And this weekend it was Batman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice that nabbed that honor, by dropping an insane 69% in its sophomore weekend - almost exactly what infamous superhero flop Wolverine did back in May of 2009. Even with no major new releases - outside of Pure Flix's God's Not Dead 2, which could only manage $7M for 4th place - WB's Justice League introduction tumbled at the rate of a later Twilight installment. It's collected $260M in 10 days, but at this rate a 2X multiplier is looking more and more like a reality. Who would've thought that Deadpool could possibly outgross Batman Vs Superman at the beginning of the year?
Luckily, the PTA race was much more interesting as Don Cheadle's long-in-the-works Miles Davis biopic Miles Ahead faced off against Richard Linklater's 70s comedy Everybody Wants Some!! (punctuation theirs, not mine). Miles Ahead had the better theater count (4) and came out ahead with a $21K PTA, while the Linklater film settled for 2nd in 19 theaters for $16K PTA. Batman Vs Superman nabbed 3 more PTA points, Zootopia was good for 2 more, and the other newcomer, A24's The Dark Horse, took its lone point happily.
This week's wide releases...
The Boss (Universal) - Just when you thought we were winding down on Melissa McCarthy's continuous presence at cineplexes, we're getting another one only 10 months after her last one, as Universal brings The Boss into almost 3,500 theaters this weekend. Very much like her fellow over-saturated comedian, Kevin Hart, McCarthy isn't stretching her wings too far with this one as Michelle Darnell, a billionaire who's jailed for insider trading and quickly realizes she's lost everything after being released. Struggling to adjust to a civilian life, she accidentally stumbles upon her new empire in the making: Girl Scout cookies. With a hard R, The Boss also stars Kristen Bell, Peter Dinklage, SNL's Cecily Strong, and of course, the director and husband of McCarthy, Ben Falcone. However, in a sharp 180 turn from last summer's Spy, The Boss has been getting ravaged by critics, and currently sits at 18% on RT.
Although that won't have a huge effect this weekend, you can expect The Boss to be unable to replicate Spy's long legs throughout April, as lackluster word of mouth spreads. McCarthy's comedies have been on the diminishing scale of results ever since her high of The Heat ($39M/$159M), and even the insanely great reviews for last June's Spy ($29M/$110M) wasn't enough to put it in the same ballpark as The Heat. Marketing has been light for The Boss, especially when it comes to explaining what the movie is actually about - it seems the notion of a disgraced billionaire taking over a Girl Scout troop in an R rated comedy isn't easy to explain in a TV spot. Universal has been focusing on the main character herself, which is a tactic in comedies that almost always backfires (just look at last month's The Brothers Grimsby for the latest example of that).
The main plus The Boss has going for it is lack of competition, as Batman Vs Superman is the only film still making significant money in the marketplace - and it sounds like nobody really pining to go back to the theater for that one. The film also has a majority of April until the next comedy to share demos with The Boss hits theaters - in three weeks, with Key & Peale's Keanu. If anything, half-interested teens and couples will be a driving force behind the film's box office run as they shrug in unison as paying for their tickets.
The Prediction - The first of two McCarthy comedies in 3 months, The Boss looks to scoop up any crumbs left over from Batman Vs Superman, as it should open to $22M, amass 9 Top 5 points, maybe 1 PTA point, and totaling at $65M before hitting home video right in time for Ghostbusters in July. For $13 in April-June BO Leagues, The Boss is not a great pick when we're deep enough into the summer to have a much better chance on a similarly priced May/June release, such as Central Intelligence or Now You See Me 2.
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Hardcore Henry (STX) - In case you, like me, are passing up on another Melissa McCarthy schtick, perhaps you'd be interested in what appears to be an insane action film that also just happens to be shot completely in 1st person? Well, have I got a deal for you. STX Entertainment, in only its fourth release in the distributor's young history, is going balls to the wall, as they're Call of Duty-ing this POV shoot-em-up Hardcore Henry into over 3,000 theaters this weekend. Originating from the viral video that appeared online 5 years ago "Biting Elbows: Bad Motherfucker", Hardcore Henry is the brainchild of Wanted director Timur Bekmambetov as he helped first time feature director Ilya Naishuller expand on the popular short with the help of many GoPro cameras and game stuntmen. The Russian production also stars Sharlito Copley, Tim Roth, and Haley Bennett and has gotten mixed reviews, which is to be expected of an action film of its ilk. It's sitting at 49%, which is still almost double that of Batman Vs Superman.
