{"id":274118,"date":"2026-01-31T18:09:10","date_gmt":"2026-01-31T18:09:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/274118\/"},"modified":"2026-01-31T18:09:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-31T18:09:10","slug":"send-help-leading-with-near-18m-melania-a-cinemascore","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/274118\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Send Help’ Leading With Near $18M, ‘Melania’ ‘A’ CinemaScore"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tSATURDAY AM: 20th Century Studios\u2019 Send Help<\/a> is looking to come in higher than Markiplier\u2019s Iron Lung<\/a> for the weekend, the Sam Raimi-directed movie expected to move ahead of the YouTuber\u2019s videogame IP movie, $17.5M-$18.1M versus $15M-$17M. Still, that\u2019s pretty amazing for the under $3M Iron Lung in regards to getting butts in seats particularly with the movie in competition with the Disney marketing machine. Send Help gets a B+ CinemaScore, which again for genre movies, is exceptional on that audience pollster\u2019s scale. No CinemaScore for Iron Lung but on Screen Engine\/Comscore\u2019s PostTrak it\u2019s 4 stars with a very good 65% definite recommend from its audience.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhile Iron Lung is expected to fall hard on Sunday by as much as -40% from its Saturday take, what could help it is if Amazon MGM Studios\u2019 documentary Melania steals more women away from Send Help. <\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAmazon MGM Studios<\/p>\n

\n\tNow, Melania is still seeing $8.1M, but the exit scores are quite royal with an A CinemaScore, 5 stars on Screen Engine\/Comscore\u2019s PostTrak, and get this \u2014 an 89% definite recommend; unheard for any movie. If a movie is in the 70 percentile range, that\u2019s outstanding. While a figure like that indicates a stampede for a tentpole, it\u2019s interesting to see whether this documentary can overperform even more than it already is, especially off its older crowd. The turnout here for the Brett Ratner-directed nonfiction film is akin to that of a faith-based movie: 72% women, with 72% over 55. Audience score on Rotten Tomatoes is 99% while critics have bashed the movie at 6%. Melania is playing best in the South (12% over the norm) and South Central with the Cinemark Palace 21 in Boca Raton, FL the pic\u2019s current highest grossing location with over $10K. Pic\u2019s top grossing markets are Dallas, Orlando, Tampa, Phoenix, Houston, Atlanta, West Palm Beach, Fort Myers, Miami, Minnesota, Nashville, Jackson, MI; St. Louis, Las Vegas, Cleveland \u2014 the list goes on\u2026no NYC or LA in this bunch. Diversity demos on this one is 74% Caucasian, 11% Latino and Hispanic, 4% Black, 4% Asian American and 7% Native American\/other.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn PostTrak exits for Melania, 49% identified as Republicans, 47% said they were politically conservative, Evangelical Christians made up 28% of those attending while Democrats repped 2% of the audience. <\/p>\n

\n\tWalk-up business is sold with 52% of the audience buying their tickets to Melania same day versus say Iron Lung which was 38% (many always believed the Markiplier movie would be frontloaded). Don\u2019t say linear is dead: For the Melania crowd, 22% said that TV ads were the most influential form of advertisement, but they also cited social media as being a big influencer at 23%. <\/p>\n

\n\tInteresting to note that among the streaming subscribers attending Melania this weekend, 54% were Prime Members, 53% Netflix, 24% Apple TV and 22% a piece for Hulu and Disney+ subs.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Charli<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tCharli xcx in \u2018The Moment\u2019 <\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSundance Institute<\/p>\n

\n\tOn the arthouse level, we have A24\u2019s Charli xcx mockumentary The Moment popping big with the third best opening per screen average post Covid of $105,7K behind A24\u2019s own Marty Supreme ($145,8K) and Focus Features\u2019 Asteroid City ($142K). Outlook for the Aidan Zimiri-directed movie is $423K for the weekend after a beefy play at NYC\u2019s Angelika and AMC Lincoln Square, and LA\u2019s AMC Burbank and Grove. Friday was $199K alone.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\n\tTwo genre movies up against each other\u2014Iron Lung and Send Help\u2014what\u2019s the difference aside from the Markiplier vs. Disney Goliath? Iron Lung skews much younger with 62% of its audience under 25 versus Send Help\u2018s 22%. Men under 25 are leading for Iron Lung at 38% while they are trailing for Send Help at 10%. Women under 25 are also bigger for Iron Lung over Send Help, 24% to 12%. Send Help has 43% men over 25 (vs Iron Lung\u2018s 23%), women over 25 at 35% (vs. Iron Lung\u2018s 15%).<\/p>\n

