FRIDAY PM UPDATE: With a great 72% definite recommend on Screen Engine/Comscore’s PostTrak from last night’s audience, 20th Century Studios’ James Cameron threequel Avatar: Fire and Ash is seeing $37 million today, including last night’s $12M.
Conservative estimates for a three-day total are between $84M-$88M, though others believe there’s a path to $90M at 3,800 theaters.
Women under 25, who only showed up at 17% yesterday, gave the pic its best definite recommend of 78%, while guys over 25 who repped 41% of the crowd gave it a 75% definite recommend. Men under 25 (22%) gave it 71%, while women over 25 at 20% gave it 63%. Overall, 18-34s yesterday was 64%, with diversity demos at 45% Caucasian, a strong 25% Latino and Hispanic, 12% Black, 12% Asian American and 6% Native American/other. Sixty-two percent of the crowd told PostTrak they’re big Avatar fans, while 29% are somewhat fans. Ninety-three percent of ticket buyers saw the previous Avatar movies. Of those who attended so far, 52% said they plan to see Fire and Ash in a theater again.
Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried in ‘The Housemaid‘
Daniel McFadden/Lionsgate
Currently, there’s a fight for No. 2 this weekend between Angels Studios’ animated feature David and Lionsgate/Hidden Pictures’ R-rated Sydney Sweeney-Amanda Seyfried thriller The Housemaid with $20M-$24M. Both are seeing north of $8M today, with those figures including last night’s previews. David is booked at 3,500 sites, while Housemaid is at 3,015 movie houses. No RT audience score yet on Housemaid. David went into the weekend with $14M in presales from Angel Studios subscribers and fans.
‘David’
Angel /Courtesy Everett Collection
Paramount’s SpongeBob Movie: The Search for Squarepants at 3,557 theaters is soaking up $5.6M today and $16M-$18M for the weekend. No RT audience score yet.
Fifth currently belongs to Disney’s fourth weekend of Zootopia 2 at 3,540 sites with $4.6M today and around $16M, off 38% on the high end, with a running total by Sunday of $284.3M. Lots of playtime left in the holiday season for the sequel despite the onslaught of more kid product in David and SpongeBob.
FRIDAY AM UPDATE: Avatar: Fire and Ash came in where we saw it: at $12M in previews Thursday night. Audience score is very good with a 91% on Rotten Tomatoes. Global so far is $72M — that includes $17M out of China on Day 1 and $43M abroad.
The Na’vi are still adored in the Middle Kingdom, and that opening day in China would rep the third-highest for a MPA title behind Zootopia 2 and Fast X. Early social scores are very good with Maoyan at 9.4 (Avatar was 9.4 and Avatar: The Way of Water 9.0) and TPP at 9.5 (Avatar 9.3, Way of Water 9.2). Know that with Avatar, wherever it lands domestic this weekend, it’s always about the overindexing abroad.
Lionsgate and Hidden Pictures’ The Housemaid came in with $2.2M. No RT audience score yet. Previews are ahead of Columbia Pictures’ Sydney Sweeney-Glen Powell pre-Christmas 2023 romantic comedy Anyone but You, which did $1.2M at 2,723 locations that began at 2 p.m. Thursday, posted a three-day of $6M and did a near 15x multiple for a final domestic of $88.3M.
Paramount’s The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants collected $1.4M at the domestic box office from paid previews across about 2,800 locations. That includes the Wednesday night 3D fan screenings. No RT audience score yet, but as we told you, the movie is getting the best reviews ever for the big-screen franchise.
Angel Studios isn’t reporting previews for its animated feature David, but industry estimates were at $1.8M. There is an 18-24 moviegoing audience out there today with 75% of colleges off today, that figure mushrooming to 91% on Monday. They have a 98% audience score.
