Weekend Estimates: 'Batman v Superman' Blows Up March Opening Record, 'Zootopia' Settles for Second While 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2' Plays Solidly

     History was made today, mainly because of the very impressive performance of DC's superhero tentpole 'Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice', which delivered one of the biggest opening weekends of all time. Also opening with respectable numbers was 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2', which managed to become solid counter-programming after a massive 14-year gap between installments.

     DC's $250-million superhero team-up film 'Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice' opened with a massive $166 million, which ranks sixth all time, and a $39.1k per-theater average, which ranks seventh all time for wide opening weekends. This marks a successful follow-up to the 2013 hit 'Man of Steel' ($291m), grossing well over half of that film's total in just one weekend. The huge opening is also the biggest for a Batman film, a Superman film, a DC film, a March/spring film, and a film that opened on Easter. Among all superhero films, 'Dawn of Justice' debuted ahead of 'The Dark Knight Rises' ($160.9m), 'The Dark Knight' ($158.4m), and 'Spider-Man 3' ($151.1m) and below 'Iron Man 3' ($174.1m), 'Avengers: Age of Ultron' ($191.3m), and 'Marvel's The Avengers' ($207.4m). It barely missed 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2' ($169.2m) for the title of the biggest WB opener of all time, but it did take down 'The Hunger Games' ($152.5m) and 'Furious 7' ($147.2m) for the biggest March/spring and Easter opening of all time. Despite being a critical dud and the lukewarm reception of 'Man of Steel', audiences were still excited to see Bats and Supes duke it out with Wonder Woman joining the line-up for the first time in cinema. However, even then audiences weren't exactly raving about it. So far, it overtook 'Deadpool' for the biggest 2016 opening, but that position will be in jeopardy once 'Captain America: Civil War' arrives in theaters on May 6.

     On Friday, 'Dawn of Justice' earned a humongous $81.6 million (including an impressive $27.7m from Thursday), declined a sizable 37.9% on Saturday to make $50.7 million, and fell 33.3% on Sunday to gross $33.8 million. The weekend-to-Friday ratio is a very concerning 2.03-to-1, which is worse than the 2.18-to-1 ratio of 'Furious 7' (which also opened on Easter) and a little below the 2.08-to-1 ratio of 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' (which opened in December before Christmas to record-breaking numbers). The disappointing ratio can be attributed to the very poor reviews and middling word-of-mouth. The RT score is currently sitting at a sad 29% while the Flixter score is at 72%, which is already below the 76% rating of 'Man of Steel' over nearly three years. Those scores are also noticeably behind 'Avengers 2', which had a 75% critics rating and an 84% Flixter score since opening last May. Unfortunately, those two scores are also WAY behind the ratings of each film in Christopher Nolan's 'The Dark Knight Trilogy', where each film never got below 85% with critics and 85% with audiences. Overall, 'BvS' should prove to be much more front-loaded than any of those films. Still, a $166 million debut is nothing to cry over, and its much bigger total definitely isn't. Though long-term holding power is basically out of the question, $390 million should still be reachable. Overseas, it's doing even better, grossing a stunning $254 million in five days of play. It had successful openings in China ($57.3m), Mexico ($18.6m), Brazil ($12.2m), South Korea ($10.5m), Australia ($10m), Russia ($8.5m), France ($8.4m), Germany ($8.2m), Spain ($6.3m), Italy ($5.8m), and Japan ($4.4m). Worldwide, it has now amassed $420 million, which ranks fourth all-time behind 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' ($529m), 'Jurassic World' ($524.9m), and 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2' ($483.2m). $1 billion is definitely a guarantee, but because of the mixed word-of-mouth and unconvincing reviews it would be surprising if it made much more than $1.5 billion worldwide.
     As always, Disney's $150-million animated dramedy 'Zootopia' held up very well this weekend, dropping just 35.4% and making $24 million. 'Zootopia' crossed the $240 million mark this weekend, and has now totaled an impressive $241.4 million in just four weeks of play. Assuming it continues to hold up strongly (which it most likely will), stellar reviews and word-of-mouth should get it past $310 million total, which is a very good result for a film that opened with $75 million.
     Following the massive success of 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding', which was fueled by solid word-of-mouth and surprised everyone by making a HUGE $241.4 million all the way back in 2002, the sequel that came out 14 years later ultimately managed to attract most of that film's audience, grossing a solid $17.9 million for a $5.7k average. That's a fairly respectable result, and opened on the high end of expectations which typically ranged anywhere from $14m-$20m. Luckily, not everyone wanted to see the much-anticipated arrival of two of America's most iconic heroes and the ones who chose to sit out opted to go see this instead. While there's a 0% chance that it matches the impressive total of its predecessor or the remarkable legs it displayed, the $18-million romantic comedy should still hold up pretty well against discouraging reviews (24%). Word-of-mouth is mostly working in its favor ('A-', which is actually better than the 'B' the weekend's other new wide release got), so it has that going for it.