\n\tDiversity demos on Send Help are 52% Caucasian, 21% Latino and Hispanic, 15% Black, 7% Asian American and 5% Native American\/other. PLFs and 4DX are repping 40% of the Dylan O\u2019Brien and Rachel McAdams\u2019 title\u2019s business with 3D accounting for 5%. Pic\u2019s best play is in the West and South Central with AMC Burbank in LA the best grossing multiplex with $32K. <\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\n\tIron Lung has some PLFs contributing to its coffers at 7% with the pic playing best in the South, Midwest, and Mountain regions. The TCL Chinese Theatre (CA) is currently the movie\u2019s top-grossing venue at $37K. Diversity demographics are 57% Caucasian, 23% Latino and Hispanic, 10% Asian American, 5% Black, and 5% Native American\/other. <\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\n\tComing up way short, by the way, is Black Bear\u2019s second theatrical release, Shelter<\/a> with $5M in 6th place after a $1.5M Friday\/previews. Not the lowest for Jason Statham post-Covid, but close after Lionsgate\u2019s Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre with a $3.1M opening which turned into a $6.5M final domestic, but did over $42M abroad. The movie gets a B+ CinemaScore, just like Operation Fortune and it cost $50M ala that pic with foreign sales offsetting exposure. Statham does well in the digital aftermarket, so a possible saving grace. With critics Shelter did a little bit better than Operation Fortune, 64% fresh to 51% Rotten. Circuits need more product and more distributors like Black Bear. Clearly, the frosh U.S. operation is still finding its footing.<\/p>\n

\n\tShelter has an audience over 45 of 44%. Some PLFs but nothing that\u2019s making an impact. Any areas of play for the Statham movie were in the West, South Central and South with AMC Porter Ranch north of LA (where they shot the Nicole Kidman commercial) leads the way with a near $5K. Diversity demos were 48% Caucasian, 17% Latino and Hispanic, 17% Black, 9% Asian American and 9% Native American\/other. <\/p>\n

\n\tRight now, the weekend is factored around $83M for all movies, which is off by -4% from last January\u2019s finale.<\/p>\n

\n\tSaturday numbers:<\/p>\n

Send Help (20th) 3,475 theaters Fri $7.2M, 3-day $17.5M-$18.5M\/Wk 1<\/p>\n

Iron Lung (Inde) 3,015 theaters, Fri $9M, 3-day $15M-$17M\/Wk 1<\/p>\n

Melania (AMZ) 1,778 theaters, Fri $2.9M, 3-day $8.1M\/Wk 1<\/p>\n

Zootopia 2 (Dis) 2,880 (-50) theaters, Fri $1.3M (-7% from last Friday), 3-day $5.8M (+9%), Total $408.9M\/Wk 10<\/p>\n

Avatar: Fire and Ash (20th) 2,800 (-350) theaters, Fri $1.2M (-28%) 3-day $5.05M (-21%) Total $385.6M\/Wk 7<\/p>\n

Shelter (Black Bear) 2,726 theaters, Fri $1.9M, 3-day $5M\/Wk 1<\/p>\n

Mercy (AMZ) 3,468 theaters, Fri $1.3M (-74%) 3-day $4.9M (-54%), Total $19.6M\/Wk 2<\/p>\n

The Housemaid (LG) 2,603 (-404) theaters, Fri $1M (-32%), 3-day $3.35M (-15%), Total $120.5M\/Wk 7<\/p>\n

Marty Supreme (A24) 1,703 (-318) theaters, Fri $752K (-32%), Wk $2.4M (-16%), Total $90.4M\/Wk 7<\/p>\n

28 Years Later: Bone Temple (Sony) 2,042 (-1464) theaters, Fri $450K (-62%) 3-day $1.6M (-53%), Total $23.6M\/Wk 3<\/p>\n

Hamnet (Foc) 1,259 (-737) theaters, Fri $360K (-39%), 3-day $1.3M (-30%), Total $20M\/Wk 10<\/p>\n

\n\tNotable:<\/p>\n

\n\tParis Hilton Infinite Icon (CJ4DX\/Western) 677 theaters, Fri $200K, 3-day $500K\/PSA $739\/Wk 1
The Moment (A24) 4 theaters, Fri $199K, 3-day $423K, PSA $105,7K\/Wk 1<\/p>\n

\n\tUPDATED, Friday PM: What an intriguing, potentially low weekend at the box office. Even though this weekend could come in lower than last year\u2019s January finale\/February intro frame (which was $86.1 million, per Box Office Mojo), there\u2019s some stunning things going on in regards to the novelty fare on offer.<\/p>\n

\n\tHere we have a YouTuber\u2019s genre movie, Iron Lung, with very little P&A, that could possibly upset Disney\/20th Century Studios\u2019 Dylan O\u2019Brien-Rachel McAdams big studio spend movie Send Help for No. 1. Estimates right now have Send Help between $16M-$18M, and Iron Lung doing anywhere between $14M-$17M at 3,015 theaters. The question is how fan-frontloaded Iron Lung is. Currently, Send Help is showing hourly growth, with Iron Lung presales beefing up today (combined previews and Friday are around $9M+). Send Help\u2018s Friday and previews are around $7M+.<\/p>\n

\n\tRELATED: YouTube Star Markiplier\u2019s \u2018Iron Lung\u2019 Hopes To Soak Up A<\/a> <\/a>Ton Of Oxygen At January Box Office<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tComing in at third is Amazon MGM Studios\u2019 Brett Ratner-directed documentary Melania, which is eyeing $2.85M today (no previews) for an $8M opening in third place \u2014 that result would mark the best start for a docu in the last decade (beating Angel Studios\u2019\u00a02023 doc After Death, which opened to $5M and finaled at $11.5M stateside). I\u2019m hearing sales are gaining, with Florida and Texas quite large, for the First Lady\u2019s big-screen debut.<\/p>\n

