With around 100 million people in the U.S. under wind-chill alerts, nearly two million without power, and even the NHL postponing games – the Christmas box-office is looking to be in a bit of a freeze.
The total weekend box office over three days for all titles is estimated to come in at an estimated $85.5 million this weekend – down 41% from last year when “Spider-Man: No Way Home” had its second weekend and down 53% from 2016, which was the last time Christmas Day hit on a Sunday.
“Avatar: The Way of Water” pulled in $19.5 million on Friday, down 63% and headed for a three-day total of $55-82 million. Analysts predict it’s going to have a 59% drop for the weekend, akin to “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” back in 2016.
“Puss In Boots: The Last Wish” landed $3.8 million on Friday for a three-day looking to sit at around $11.1 million. Having opened on Wednesday, the film is headed for $24.3 million by the end of Boxing Day (December 26th).
Working very well in its favor is that the movie has not only landed rave critical reviews but also pulled in an A CinemaScore from audiences. Internationally the film’s openings are said to be comparable to “Sing 2” last year.
The Whitney Houston biopic “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” snagged $2 million on Friday and is headed for a $5.3-5.5 million for the three days. It also scored an A CinemaScore even as critical reviews weren’t so enthusiastic.
Not faring well was Damien Chazelle’s “Babylon”. The 188-minute period ode to early Hollywood excess snagged just $1.47 million on Friday and is headed for a $3.3 million opening weekend. Reviews have been decidedly mixed, and the CinemaScore was a woeful C+ which isn’t surprising given the extreme content.
The Brendan Fraser-led “The Whale” also cracked the top ten with a three-day total of around $933,000. Whilst critics were soft on the film, audiences have been far more praising of the work.
Source: Deadline
