As the coronavirus COVID-19 spreads in the U.S., Hollywood and exhibitors worry about its effect at the box office. With large events being cancelled across the country, movie theaters could face closure similar to impacted countries like China, South Korea and Italy. Disney presses Onward [ONWRD] this weekend with a new Pixar story. Chris Pratt and Tom Holland lead the voice cast on a PG-rated adventure set in a modern fantasy world. The last original Pixar film Coco debuted to $50.8 million over Thanksgiving weekend. While reviews aren’t as stellar as Coco, they are still excellent enough to draw Pixar fans. Playing in 4310 theaters, Onward could collect around $46 million.
The breakout horror hit The Invisible Man may be able to hold above 45% of its debut for a second weekend at $13 million.
With competition for the family audience, Sonic the Hedgehog [SONIC] will likely rung up $8 million during its fourth turn.
Ben Affleck toplines the basketball drama The Way Back [HASBN]. Warner Bros. is counting on moviegoers’ curiosity about watching the star’s battle with alcoholism on screen. The Way Back could down $7.5 million from 2718 locations.
Focus Features expands Emma [EMMA] wide to 1565 theaters after taking in $1.5 million during two weeks of limited release. The latest adaptation of the Jane Austen novel has earned excellent reviews. Word of mouth should be strong enough to carry Emma to $3.5 million.
That’s the whisper on the virtual trading floor.
Tag(s): ONWRD, SONIC, HASBN, EMMA