\n\tEntTelligence showed Melania presales overindexing in rural areas with populations under 500,000. Again, license fees plus marketing on this pic equals $75M, but Amazon can afford it, even though those figures don\u2019t make sense for a traditional motion picture studio\u2019s P&L. Are MAGA groups driving sales? Maybe, but that will be sussed out as the weekend goes on. Know this: This isn\u2019t an Angel Studios release fueled by some semblance of fan sales or an Amazon Prime super-ticket.<\/p>\n

\n\tRELATED: At \u2018Melania\u2019 Premiere, Brett Ratner And The First Lady Defend Cost Of Amazon MGM Documentary<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tElsewhere this frame, Disney\u2019s 10th weekend of Zootopia 2 is eyeing $6M, while Avatar: Fire and Ash and Amazon MGM Studios\u2019 Mercy are about $5M apiece. Mercy is down 54% with a 10-day cume by Sunday of $19.2M. Avatar 3 will be down 22% for a running cume of $385.6M by the end of its seventh weekend. Zootopia 2 is expected to hit $409.1M by Sunday.<\/p>\n

\n\tBlack Bear\u2019s Jason Statham action movie Shelter is falling outside the top 5 with around $4M for the weekend after an estimated $1.5M Friday (that includes previews).<\/p>\n

\n\tIn terms of marketshare of showtimes, The Box Office Company reports that 13% are comprised of Send Help, 10% for Amazon MGM Studios\u2019 Mercy, 9% for Iron Lung, 8% for Shelter, 7% for Zootopia 2, and 6% for Melania. <\/p>\n

\n\tPREVIOUSLY, Friday AM: Markiplier\u2019s self-financed feature take on the video game Iron Lung broke out with $3.5 million in previews on Thursday night, we\u2019re told. Meanwhile, Sam Raimi\u2019s genre pic Send Help from 20th Century Studios saw $2.2M. <\/p>\n

\n\tIron Lung went into the weekend with $6M in presales and is expected to do around $9M-$10M. We hear that the movie cost under $3M and its P&A was bare-bones, with an Instagram post from the YouTuber and a one-sheet printed for its North American debut. Iron Lung held previews Tuesday and Wednesday.<\/p>\n

\n\tSend Help\u2018s previews are in line with 2023\u2019s Evil Dead Rise ($2.5M previews, $24.5M opening) and last year\u2019s The Amateur ($2M, $14.8M opening), and higher than M. Night Shyamalan\u2019s A Knock at the Cabin ($1.5M, $14.1M opening in 2023). Send Help\u2018s numbers include sneaks from last weekend.<\/p>\n

\n\tMeanwhile, Amazon MGM Studios\u2019 Melania<\/a> documentary from Brett Ratner didn\u2019t hold previews. Showtimes start today following Thursday night\u2019s premiere in Washington D.C.<\/a> The movie follows the 20 days before Donald Trump\u2019s 2025 presidential inauguration.<\/p>\n

\n\tRELATED: <\/a>Amazon & Friends Roll Out International Red Carpet For \u2018Melania\u2019 Doc But Does Anyone Want To See It?<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tOn Thursday, Black Bear\u2019s second theatrical release, Shelter, took in $385,000 from 2,000 theaters. Outlook for the Jason Statham movie is around $5M+.<\/p>\n

\n\tThere\u2019s news of another snowstorm brewing in the Mid-Atlantic U.S., but we understand it\u2019s not going to throw ticket sales off this weekend a la last weekend<\/a>. In addition, we\u2019re not hearing about circuits closing due to Friday\u2019s anti-ICE national protest<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n\tBelow is the Top 5 box office chart for the week:<\/p>\n

\n\t1. Mercy (AMZ) 3,468 theaters, Wk $14.6M\/Wk 1
2. Avatar: Fire and Ash (20th) 3,150 theaters, Wk $9.1M (-57%)\/Total $380.1M\/Wk 6
3. Zootopia 2 (Dis) 2,930 Wk $7.4M (-49%)\/Total $403.1M\/Wk 9
4. The Housemaid (LG) 3,007 theaters, Wk $5.9M (-53%), Total $117.1M\/Wk 6
5. 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (Sony) 3,506 theaters, Wk $4.9M (-71%)\/Total $22M\/Wk 2<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SATURDAY AM: 20th Century Studios\u2019 Send Help is looking to come in higher than Markiplier\u2019s Iron Lung for…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":274119,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[93,61,60,96722,270,51475,69596],"class_list":{"0":"post-274118","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-movies","8":"tag-entertainment","9":"tag-ie","10":"tag-ireland","11":"tag-iron-lung","12":"tag-movies","13":"tag-send-help","14":"tag-shelter"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/274118","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=274118"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/274118\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/274119"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=274118"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=274118"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=274118"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}