Of course, it's hard to gauge the box office prospects of Hardcore Henry as there hasn't been a fully POV film released by a major in..ever. The closest relative to what the critics are calling "totally nuts" would be Crank ($10M/$27M) and its lesser sequel, Crank: High Voltage ($6M/$13M). It was expected for Henry to perform in line with Crank, but STX has pulled no punches with its ad budget - pushing the insanity of the film as much and as loud as possible. STX has built their plan perfectly, as the crescendo is just hitting in time for its release. Of course, there has also been reports of motion sickness from the constant action in the unfamiliar first person - that may be the biggest obstacle for positive word of mouth over the next few weekends.
The Prediction - STX took a big risk by snapping up Hardcore Henry at last fall's TIFF for $10M, but it should pay off handsomely as it's set to be the highest opening film in company history. It will open to $16M, snagging 4 Top 5 points, zero PTA points, while leaving theaters with roughly $39M in its pockets. It's priced well at only $7 in April-June BO Leagues, which has it as far and away the best pick in its price range.
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Demolition (Fox Searchlight) - Bringing up the rear of the wide releases this weekend, Fox Searchlight decided at the last minute to alter their limited rollout to a surprising triple digit debut for Demolition, grieving its way into almost 900 theaters. The film follows Davis (Jake Gyllenhaal), an investment banker who struggles to keep his life together after the unexpected death of his wife - he decides he must deconstruct his life completely before building it back up, hence the title. From the director of Wild and also starring Naomi Watts and Chris Cooper, the drama has gotten mostly positive reviews, but nothing to write home about. It's sitting at only 55% on RT, and a low critical reception can ring a death knell for dramatic offerings.
Gyllenhaal has been carving out a resume over recent years that puts him at or near the top of anyone's most talented American actors list, starting with 2013's Prisoners ($20M/$61M) and passing all the way through his double-headed 2015: Southpaw ($16M/$52M) and Everest ($7M/$43M). With the exception of day-and-date release Enemy, all of his films in that period have performed admirably, if not exceptionally: they average out to splits of $13M/$42M. Unfortunately, Demolition won't be coming close to The Gyllenhaal Averages, mostly because grieving husband drama isn't as easy to sell as down-and-out boxer or brooding detective on a kidnapping case. Plus Fox Searchlight was pushing Demolition as it would a limited, so the choice to go wide immediately will reflect that.
The Prediction - Even though it's almost a guarantee that Gyllenhaal will turn in a dynamite performance, Demolition will not be able to perform up to the expectations his current run has produced. In only 800+ theaters, it will open to $2M, grabbing zero Top 5 or PTA points, and shuffle off to a quickie home video release with only $4M total. At $2 in April-June BO Leagues, it'll make a great slate filler, if you find yourself with a couple of extra bucks after putting together your ideal slate.
This week's limited release...
The Invitation (Drafthouse) - Drafthouse is the epitome of indie distributor, started only a few years ago by the owner of the original Alamo Drafthouse theater in Austin, Texas to bring little-seen gems to a bigger audience. And this week, they'll have horror film The Invitation in 11 theaters. The film stars Prometheus' Logan Marshall-Green and a host of unknowns as guests of a dinner party as they begin to suspect the host couple may have sinister intentions for inviting them over that particular night.
Drafthouse has mostly been unreliable for PTA points, even with amazing theater counts (case in point: the 1 theater The Look of Silence couldn't muster a single point last summer). And that may be because they typically make their films available to watch online before theatrical release, and the trend continues this weekend with The Invitation. You can currently watch the film on several platforms, and I think the younger-aimed horror crowd will opt for that instead of trekking to theaters. Hell, you can rent it right this second for $7 - which is like half a ticket price; why would anyone opt for a theater then? It will not place in the PTA race and should be dropped if you'd already picked it up.
The Predictions For April 8th-10th:
1. Batman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice - $25M
2. The Boss - $22M
3. Hardcore Henry - $16M
4. Zootopia - $15M
5. My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 - $7M
PTA: Miles Ahead, Everybody Wants Some!!, Batman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice, Midnight Special, The Boss
Next week gives us a very different trifecta with a threequel (Barbershop: The Next Cut), a live-action adaptation of a cartoon (The Jungle Book) and an "original" body-swap thriller (Criminal), as well as limiteds from A24 (Green Room) and The Weinsteins (Sing Street).
This Week In Box Office History...
Will Return Next Week!