     'Wedding' opened with $7.3 million on Friday (including Thursday's $1m), decreased 12% on Saturday to make $6.4 million, and fell 36.5% on Sunday to make $4.1 million. The ratio here is 2.45-to-1, which is actually a pretty good outcome given that Easter releases tend to be really front-loaded on Easter weekend. It's impossible that it will snag the 80.5x multiplier the original managed, but anything 3.5x and above would be likely. That would mean that we should expect a total of $60 million or more, which would be pretty solid given its low budget and the amount of competition.

     With close numbers for the weekend, 'Miracles from Heaven' and 'The Divergent Series: Allegiant' $9.7 million and $9.4 million. 'Heaven' declined a light 35.4% from last weekend, and boosted its total to $34.3 million. Meanwhile, 'Allegiant' plummeted a troubling 67.5% from its opening, and has so far collected just $46.5 million. The former cost just $13 million to produce, while the latter was made for $110 million (subsequently leading to budget cuts for the next installment, 'Ascendant'). It's clear which one is the stronger performer, as 'Miracles' will try to make it past $65 million while 'Allegiant' will have to settle for around a disappointing $70 million, which puts an unprecedented amount of pressure on the next entry in the YA series.
     '10 Cloverfield Lane' held up decently against the tough competition, dropping 52.5% and grossing $5.9 million. The $15-million sci-fi thriller has so far made a solid $56 million in three weeks, and a total of over/under $70 million is very likely at this point.
     Two R-rated actioners occupied seventh and eight place. The one that came out on top was 'Deadpool', which held up surprisingly well against a different, more kid-friendly superhero mash-up opening this weekend. The $58-million superhero movie grossed $4.9 million, down a solid 38.9%. With a very strong $349.4 million, 'Deadpool' will have to relinquish its position as 2016's biggest hit to 'Batman v Superman', but come on. A total of around $365 million for a superhero film that was originally supposed to appeal mainly to fans is about as impressive as a $400 million finish for one of the most high-profile films in the century, right? Meanwhile, 'London Has Fallen' is operating on a much smaller scale, but is still putting up solid numbers on its own. The $60-million action movie fell a sizable 55.8% from last weekend, grossing $3 million. So far, 'London' has grossed $55.7 million, and $70 million should still be in reach.
     Roadside's Sally Field starrer 'Hello, My Name is Doris' expanded successfully this weekend, adding 357 theaters this weekend for a grand total of 485 locations. It grossed $1.7 million, up a strong 67.2% from last weekend. In three weeks, the R-rated comedy has now grossed $3.2 million. It should expand further in the coming weeks given that reviews and word-of-mouth is overwhelmingly positive.
     'Risen' held up very nicely, benefiting from the Easter weekend and grossing $935k, down just 18.3%. The $20-million faith-based drama has now earned a solid $36 million in six weeks, and $40 million could still be a lock.
     Closely following in twelfth place was the critically acclaimed drama 'Eye in the Sky', which also expanded solidly, grossing $932.4k for a 120.6% increase over last weekend's frame. 88 locations were added this weekend for a total of 123 theaters showing the film. So far, 'Eye' has made $1.7 million in three weeks and, like 'Doris', should expand in the following weeks.
     The $35-million war comedy 'Whiskey Tango Foxtrot' rounded out the Top 12, making $900.1k and falling a steep 67.9% (most likely due to its loss of 1,232 theaters this weekend). So far, 'Foxtrot' has brought in an underwhelming $21.3 million and should ultimately inch past $25 million total.
     The Top 12 this weekend brought in a historic $245.3 million, which was up 107.8% from last weekend and 72.4% from last year, when 'Home' and 'Get Hard' debuted strongly along with holdovers 'The Divergent Series: Insurgent' and 'Cinderella'.
     Next weekend, 'Batman v Superman' should repeat in first place as competition should do nothing to unseat it, although next weekend will test how well it will hold up in the face of polarizing reviews and word-of-mouth. Meanwhile, 'God's Not Dead 2' will attempt to reach the same audience that showed up to 2014's sleeper hit, which made over $60 million domestic after opening to just under $10 million. 'Meet the Blacks' opens nationwide as well, but given the fact that parodies haven't been doing so well recently (take 'Scary Movie V' and 'Fifty Shades of Black' for example), it should barely make a blip on the radar.
    

