Saturday Update: As expected, Shazam! is on course to finish atop the box office again this weekend as it added $6.365 million on Friday, bringing its eight-day domestic haul to $76.1 million. The strongly received DC film from Warner Bros. looks to top $24+ million in its second frame.
Little scored a healthy debut for Universal with $5.37 million on opening day (inclusive of Thursday night shows). Comping not far behind the $6.59 million first day of What Men Want earlier this year, this high concept comedy marks another counter-programming success for producer Will Packer. We’re expecting around $15 million+ for the weekend based on current projections.
Beyond those titles, unfortunately, two of the weekend’s key openers significantly disappointed. Lionsgate’s Hellboy remake proved to open well below expectations with $4.93 million on opening day. That comes in 36 percent behind Ghost In the Shell‘s $7.66 million debut two years ago, and just ahead of Underworld: Blood Wars‘ $4.87 million first day several months before that. Poor reviews and a general lack of enthusiasm among even die hard fans — who still hold Guillermo del Toro’s previous two films in high regard — are contributing to the underwhelming start, which will likely give way to significant front-loading considering the month’s superhero competition. We’re projecting around $12 million for the weekend.
Opening even further below expectations based on pre-release tracking, Missing Link scored a lukewarm $1.611 million opening day yesterday. Despite positive reviews and the typically reliable Laika brand name — which has never debuted a film below a $12.6 million weekend (Kubo and the Two Strings) — the film’s limited marketing push, as well as the spotty history of stop-motion animation among today’s young audiences, are contributing to the under-performance. While a strong weekend multiple and staying power in the weeks ahead are generally still expected, we’re now projecting around $6 million for the opening frame.
Last but not least among the openers, and notably ahead of expectations, After took in $2.9 million on opening day Friday for distributor Aviron. That nearly doubles the $1.49 million first day of Midnight Sun last year, against which After had been closely tracking ahead of its debut. The studio projects a solid $7.7 million opening weekend.
Meanwhile, among holdovers: Pet Sematary grossed $2.93 million to begin its second frame, standing at $34.1 million after eight days; Dumbo added $2.27 million on Friday for an updated $83 million domestic cume; Captain Marvel tacked on another $2.21 million and cracked $380.1 million domestically; and, Us added $2.09 million for a new tally of $158.6 million.
Early weekend estimates are below with studio updates to follow on Sunday.
Early Weekend Estimates (Domestic)
FRI, APR. 12 – SUN, APR. 14
| # | TITLE | WEEKEND | LOCATIONS | AVG. | TOTAL | WKS. | DIST. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shazam! | $24,500,000 | -54% | 4,306 | 89 | $5,690 | $94,273,013 | 2 | Warner Bros. |
| 2 | Little (2019) | $15,400,000 | — | 2,667 | — | $5,774 | $15,400,000 | 1 | Universal Pictures |
| 3 | Hellboy | $12,000,000 | — | 3,303 | — | $3,633 | $12,000,000 | 1 | Lionsgate / Summit |
| 4 | Dumbo | $9,300,000 | -49% | 3,706 | -553 | $2,509 | $90,059,162 | 3 | Walt Disney Pictures |
| 5 | Pet Sematary | $9,000,000 | -63% | 3,585 | 0 | $2,510 | $40,121,660 | 2 | Paramount Pictures |
| 6 | Captain Marvel | $8,400,000 | -32% | 2,975 | -598 | $2,824 | $386,313,581 | 6 | Disney |
| 7 | After (2019) | $7,700,000 | — | 2,138 | — | $3,601 | $7,700,000 | 1 | Aviron Pictures |
| 8 | Us (2019) | $6,900,000 | -50% | 2,768 | -744 | $2,493 | $163,452,425 | 4 | Universal Pictures |
| 9 | Missing Link | $6,000,000 | — | 3,413 | — | $1,758 | $6,000,000 | 1 | United Artists Releasing |
| 10 | The Best of Enemies | $2,200,000 | -51% | 1,705 | 0 | $1,290 | $8,301,570 | 2 | STX Entertainment |
| 11 | Unplanned | $1,700,000 | -48% | 1,402 | -114 | $1,213 | $15,730,305 | 3 | Pure Flix |
| 12 | Five Feet Apart | $1,500,000 | -58% | 1,473 | -1011 | $1,018 | $43,861,394 | 5 | CBS Films |
| 13 | Wonder Park | $650,000 | -70% | 1,172 | -1109 | $555 | $43,372,568 | 5 | Paramount |
| # | TITLE | WEEKEND | LOCATIONS | AVG. | TOTAL | WKS. | DIST. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World | $580,000 | -71% | 822 | -1106 | $706 | $157,802,605 | 11 | Universal / DreamWorks Animation |
| 2 | Tyler Perry’s A Madea Family Funeral | $320,000 | -72% | 475 | -626 | $674 | $72,705,430 | 7 | Lionsgate |
| 3 | No Manches Frida 2 | $180,000 | -56% | 135 | -140 | $1,333 | $9,042,565 | 5 | Lionsgate / Pantelion Films |
| 4 | The Aftermath | $150,000 | -58% | 234 | -110 | $641 | $1,420,397 | 5 | Fox Searchlight |
| # | TITLE | WEEKEND | LOCATIONS | AVG. | TOTAL | WKS. | DIST. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cold Pursuit | $40,000 | -41% | 92 | -26 | $435 | $32,121,587 | 10 | Lionsgate / Summit |
| 2 | Ash is Purest White | $32,000 | — | 24 | — | $1,333 | $32,000 | 5 | Cohen Media Group |
| 3 | The Kid | $9,500 | -15% | 49 | 27 | $194 | $1,500,057 | 6 | Lionsgate |
| 4 | Faith, Hope & Love | $7,800 | -25% | 6 | -2 | $1,300 | $176,309 | 5 | ArtAffects Entertainment |
| 5 | Girls of the Sun | $7,750 | — | 8 | — | $969 | $7,750 | 1 | Cohen Media Group |
Friday Update: Lionsgate reports this morning that Hellboy earned an estimated $1.38 million from Thursday night shows at an estimated 2,700 locations. That registers 38 percent ahead of Resident Evil: The Final Chapter‘s $1.0 million start in January 2017, while coming in 23 percent behind Ghost In the Shell‘s $1.8 million kickoff in late March of the same year.
Meanwhile, Universal’s Little is off to a fair start with $735K earned from shows beginning at 7pm in 2,200 locations last night. That’s 26.5 percent off I Feel Pretty‘s $1.0 million start last April, although comps for original comedies are even less reliable than those of trend-heavy franchise pics.
Meanwhile, After banked $550K last night, while Missing Link reportedly took in $230K.
More updates throughout the weekend, and be sure to check out our earlier Weekend Forecast.
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