Weekend Box Office Report
On the Way Out
There are no winners this week, just survivors. "Onward" wins the lowest box office weekend in over 20 years, but we probably just saw our highest box office weekend until May potentially. "Onward" fell 73% this weekend to gross $10,601,952, a number that was the norm among holdovers as grosses tumbled more and more throughout the weekend as a result of sweeping lifestyle changes thanks to the new "social distancing" norms all of us across the world are adjusting to.
While most movies out now made the majority of their bones or were specialty/dumps anyway, one does have to ask what Disney will do with "Onward" now. Do we get a theatrical relaunch later in the year? Does Disney just write off the loss and throw "Onward" straight on Disney+? Who knows! We're in unprecedented days, and Disney's plans with "Onward" are likely the least of your concerns, but hey, I gotta speculate about something here.
Unbelievers
The last time the world experienced a pandemic of this proportion, movies were still in the silent era. Personally, I struggled to find weekend actuals for "A Trip to the Moon," so this week was the ultimate "pick your narrative" type of weekend. 269 FMLers settled on "I Still Believe" as the top movie, presumably as a proxy gathering for churches that were closing services that weekend. Playing a new release proved to be a solid strategy, as those new movies seemed to be the only movies with a semblance of audience demand this weekend. In fact, new releases did finish 1-2 in Best Performer Race. Sadly for Most Played Cineplex players, "I Still Believe" ended up second of the two.
First Blood
So who is indeed the Ruler in the Land of Pandemics? The head of "the family" himself, Vin Diesel. For whatever reason, "Bloodshot" proved to be the only movie immune to the market downturn, finishing at least reasonably close to its estimates at $9,171,099, which translates to $45,627/Bux - shockingly, this is not an FML all-time low, as "Hidden Figures" over Super Bowl 2018 weekend holds that distinction. "Bloodshot" ended up anchoring a tricky Perfect Cineplex that relied on the one positive this weekend - Friday the 13th, a usual pseudo-holiday for horror fare. Just 21 FMLers ended up with the PC of "Bloodshot" x4/"The Invisible Man"/"Fantasy Island" x3, which grossed $56,233,581 after including $13M in bonuses.
A Very Quiet Place
This weekend was supposed to see the release of "A Quiet Place Part II." The only thing quiet these days is the Cineplex, and in turn, Fantasy Movie League. With the supply line dwindling and fewer theaters open by the hour, it appears that not enough grosses will be out there for a viable game for the foreseeable future. Given the new normal of social distancing, this is a good thing! And we'll be back with a bevy of new releases. So, until then, stay safe and we'll see you soon!
