Universal takes advantage of Friday the 13th this weekend by releasing the horror film Happy Death Day [HTDTH] produced by Blumhouse. Jessica Rothe [JROTH] stars as a sorority girl who relives her murder on her birthday over and over again. Trailers for the PG-13 rated film have generated high viewcounts, indicating strong interest from young millennials. Happy Death Day could blow out $21 million from 3149 theaters.
Despite good buzz from sci-fi fans, Blade Runner 2049 [BLAD2] didn’t crossover to more mainstream moviegoers. The sequel is likely to tumble about 55% in its second weekend to $14.5 million.
STX targets action fans with the R-rated The Foreigner [FRGNR] starring Jackie Chan [JCHAN] and Pierce Brosnan [PBROS]. The aging stars will only appeal to older men. Arriving in 2515 theaters, The Foreigner could walk away with $9 million.
With an older female target audience, The Mountain Between Us [TMBUS] will likely hold 60% of its debut for a second session around $6 million. As a family film, My Little Pony [MLPNY] should also hold 60% in its second weekend at $5.5 million.
Chadwick Boseman [CBOSE] plays another historical African-American in Marshall [MARSH], about a racially-tinged case early in the career of the Supreme Court Justice. Open Road is trying the PG-13 rated courtroom drama in just 821 theaters, which will limited Marshall to around $5 million.
Luke Evans [LUEVA] plays the creator of Wonder Woman in Professor Marston & the Wonder Women [PWTWW]. Annapurna is hoping to ride the coattail success of Wonder Woman, where the first teaser premiered. However, the R-rated drama will likely only interest the arthouse crowd. Professor Marston & the Wonder Women may lasso $3 million from 1229 theaters.
That’s the whisper on the virtual trading floor.
Tag(s): HTDTH, JROTH, BLAD2, FRGNR, JCHAN, PBROS, TMBUS, MLPNY, CBOSE, MARSH, LUEVA