Weekend Estimates: 'Zootopia' Three-Peats Ahead of Box Office 'Miracles' While 'Allegiant' Falls

     For the third straight weekend in a row, Disney's big-budget animated comedy-drama 'Zootopia' experienced another strong hold ahead of the weekend's three new wide releases, a low-budget faith-based drama that will hope to build up upon strong word-of-mouth, an under-the-radar R-rated comedy, and a big-budget YA sequel that absolutely failed to reach the heights of its predecessors.
     Repeating in first place once again, Disney's fantastic 'Zootopia' still captured audiences attention, easing a light 25.9% from its already strong second weekend performance and raking in $38 million. That ranks as the eight biggest third weekend for any film ever, and the biggest third weekend take for an animated film just barely above 'Shrek 2' ($37.9m). Overall, it's just behind 'Avengers: Age of Ultron' and its third weekend of $38.9 million, so once actuals come in it could move into seventh place on the chart. Today, it passed 'Tangled' to become the third highest-grossing film from Walt Disney Animation Studios behind 'Frozen' ($400.7m) and 'Big Hero 6' ($222.5m), and will most likely pass the latter gross next weekend. So far, 'Zootopia' has so far grossed a stellar $201.8 million in just three weeks, and actually has a chance at making over $300 million by the end of its run.
     In a weak and disappointing second, 'The Divergent Series: Allegiant' missed the mark with just $29.1 million for a middling $7.8k per-theater average. That is easily the worst opening in the 'Divergent' movie franchise, which is 46.7% below the $54.6 million debut of 'Divergent' and 44.4% below 'Insurgent''s $52.3 million. 'The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1' only fell 22.9% from 'Catching Fire' and 'Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials' declined a light 6.8% from the first. Those films, however, had stronger marketing, a more reliable fan-base, more appeal, and much better reviews and word-of-mouth/anticipation going into the weekend. After the much weaker reception of the second installment, audiences weren't that eager to rush out to the third one. The teaser trailer for this film received a lackluster 3.5 million views on YouTube while the teaser for 'Insurgent' nabbed 5.4 million. Plus, social media activity was noticeably down, and ultimately all these factors contributed to the weaker-than-expected performance. 'Allegiant' is the second big-budget miss for Lionsgate this year, which not only sets more pressure for next year's 'Ascendant' but also sets up Lionsgate to perform how Warner Bros. performed last year (few hits, mostly flops). For a film that was projected to make $30m-$45m, this is not a good start. Instead, it debuted closer to YA flops 'Ender's Game' ($27m) and 'Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events' ($30.1m).
     On Friday, 'Allegiant' made $11.9 million ($2.4m from Thursday) on Friday, dropped a troubling 10.2% on Saturday for $10.7 million, and fell 39.9% on Sunday to make $6.4 million. That represents a concerning 2.45-to-1, which is lower than the 2.48-to-1 ratio of 'Insurgent' and the 2.75-to-1 ratio of 'Scorch Trials' but better than the 2.39-to-1 ratio of the first 'Divergent'. With a reported budget of around $110 million, which was what 'Insurgent' cost last year, 'Allegiant' will have to make up a lot of ground overseas. With critics panning it (10% on RT) and audiences indecisive about it (50% on Flixter), this is unlikely to hold up as well as recent installments and similar YA films. It's unlikely to make much more than $70 million by the time it closes. However, it's faring a lot better overseas, and added $22 million to its foreign tally of $53.4 million. Globally, the YA sequel has grossed $82.5 million and has a pretty solid chance at $280 million.
