October 17-19 Box Office Predictions

Horror sequel Black Phone 2 should easily receive the most multiplex views this weekend as Aziz Ansari’s directorial debut Good Fortune with Seth Rogen and Keanu Reeves hopes to earn its title. We also have the expansion of Luca Guadagnino’s After the Hunt starring Julia Roberts. My detailed prediction posts on the trio can be accessed here:

My projection for Phone gives it a couple million more than the 2022 original and grabbing a gross in the mid 20s range. I will note that it has the potential to over perform given that the genre often does. Hopefully something can wake up this sleepy October box office.

The runner-up position could certainly be held by Good Fortune if it manages $10 million plus. However, I’m going under that figure and putting it in third.

As for Hunt, it is slated for around 1200 venues and a lower to mid single digits figure might leave it just outside the top five.

Tron: Ares got off to an unimpressive start (more on that below) and I suspect a sophomore weekend plummet around 70% could be in store. Holdovers One Battle After Another and Roofman may round out the high 5 and here’s how I see it playing out:

1. Black Phone 2

Predicted Gross: $25.5 million

2. Tron: Ares

Predicted Gross: $10.2 million

3. Good Fortune

Predicted Gross: $7.3 million

4. One Battle After Another

Predicted Gross: $4.9 million

5. Roofman

Predicted Gross: $4.6 million

6. After the Hunt

Predicted Gross: $3.5 million

Box Office Results (October 10-12)

Disney had no trouble getting Tron: Ares to first place, but the Mouse House hardly has bragging rights. The third flick in the franchise that began in 1982 stumbled with $33.2 million compared to my $42.6 million call. That’s a hugely disappointing result considering the reported $180 million budget. Ares fell $10 million under the $43 million that predecessor Tron: Legacy managed 15 years ago and that’s not even adjusted for inflation.

Roofman with Channing Tatum was runner-up with $8.1 million as the dramedy opened in line with general expectations and over my $5.8 million projection. It is still an underwhelming number though it’ll hope to leg out respectably during the month.

One Battle After Another was third with $6.8 million, in line with my $6.4 million prediction. The Oscar hopeful has taken in $54 million after three weeks.

Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie was fourth and I incorrectly had it outside the top five. The $3.4 million gross gave it $26 million in three weeks of play.

The Conjuring: Last Rites rounded out the top five at $3.1 million. My guesstimate? $3.1 million! The horror sequel has amassed $172 million in five weeks.

I didn’t do an official prediction for the inspirational biographical drama Soul on Fire. I did speculate it could make around $3 million. It took in $2.8 million for sixth.

The Smashing Machine had a free fall in 8th with $1.7 million. This represents a 69% tumble for the former awards hopeful. I was more generous at $2.6 million and its ten-day tally is a mere $9 million.

Finally, Kiss of the Spider Woman with Jennifer Lopez premiered in lowly 12th place. The $891k figure is well under my $2.2 million take. Like Machine, the bad earnings don’t bode well for any Oscar attention.

And that does it for now, folks! Until next time…

October 10-12 Box Office Predictions

Blogger’s Update (10/08): The announced theater count of just 1300 venues has me changing my prediction from $5.2 million to $2.2 million. That puts it outside of the of the top 5.

With Taylor Swift sashaying out of multiplexes after a dominant weekend, Tron: Ares looks to take over the charts. We also have Channing Tatum in the crime dramedy Roofman and Jennifer Lopez headlining Kiss of the Spider Woman. My detailed prediction posts on the trio can be accessed here:

With scant competition, Tron should have no trouble placing first. That said, I have the sci-fi threequel earning less out of the gate than what greeted Tron: Legacy nearly 15 years ago.

I have both Roofman and Spider Woman in the mid single digits and both could fall behind the third frame of One Battle After Another if it dips in the low to mid 40s. **I’ll also note the release of Soul on Fire starring William H. Macy. It could manage to do $3 million or so and sneak into the top 5, but I’m uncertain on the theater count. I may add it into the lineup later this week so keep an eye out.

The Conjuring: Last Rites could hold the five spot since I believe its decline will be far less than The Smashing Machine‘s sophomore outing. The latter bombed over the weekend (more on that below) and its B- Cinemascore doesn’t bode well for the road ahead.

Here’s how I see the top 5 shaking out:

1. Tron: Ares

Predicted Gross: $42.6 million

2. One Battle After Another

Predicted Gross: $6.4 million

3. Roofman

Predicted Gross: $5.8 million

4. The Conjuring: Last Rites

Predicted Gross: $3.1 million

5. The Smashing Machine

Predicted Gross: $2.6 million

Box Office Results (October 3-5)

To coincide with the release of her already record-breaking 12th album, Taylor Swift: The Official Release Party of a Showgirl played for a three-day engagement and was #1 as expected. The $34 million take was in line with many expectations, but I thought Ms. Swift might surpass them with a $48.6 million projection. Any way you cut it, it’s a fine result while not approaching the $93 million that her Eras Tour theatrical experience garnered.

In fact, pretty much everything fell below my forecasts this weekend. One Battle After Another slid to second with a troubling 50% decline to $11 million. I was more generous at $14.5 million as I thought the A Cinemascore would help out more than it did. The two-week take is $42 million.

Dwayne Johnson suffered his weakest ever wide release opening as The Smashing Machine crumbled in third with $6 million. I guesstimated more than twice that number at $13.7 million. A poor start like that should evaporate any awards buzz and look for it to fade quickly.

Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie nosedived 61% in fourth with $5.3 million compared to my glass half full $7.9 million prediction. Its ten-day tally is a meager $21 million.

The Conjuring: Last Rites rounded out the top five with $4.1 million and I incorrectly had it on the outside looking in. The five-week total is $167 million.

Two other new(ish) titles struggled. The re-release of Avatar: The Way of Water was seventh with $3.2 million. I went with $4.4 million. Nevertheless the few extra bucks brought its gross to $687 million as Avatar: Fire and Ash is primed for December.

Canine horror pic Good Boy was ninth with $2.3 million, falling a bit under my $2.8 million projection.

And that does it for now, folks! Until next time…