Week’s top 5:
Zootopia 2 (Dis) 3,835 theaters, Thu $2M (-13% from Wed), Wk $35.6M (-35%), Total $268.2M/Wk 3
Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 (Uni) 3,579 theaters, Thu $1.2M (-16%), Wk $25.7M (-66%), Total $101.6M/Wk 2
Wicked: For Good (Uni) 3,480 theaters, Thu $821K (-20%), Wk $12.6M (-46%), Total $316.2M/Wk 4
Dhurandhar (LG) 377 theaters, Thu $381K (-33%), Wk $5.7M (+187%), Total $10.1M/Wk 2
Now You See Me: Now You Don’t (LG) 2,411 theaters, Thu $147K (-51%), Wk $3.5M (-31%), Total $60.4M/Wk 5
RELATED: ‘Avatar: The Way Of Water’ Trailer: Return To Pandora With A Mighty Heartbeat
RELATED: The All-Time Longest Films: A Photo Gallery of The Top 50
‘The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants’
Paramount Animation/Nickelodeon Movies
PREVIOUS EXCLUSIVE, Thursday PM: 20th Century Studios’ Avatar: Fire and Ash lit the wick on its weekend with an estimated $12 million in previews from showtimes that began at 2PM today.
While that’s $5M lighter than the previews for 2022’s Avatar: The Way of Water, which made $17M on its way to a $53.2M Friday and $134.1M 3-day, keep in mind that we’re closer to Christmas, hence audiences are bound to come out for this 3 hour and 17 minute James Cameron threequel once they’re past distractions. Also, when it comes to assessing the outcome of any Avatar movie, hold your breath until late January. Tracking had the Cameron-Rick Jaffa-Amanda Silver penned pic between $90M-$105M stateside for the weekend. Story by on the threequel comes from Cameron, Jaffa, Silver, Josh Friedman & Shane Salerno.
The $12M in previews figure is on par with such follow-ups as Warner Bros’ Dune: Part Two (3PM Thursday start) which post-Covid did $32.2M in its full Friday/previews on its way to an $82.5M 3-day (that movie sequel was 2 hours and 46 minutes). It’s also right on the money with Disney/Marvel Studios’ Thursday nights previews of Captain America: Brave New World (2PM start, first Friday/previews of $40.9M, 3-day of $88.8M). Keep in mind though that Marvel movies carry a lot of FOMO, hence the rush out, while Avatar movies for audiences are about finding the right showtimes and seats.
Rotten Tomatoes critics score for Fire and Ash stands at 69% fresh versus the 2009 original’s 81% certified fresh and Way of Water‘s 76% certified fresh.
Amanda Seyfried as Nina Winchester and Sydney Sweeney as Millie Calloway in The Housemaid. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Lionsgate
Meanwhile, Lionsgate’s Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried R-rated thriller The Housemaid is lookin’ good with previews between $2.25M-$2.3M. Industry forecasts were at $20M+, while Lionsgate is content with a number in the teens; it’s all about the long game over the holiday season for the Paul Feig directed feature take of the Freida McFadden novel (the first in a trilogy). Reviews are great for this thriller at 77% certified fresh. Previews began at 2PM and they’re just under that of Hustlers (pre Covid with $2.5M, a $13M Friday, and $33.1M opening; as well as Don’t Worry Darling ($3.1M previews, $9.4M Friday, $19.3M opening) and right around where the PG-13 Where the Crawdads Sing were on their first Thursday night ($2.3M previews, $7.2M Friday, 3-day of $17.2M).
Thursday nights aren’t a time for families to head to previews. However, while 8% K-12 are off tomorrow, Friday, that figure jumps to 81% by Monday, per ComScore. Angel Studios’ animated feature David which began showtimes at 12noon, is around $1.8M. Many believe the faith-based family film will rank No. 2 this weekend with $20M-$25M. Presales yesterday totaled $14M. Critics are at 63% fresh, but audiences on RT are at 97%.
Paramount’s SpongeBob Movie: The Search for Squarepants is at $1.3M previews. That’s what DreamWorks Animation’s Boss Baby 2: Family Business did, resulting in a 3-day of $16M (that pic had a Peacock theatrical day-and-date back in July 2021). Opening outlook for the fourth SpongeBob movie is teens to $20M. Reviews at 85% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes are the highest ever in the history of the franchise on the big screen.
Respective studio sources didn’t respond for request for comment on tonight’s figures.