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It’s Johnny Knoxville and Tom Holland to the rescue, at least for low-income theaters this month. Knoxville and his upbeat band of pranksters “Jackass Forever” (Paramount) opened Thursday night with $1. 65 million, while Roland Emmerich’s latest crisis film, “Moonfall,” originally grossed $700,000. Storms in the central part of the country closed some theaters and otherwise tarnished both figures.
February’s domestic box office can’t be much worse than January’s: the $390 million in total is just 44% from the same month two years ago, a time before the pandemic began to spread around the world, closing many theaters in its wake. Normally, February brings about 75-80% of January. This year be better.
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Last month got off to a smart start with “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” which loaded $164 million into its box office after its December release. This figure represented 43% of the total box office for all films. Most likely, the Sony-produced Marvel movie will only load between an additional $30 million and $40 million this month. The rest of the leftovers, adding “Scream,” would possibly not do much more.
To reach a satisfactory total, 8 new wide studio releases will need to be stepped up, with at least two of them, “Jackass Forever” and “Uncharted” (Sony/February 18), seemingly poised to make real money. A key reason for this month’s fear is also an opportunity: there’s an unusually low franchise/suite ratio among February’s new releases.
If the effects of the box in the workplace are greater than expected, it would imply symptoms that the public is reacting to two elements that are missing in many recent versions. The first: originality in films that are not franchises; the second: comedies, which have not been seen in recent months at the box office. If the premieres of the month go pretty well, it may just spice up the long duration of the show, equivalent to what “No Way Home” is. it has achieved, even if its combined functionality is far inferior to that of the giant superhero.
“Jackass Forever” is the fourth film in the comic stunt franchise and the first in 12 years. Younger enthusiasts of the original 2002 film will now have children old enough to watch the R-rated film. A main query “Jackass” will help to clarify: whether the tastes of comedy, transient, can be maintained. Perhaps the gap between the videos will make this new entry, which also includes a variety of new stars, fresher. Pre-opening estimates are estimated at $15 million to $20 million on opening weekend, though if word of mouth sounds like Twitter’s response, the film may also go higher.
Sony and its “Spider-Man” star Holland return to multiplexes with “Uncharted,” released Feb. 18. twice as many in the following months. The Ruben Fleischer-directed adventure now premieres on President’s Day weekend (February 11 in the UK/Ireland).
Like many well-known actors with a popular character, Holland can’t automatically move his so-called “Spider-Man” to another franchise. Leonardo DiCaprio controlled to push “The Man in the Iron Mask” to the equivalent of a $34 million opening in 1998. , narrowly failing to beat his “Titanic” in its 13th week as the No. 1. “Mask” was an old action film, with less apparent appeal than “Uncharted”, which has an integrated fan base of veteran players.
It’s expected to be the biggest opening of the month, with an imagined $20 million weekend with superior potential. With “Jackass Forever,” those are the only titles hopeful (for now) for this kind of opening shot. Compare that to the start of 2020, just before the COVID hit: The first two months of 2020 saw seven films released with more than $20 million in their first weekend, 4 with more than $30 million, two with more than $50 million.
In addition to lowering expectations of new titles, fewer have been released. In 2020, 22 wide outlets were opened in the first two months of the year. This year’s total, the same era will be only 13. The small number of new releases is a challenge that does not pass and continues to plague movie theaters.
“Moonfall,” Emmerich-verse’s most recent release (still of its existential threats to humanity’s efforts) worth approximately $150 million, is one of the most beloved independent films ever made. Lionsgate’s spending percentage is much lower, but unless there is a last-minute resurgence of interest after Twitter for initial projections (mainly about its exaggerated character and celebrating the stupid human behavior of other “Jackass”), it is not expected to open more than $10 million.
Next weekend, 3 videos opposed to the Super Bowl will be released, adding two aimed at a larger audience. Since February 11 is the Friday closest to Valentine’s Day, the romantic comedy “Marry Me” (Universal, also bets on Peacock) is offered. The film stars Jennifer Lopez, Owen Wilson and Colombian singer Maluma. Also debuting is the long-awaited “Death on the Nile” (Disney), a victim of COVID and involved in cast member Armie Hammer’s private scandals. On cinemas. Directed through Kenneth Branagh, it was made before his next nomination “Belfast”, which nominated for an Oscar. Both movies are expected to open somewhere in the $15 million range.
The lack of other recent inventory titles likely led Briarcliffe to release its “Blacklight” the same weekend. The mystery of Liam Neeson (the first, more or less, there is still more to come) in front of all the newcomers is directed towards a minor result. “Dog” (United Artists) stars Channing Tatum and a German Shepherd in a comedy about being on time for a funeral. It will premiere on February 18 and will most likely raise less than $10 million.
The Foo Fighters star in “Studio 666” (Open Road) the following week, betting as a band recording an album in a haunted mansion. Expectations are pretty low, but weird concepts can fit in, especially with the extra price of the big names.
Courtesy of the Everett Collection
Elsewhere, the world drama specializing in difficulty will have the opportunity to show that it is recovering. Neon premieres the acclaimed Oscar-nominated “The World Person in the World” today, with its limited release stretching throughout the month. The Norwegian drama, a prospective nominee for Best International Film, has a slightly younger dating story than many specialized titles, while also reaching what would normally be several highlights for this audience.
Joe Wright’s “Cyrano” (United Artists) nevertheless opens on February 25 in a national version, but not entirely broad. The Oscar nominations, announced Tuesday, are also expected to bolster efforts to maximize or bring back the most sensible nominees. at the ticket office. Sure enough, there is room for them.
The overall estimates for this month are at best wrong: $300 million turns out to be the lower limit, with $400 million (even more than in January, if two or 3 videos work well) still possible. February 2020 brought in $638 million, meaning that at best, this month it will only absorb 60% of that total. There’s some smart news, though: Fall turns out to be less than January, and March will see the premiere of the highly anticipated “The Batman” (Warner Bros. ). It seems that the cavalry is coming.
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