     The $13-million Jennifer Garner led faith-based drama 'Miracles from Heaven' didn't quite make as much as 2014's 'Heaven is for Real', but was still a hit nevertheless. After opening modestly on Wednesday, 'Miracles' gained quite a bit of momentum on the weekend and grossed $15 million for a respectable $4.9k average and a five-day total of $18.6 million. That is right in line with expectations ($12m-$20m) and represents a 33.3% decline from 'Heaven is for Real''s $22.5 million opening, but this is a reasonable result as the latter debuted right before Easter, whereas 'Miracles' has the advantage of opening a week earlier. A significantly leggier run than 'Heaven' is expected because of this and stronger word-of-mouth.
     Opening on Wednesday with $1.9 million and declining on 11.6% on Thursday for $1.7 million, 'Miracles' grossed an estimated $4.2 million on Friday, increased a very encouraging 47.3% on Saturday to earn $6.1 million, and fell a light 22.6% on Sunday for $4.7 million. The weekend-to-ratio here is a very solid 3.57-to-1 ratio and the five day to three day weekend ratio is 1.24-to-1, with both figures besting 'Heaven is for Real'. And while reviews aren't that kind or that mean (a middling 54% RT score), word-of-mouth is glowing with an 85% Flixter rating and an 'A+' CinemaScore. With that, it's essentially guaranteed 'Miracles' holds up better than 'Heaven'. It's possible it could snag a weekend multiplier of 5x and end up with around $75 million, but I'm going to be a bit more conservative with a projected $60 million finish.
     '10 Cloverfield Lane' held up fairly well, dropping 49.4% for a $12.5 million sophomore frame. With $45.2 million in two weeks, the $15-million sci-fi thriller is already a big hit and will likely continue the 'Cloverfield' franchise in future years. A total of around $65 million should still be doable at this point. Rounding out the Top 5 was 'Deadpool', which grossed $8 million and dropping a slim 26.9%. The $58-million R-rated superhero film goes up against 'Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice' next weekend, so it makes sense that many audiences wanted to catch this before going out to see that. With an enormous $340.9 million since opening in mid-February, 'Deadpool' should make it past $355 million total, which would make it the second biggest R-rated film ever ahead of 'American Sniper' and behind 'Passion of the Christ'.
     'London Has Fallen' followed closely with $6.9 million, down a solid 36.4% from last weekend. So far, the $60-million action sequel has made $50.1 million and will try to push past $70 million, which would put it behind the $98.9 million total of 'Olympus Has Fallen'. Fellow March 4-opener 'Whiskey Tango Foxtrot' made $2.8 million and declined 39.9%. Despite the strong holds, the $35-million comedy continues to run below expectations and has made just $19.3 million in three weeks. $25 million should be likely.
     Meanwhile, the final new wide release this weekend was 'The Bronze', which downright bombed HARDLY outside the Top 20, making a very paltry $421.4k from 1,167 theaters for just $361 per theater. That is the 14th worst opening for a wide release and the ninth worst per-theater average of all time. Marketing was very minimal for the film, but still it should have at least cracked $3 million. Given the discouraging reviews and word-of-mouth, $1 million would probably be predicting to high.
     On a higher note, 'Midnight Special' debuted in five theaters to a very strong $184k for a $36.8k per-theater average. That is an excellent start for the low-budget sci-fi drama that has been compared to Spielberg's films from the 80's. With strong reviews, it should hold up fairly well in the coming weeks, although word-of-mouth is much less impressive. It is expected to expand on April 1.
     The Top 12 this weekend made an estimated $119.1 million, which was down 2.4% from last weekend and down a slim 1.7% from last year when 'Insurgent' kept the series alive.
     Next weekend should be one that makes history, even if not all records fall. 'Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice', which has a budget of what 'Avengers 2' had, crashes into 4,100+ theaters next week. On IMDb, its 9.5/10 rating is very encouraging, and anticipation is very high (+98%). It should make it past $130 million in a single weekend, and $170 million is even possible. 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2' also arrives in over 3,000 theaters.

