857 $1,030 $156,692,245 10 Universal / DreamWorks Animation
11 Tyler Perry’s A Madea Family Funeral $1,185,000 -56% 1,101 -822 $1,076 $72,133,801 6 Lionsgate
12 The Beach Bum $494,063 -72% 1,055 -45 $468 $3,012,393 2 Neon

LIMITED (100 — 999)

# TITLE WEEKEND   LOCATIONS   AVG. TOTAL WKS. DIST.
1 Hotel Mumbai $1,753,789 -45% 930 6 $1,886 $6,394,890 3 Bleecker Street
2 The Mustang $771,000 29% 350 169 $2,203 $2,045,695 4 Focus Features
3 No Manches Frida 2 $415,000 -54% 275 -148 $1,509 $8,747,127 4 Lionsgate / Pantelion Films
4 Gloria Bell $390,000 -63% 642 -485 $607 $5,031,491 5 A24
5 The Aftermath $375,000 1% 344 183 $1,090 $1,103,573 4 Fox Searchlight
6 The Public $279,294 265 $1,054 $279,294 1 Greenwich Entertainment
7 Apollo 11 $201,700 -51% 187 -167 $1,079 $8,086,131 6 Neon
8 Alita: Battle Angel $170,000 -67% 311 -365 $547 $85,316,502 8 20th Century Fox
9 What Men Want $77,000 -62% 123 -186 $626 $54,585,659 9 Paramount
10 Cold Pursuit $62,000 -10% 118 -24 $525 $32,044,385 9 Lionsgate / Summit

PLATFORM (1 — 99)

# TITLE WEEKEND   LOCATIONS   AVG. TOTAL WKS. DIST.
1 High Life $100,028 4 $25,007 $100,028 1 A24
2 Diane $68,032 178% 34 31 $2,001 $101,438 2 IFC Films
3 Transit $61,039 -22% 55 -9 $1,110 $612,482 6 Music Box Films
4 Peterloo $61,039 3 $20,346 $61,039 1 Amazon Studios
5 Storm Boy $46,744 56 $835 $46,744 1 Good Deed Entertainment
6 The Chaperone $26,520 13 $2,040 $40,198 2 PBS Distribution
7 Never Look Away $22,192 -36% 26 0 $854 $1,179,314 11 Sony Pictures Classics
8 The Hummingbird Project $19,775 -84% 71 -161 $279 $349,871 4 The Orchard
9 Sunset $18,459 25% 18 8 $1,026 $62,945 3 Sony Pictures Classics
10 Birds of Passage $11,036 -12% 18 -11 $613 $495,196 8 The Orchard
11 The Kid $10,500 -77% 22 -55 $477 $1,484,469 5 Lionsgate