Universal and Monkeypaw’s football horror movie Him did $2M from previews that began at 2PM yesterday. That number is just above Lionsgate’s preview take on Stephen King’s The Long Walk ($1.3M) a week ago and Blumhouse’s Speak No Evil ($1.3M) a year ago. Him, which stars Marlon Wayans, Julia Fox and Tyriq Withers, is expected to open in the mid teens. The Long Walk opened to $11.7M, while Speak No Evil did $11.4M in its first weekend.
Critics aren’t sticking around in the stands for Him at 30% on Rotten Tomatoes, and last night’s audience wasn’t impressed at 59%. Yikes. We’ll see where this goes. Him was made for a net $27M before
Sony/Crunchyroll’s Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle is expected to stand tall in its second weekend with a take between $14M-$21M. The movie will share Imax with Him, but hold onto PLFs. Pic’s first week ends at $87.4M after a $2.6M Thursday, -26%. It’s already the highest grossing anime movie of all-time at the domestic box office, having surpassed 1999’s Pokemon from Warner Bros ($85.7M). Next, Demon Slayer will conquer securing $100M stateside, again, a first for anime movie in U.S./Canada.
Columbia Pictures’ Colin Farrell and Margot Robbie romance, A Big Bold Beautiful Journey, is not huge in its previews with $400K from Thursday early shows that began at 4 p.m. from 2737 locations. Critics had no patience for this one at 40% on Rotten Tomatoes. No audience score. Sony sees the opening at $10M, others see it much lower.
Top five for the week:
1.) Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle (Sony) 3,315 theaters, Thur $2.6M (-29% from Wed), Week $87.4M/Wk 1
2.) Conjuring: Last Rites (NL) 3,802 theaters, Thurs $1.56M (-8%), Week $33.2M (-68%), Total $138.2M/Wk 2
3.) Downton Abbey: Grand Finale (Foc) 3,694 theaters, Thurs $1.38M (-16%), Week $25.3M/Wk 1
4.) Long Walk (LG) 2,845 theaters, Thurs $890K (-17%), Week $16.4M, Wk 1
5.) Toy Story 30th anniversary reissue (Dis) 2,375 theaters, Thurs $174K (-33%), Wk $4.4M, Lifetime cume $227.6M/Wk 1