Weekend Estimates: 'Zootopia' Gets Crowded Again, '10 Cloverfield Lane' Thrills, People Find 'The Perfect Match', Avoid 'The Young Messiah' and 'Brothers Grimsby'

     It was a busy weekend at the box office this weekend. Repeating in a very strong first place was Disney's 'Zootopia', with strong runner-up '10 Cloverfield Lane' and holdovers 'Deadpool', 'London Has Fallen', and 'Whiskey Tango Foxtrot' rounding out the Top 5. Meanwhile, one of the other new releases, 'The Perfect Match', had a respectable outing in less than 1,000 theaters and the two more high-profile pictures each flopped.

     Dropping just 33.4% from last week's stellar opening, Disney's $150-million animated original 'Zootopia' repeated in first place with $50 million. That's the biggest second weekend take for an animated film in March and the sixth-biggest second weekend gross for any animated film overall, behind only 'Shrek 2' ($72.2m), 'Toy Story 3' ($59.3m), 'Shrek the Third' ($53m), 'Inside Out' ($52.3m), and 'The Incredibles' ($50.3m). 'Zootopia' has so far grossed an awesome $142.6 million, and has the potential to cross $270 million domestic. It's doing outstandingly well overseas too, pulling in $83.1 million (+25%) this weekend for a new total of $288.7 million. Worldwide, the animated hit has made a solid $431.3 million and might be able to make it past $800 million.

     In a strong second place, the $15-million sci-fi thriller '10 Cloverfield Lane' brought in $25.2 million for a robust $7.4k per-theater average. Compared to the original 'Cloverfield' (which had a much stronger marketing campaign, faced less competition, and was found-footage while audiences still cared for that genre), it was way below the $40.1 million opening, although it was never really expected to make it that high. This is undoubtedly an impressive debut, as it opened right in line with expectations ($20m-$35m). Ultimately, the marketing campaign for this one managed to pull it off, including two mysterious teasers that just made anticipation for the film higher. Among similar titles, '10 Cloverfield Lane' opened right on par with last year's 'The Visit', which took in $25.4 million in September. Stronger-than-expected reviews and word-of-mouth (at least on Flixter) undoubtedly helped too.

     Starting out on Friday with $9 million (including $1.8m from Thursday night showings), 'Cloverfield' increased 7.8% on Saturday to gross $9.7 million and declined 33.1% on Sunday to make $6.5 million. The weekend-to-Friday ratio here is a solid 2.8-to-1, which beats 'The Visit' (2.76-to-1) and 'Cloverfield' itself (2.33-to-1). As previously said, reviews (90% on RT) and word-of-mouth (85% on Flixter) are pretty strong. The only concerning thing about this weekend's performance though is the CinemaScore rating, which currently stands at a 'B-', which is at least better than 'Cloverfield' ('C') and on par with 'The Visit' ('B-'). The original petered out at a disappointing 2x opening weekend multiplier, ending its run with $80 million. However, with much better reviews and word-of-mouth '10 Cloverfield Lane' will most likely wind up better than that. Don't be surprised if the film experiences legs similar to 'Visit', which would get it to around $65 million (around what 'Visit' got as well).

