Even Universal underestimated the box office draw of Furious 7 [FAST7] as the weekend actuals came in at $147.2 million, nearly $4 million more than their estimate on Sunday. Fans no doubt frontloaded opening weekend to pay their respect to the late Paul Walker. Will they return for a second viewing to experience the same emotions again? Fast and Furious and Fast 5 both opened in April and declined 62% in their second weekend. Fast & Furious 6 debuted on Memorial Day Weekend, so its sophomore drop would not be comparable. Furious 7 may hold just a tad better, but even a 60% downshift would still rev up $59 million.
Home [SMEKD] suffered a steeper than normal decline for an animated film as parents, especially Latinos, checked out Furious 7. They should be free again to take their kids to a family movie. Home should settle down with $17 million.
Fox targets women with the weekend’s only new wide release The Longest Ride [LNGST]. The PG-13 rated romance stars Scott Eastwood [SEAST] and Britt Robertson [BROBE] in the latest adaptation of a Nicholas Sparks novel. Relativity released the two previous adaptations: The Best of Me debuted with $10 million last October while Safe Haven opened with $21.4 million during Valentine’s Day weekend 2013. The Longest Ride lacks the starpower of prior films that crossed $20 million. Saddling up in 3365 theaters, The Longest Ride could buckle in $14 million.
After grossing $2.2 million in a week of limited release, Woman in Gold [WMNGO] expands wide to 1503 theaters. Based on a true story, Helen Mirren [HMIRR] plays a woman fighting Austria to reclaim her family’s Gustav Klimt painting that was looted by the Nazis during World War II. The Weinstein Co. knows how to market this type of film to its target demographic of older adults. Woman in Gold could uncover $5.0 million.
The first film released by Bleeker Street, Danny Collins [IMGIN] also expands over 710 theaters after 3 weeks of limited release. Al Pacino [APACI] stars as an aging rockstar who decides to change his life and reconnect with his son. Danny Collins could collect $2.0 million.
That’s the whisper from the virtual trading floor.
Tag(s): FAST7, SMEKD, LNGST, SEAST, BROBE, WMNGO, HMIRR, IMGIN, APACI
