Weekend Box Office 3/18 - What Else Is New?

[AndyDursin]

Not sure what they were expecting with TOMB RAIDER but it seems underwhelming. Maybe foreign will kick into gear.

1..) Black Panther (DIS), 3,834 theaters (-108) / $7.4M Fri (-26%) / 3-day: $28.5M (-30%)/Total: $606.8M/Wk 5

2..) Tomb Raider (MGM/WB), 3,854 theaters / $9M Fri (includes $2.1M of previews) /3-day: $23.5M /Wk 1

3..) A Wrinkle in Time (DIS), 3,980 theaters (0) / $4.6m Fri (55%)/3-day: $17M (-49%)/Total: $61.5M/Wk 2

4..) I Can Only Imagine (RSA/LG), 1,629 theaters / $6.2M Fri /3-day: $15.1M /Wk 1

5..) Love, Simon (FOX), 2,402 theaters / $4.6M Fri /3-day: $11.7M /Wk 1

6..) Game Night (NL/WB), 2,686 theaters (-375) / $1.7m Fri (-22%)/3-day: $6M (-24%)/Total: $54.5M/Wk 4

7..) Peter Rabbit (SONY), 2,725 theaters (-387) / $1.4M Fri (-5%) /3-day: $5.9M (-12%) /Total: $103.1M/Wk 6

8..) Strangers: Prey at Night (AVI), 2,464 theaters (0)/ $1.5M Fri (-62%) /3-day: $5.1M (-51%)/Total:$18.9M/Wk 2

9..) Red Sparrow (FOX), 2,583 theaters (-481) / $1.3m Fri (-43%)/3-day: $4.8M (-44%)/Total: $39.9M/ Wk 3

10..) Death Wish (MGM), 2,676 theaters (-206) / $954M Fri (-45%)/3-day: $3.4M (-48%)/Total: $30M/Wk 3

11..)7 Days in Entebbe (FOCUS), 838 theaters / $544k Fri /3-day: $1.8M /Wk 1

[tjguitar85]

Black Panther is still selling a lot of tickets. That's surprising. Is this normal for Marvel?

[Monterey Jack]

Black Panther is still selling a lot of tickets. That's surprising. Is this normal for Marvel?

For a movie about a black superhero released during Black History Month, it's not surprising how much money Black Panther has made. The fact that it's really good has certainly helped, especially with repeat viewings.

[tjguitar85]

Black Panther is still selling a lot of tickets. That's surprising. Is this normal for Marvel?

For a movie about a black superhero released during Black History Month, it's not surprising how much money Black Panther has made. The fact that it's really good has certainly helped, especially with repeat viewings.

I thought it was excellent as well, but I haven't seen a movie in the theater twice since....Attack of the Clones?

[Monterey Jack]

I thought it was excellent as well, but I haven't seen a movie in the theater twice since....Attack of the Clones?

I rarely see even movies that I absolutely love more than once in theaters anymore...for the price of another go-around with the tickets and train fees to get to the theater, I can buy the eventual Blu-Ray and watch the movie to my heart's content. Pretty much the only time I go back for seconds these days are for movies my brother or Dad haven't seen yet, and want to see with me (took in a double-feature of Shape Of Water and Three Billboards with my Dad last month, both of which he really enjoyed).

Seriously, most movies already are announcing a Blu-Ray/streaming date on opening weekend, which would have been unheard if thirty years ago. Hell, it took E.T. six years to get released on VHS! No wonder people would go back for mutiple theatrical viewings for the biggest blockbusters in the 80's...it'd take forever to hit video, and even then, you'd be stuck with a crummy pan & scan tape with bad tracking and possibly even mono sound. In the era where every movie is presented at home in virtually the same quality you'd get in a theater (screen size excepted), and often on Disc/streaming inside of five months, is it any wonder so many people are forgoing going out to the movies in lieu of scrolling through their Netflix queue while in their pajamas?

[AndyDursin]

Black Panther is still selling a lot of tickets. That's surprising. Is this normal for Marvel?

It's high even for the typical Marvel movie, but it's not surprising. This movie had a massive amount of pre-release hype and external factors -- excessive media coverage because of the "diversity factor" etc. It was being covered in the national media for weeks before it opened.

The great thing for Disney -- but the sad thing for everyone else -- is they've gone from a Marvel movie to STAR WARS to a Marvel movie and dominated the box-office, even during a "dead" time like February. It's setting a precedent wherein they are going to try to control an entire year of commercial releases -- and make no mistake, people are going to stop releasing other films to counter them. EVEN in "off" periods like February and March. It fits with the whole paradigm we're seeing where "mid-tier" studio films are no longer being made, and the cinemas are going to be flooded with these stupid comic-book films and retread blockbuster brands for the forseeable future...perhaps even 365 days a year.

[Johnmgm]

I realize my age has a lot to due with it (I’m 53), but I have never seen such an uninspiring lineup at the cinema as 2018. The only major release that has caught my interest is The House with a Clock in its Walls, which is based on an excellent kid’s book from the 1970s. My interest is tempered by the fact that the film version is directed by Eli Roth—but the material might survive Roth’s sledgehammer approach.

[AndyDursin]

Welcome aboard John!

[tjguitar85]

I actually can't remember the last film I've seen in a theater that wasn't a major blockbuster so I guess I'm part of the problem.

[AndyDursin]

You really don't have a ton of choices so it's not your fault TJ. Lol

[mkaroly]

I think the last film I saw in the theaters was ALIEN:COVENANT...not a blockbuster by any stretch. Lol! Or maybe it was BLADE RUNNER 2049. I don't consider that one a blockbuster either really.