     Repeating in third was the $58-million R-rated Ryan Reynolds led superhero action comedy 'Deadpool', which continued to add on to its already massive total with $10.8 million, down a respectable 35.4% from last weekend, its strongest hold yet. With a stunning $328.1 million already, 'Deadpool' should hold up well one more time next weekend before 'Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice' storms into theaters and steals away most superhero fans for the weekend. Even so, a solid total of $345 million still seems likely. Fellow R-rated action film 'London Has Fallen' had a much steeper, but reasonable, drop from last weekend, falling 50.7% for $10.7 million. In comparison, 'Olympus Has Fallen' declined 53.4% in its second weekend when it had to compete against 'G.I. Joe: Retaliation'. With $38.9 million in the bank so far, 'London' should continue to trail behind its predecessor and ultimately make it over $60 million total.
     Rounding out the Top 5, the $35-million Tina Fey led war comedy 'Whiskey Tango Foxtrot' held up well coming off last week's underwhelming debut, bringing in $4.6 million (-38.3%). So far, it has made just $14.6 million, and if it manages to maintain legs over the next couple of weeks, $30 million might be in range.
     'The Perfect Match' was widely expected to be the lowest-grossing newcomer this weekend, but ultimately wound up ahead of two of them. The low-budget romantic comedy made $4.2 million from just 925 locations, which means a $4.5k average. This is a bit below expectations and behind 2014's 'Addicted', which opened to $7.5 million from 846 theaters for a $8.8k average. Still, this is a respectable debut, and even more impressive considering the other two wide releases had significantly higher theater counts.
     'Match' opened with $1.6 million on Friday, increased 10.9% on Saturday to take in $1.7 million, and fell a concerning 50.3% on Sunday to make $860k. The weekend-to-Friday ratio here is a modest 2.63-to-1. A total slightly north of $10 million is likely.
     Following a strong Thursday night gross, 'The Young Messiah' turned out to be pretty front-loaded on Friday and experienced a sharp Saturday drop. The film took in just $3.4 million for a $1.9k per-theater average. Unfortunately, following the decent performance of 'Risen' and the highly-anticipated arrival of next Wednesday's 'Miracles from Heaven', there just wasn't that much the marketing could do to convince faith-based crowds to turn out for this film instead of saving their money for the arguably more anticipated features.

     After opening with $1.4 million on Friday ($455k of which came from Thursday), 'Messiah' decreased a sharp 21.3% on Saturday to gross $1.1 million and balanced out on Sunday with a drop of 15% and earnings of $927k. The weekend-to-Friday ratio is a disappointing 2.43-to-1, which is a figure that you usually wouldn't expect from a Christian-centered movie. Overall, the $18.5-million novel adaptation should experience weaker holding power than usual for a Christian film. It's highly unlikely it makes much more than $10 million.
     In an even worse position was the $35-million Sacha Baron Cohen/Mark Strong led raunchy R-rated spy comedy 'The Brothers Grimsby' downright flopped with just $3.2 million and a $1.4k average. That is easily the worst opening for Cohen in a lead role, opening almost three times less than his previous low 'Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street' ($9.3m). In three days, it failed to make what 'The Dictator' made on its opening day in 2012. It was nearly ten times less than 'Bruno''s opening ($30.6m) and also way down from 'Borat' ($26.5m). Overall, the marketing was just alienating American audiences too much (it was a British-made film) and didn't guarantee strong laughs. The only bright light in 'Grimsby''s marketing campaign was multiple celebrity and audience reactions to an extremely gross-out scene in the film. Otherwise, not much.

     The modestly-budgeted flop made just $1.2 million on Friday, made the exact same amount of Saturday, and decreased 38.6% on Sunday for $740k. The weekend-to-Friday ratio is a decent 2.67-to-1. While reviews (37% on RT) and Flixter audiences (55%) aren't promising impressive staying power, CinemaScore audiences seem to be having a mostly good time ('B+'). Still, $10 million would be predicting too much for it, and even $9 million seems unlikely.
     It seems that audiences just won't give 'Gods of Egypt' a break. The horribly-reviewed, big-budget action fantasy original fell 51.9% and made just $2.5 million. With a terrible $27.3 million in three weeks, it probably won't reach $35 million domestic by the end of its run. Overseas, it's doing a lot better, though it probably won't save it from flopping. 'Gods' benefited from China's $20 million debut, and in all brought in $26.4 million from 73 foreign markets. It's foreign total is now $80.5 million and the worldwide take now $107.8 million.
     'Risen' continued to hold up solidly, dropping 42.4% and making $2.3 million. That hold probably would've been a lot more unimpressive if it weren't for 'Messiah''s poor debut. The $20-million faith-based drama has now gathered $32.4 million and $40 million should still be in reach. 'The Revenant' was close behind with $2 million, down 41.2% from last weekend. That sizable (yet solid) hold shows that the Oscar effect is quickly wearing off (as shown by the film's week-to-week holds). Still, 'Revenant' continues to be a solid performer with $179.1 million so far. $185 million should be a lock for the $135-million Western thriller.
     Rounding out the Top 12, the $140-million animated comedy 'Kung Fu Panda 3' continued to suffer from the competition of 'Zootopia', dropping another steep 53.8% for $1.7 million. It has so far grossed a respectable $136.4 million, and should inch past the $140 million before it disappears from theaters.
     Overall, the Top 12 this weekend grossed an estimated $120.4 million, down an understandable 18.1% from last weekend and down a slim 0.7% from last year when 'Cinderella' wore the box office crown.
     Next weekend, will see the release of the highly-anticipated faith-based PG-rated film 'Miracles from Heaven', which actually opens this Wednesday and will hope to replicate the breakout success of 2014's 'Heaven is for Real'. Also, the third chapter in 'The Divergent Series', 'Allegiant', will most likely see a sizable decline in ticket sales like all the other YA franchises including 'Hunger Games', 'Percy Jackson', and 'Maze Runner'. 

Weekend Actuals: 'Zootopia' Flourishes with Biggest March Debut for an Animated Film, 'London Has Fallen' in a Nice Second, 'Whiskey Tango Foxtrot' Fails to Connect with Audiences

     Disney Animation's 'Zootopia' claimed the biggest opening weekend for a film from Walt Disney Animation Studious and for an animated film in March. Meanwhile, the $60-million action sequel 'London Has Fallen' was a very solid runner-up and Tina Fey's latest movie 'Whiskey Tango Foxtrot' failed to break out like her previous outings.
     In first place was Disney's 'Zootopia', which brought in a strong $75.1 million for a $19.6k per-theater average. That represents the biggest opening weekend for a Walt Disney Animation Studious film (beating 'Frozen''s $67.4m), the biggest March opening for an animated film (besting 'The Lorax''s $70.2m), and the fourth biggest March debut overall (behind only 'The Hunger Games', 'Alice in Wonderland', and 'Oz The Great and Powerful'). Among animal-centered animated offerings, it more than quadruples 'Norm of the North''s $16.9 million total, opened above all three 'Madagascar' movies and almost beat the total of the franchise's spin-off 'Penguins of Madagascar' ($83.4m) in one weekend, and is higher than all three 'Kung Fu Panda' films. Considering that most of those were franchise films, this is a very impressive debut. Overall, this is a great start to this year's slew of animated films, with strong contenders 'The Angry Birds Movie', 'Finding Dory', 'Ice Age: Collision Course', 'Moana', and 'Sing' yet to come this year.
     'Zootopia' started out with $19.5 million on Friday (including $1.7m from Thursday night previews), increased 62.2% on Saturday to take in $31.6 million, and decreased just 24.4% on Sunday to gross $23.9 million. That places the weekend-to-Friday ratio at a very strong 3.85-to-1, beating 'Frozen' (2.51-to-1) and 'Big Hero 6' (3.56-to-1). Those films wound up with $400.7 million ('Frozen') and $222.5 million ('Big Hero 6'), respectively. While 'Frozen'-like numbers shouldn't be expected, don't be surprised if it ends up surpassing the latter. With phenomenal reviews (99% on RT) and sensational word-of-mouth (96% Flixter score to go along with an 'A' CinemaScore), it should wind up with about $265 million and has potential to go even higher.

     Finishing in second place was the $60-million action sequel 'London Has Fallen', following up to the 2013 surprise hit 'Olympus Has Fallen' ($30.4m opening/$98.9m total). Grossing $21.6 million for a respectable $6.2k average, 'London' performed greatly in line with expectations, which ranged from $19 million to $22 million. Promising more large-scale action and destruction (as sequels tend to do) and showcasing the performances of Gerard Butler (who recovered from last week's flop 'Gods of Egypt'), Aaron Eckhart, and Morgan Freeman, this ultimately looked like solid counter-programming against a family-oriented original, an R-rated superhero hit, and a war comedy. While it is below the $30.4 million that 'Olympus' took in 2013, it was never really expected to make it to that level.
     Opening with $7.5 million on Friday (including $850k from Thursday night showings), 'London' increased 13% on Saturday and made $8.5 million on Saturday and decreased a reasonable 34.4% on Sunday to earn $5.6 million. The ratio here is a respectable 2.88-to-1, which is down from the 3.01-to-1 ratio of 'Olympus' but up from the 2.52-to-1 ratio of 'Terminator Genisys' and the 2.72-to-1 ratio of 'The Expendables 2'. Ultimately, it's unlikely it will hold up as well as its predecessor, especially given that reviews are much weaker (25% on RT), but a similar multiplier to 'A Good Day to Die Hard' and 'White House Down' is very likely. A total of around $59m-$64m is likely.
     Relinquishing the weekend crown to 'Zootopia' after three weeks in the top spot, the $58-million R-rated superhero action comedy 'Deadpool' declined a substantial 46.2% from last weekend and made $16.7 million. On Saturday it crossed the $300-million milestone domestically, becoming the first movie in the 'X-Men' franchise to do so, and has now grossed $311.5 million in just four weeks of play. A grand total of $345 million is very likely as strong word-of-mouth should continue to propel it in the coming weeks.

     In a disappointing fourth, Tina Fey's $35-million war comedy 'Whiskey Tango Foxtrot' grossed $7.4 million for a so-so $3.1k average. Many were expecting an opening in the range of $10m-$14m, but ultimately it turned out to be a tougher sell than the star's other comedies 'Sisters' and 'Baby Mama' (both of which co-starred Amy Poehler). It failed to reach those films' $13.9 million and $17.4 million openings, but did pass 'Our Brand is Crisis''s $7 million total in one weekend.
     On Friday, 'Whiskey Tango Foxtrot' grossed $2.4 million on Friday (including around $320k from Thursday), increased a promising 31.9% on Saturday to bring in $3.2 million, and fell 43% for $1.8 million on Sunday. This places the weekend-to-Friday ratio at a strong 3.08-to-1, so there is some promise in the long run. However, due to such a small opening, it probably won't make much more than $25 million even if it does hold up well.
     Rounding out the Top 5 was the $140-million action fantasy flop 'Gods of Egypt', which plummeted 63.2% from its already disastrous opening weekend to make a meager $5.2 million. That drop is on par with 'Exodus: Gods and Kings' (-66.4%) and is worse than the 57.4% decline of '300: Rise of an Empire'. With only $23 million in the bank so far, it would be surprising if it managed to cross $35 million.

     The $20-million faith-based drama 'Risen' had one of the best holds among the weekend's holdovers, dropping just 42.7% from last weekend and grossing $3.9 million. 'Risen' has so far made a solid $28.7 million and should finish with around $40 million total. Closely following in seventh, 'Kung Fu Panda 3' grossed $3.6 million, which is off 59.9% from last weekend. That steep decline can be attributed to the arrival of 'Zootopia', which obviously stole away a lot of the family audiences. Still, the $140-million animated comedy has so far taken in a strong $133.9 million and should close with slightly over $140 million.

     Eighth and ninth places were bunched together as well. Coming out on top was 'The Revenant', which benefited greatly from Leo's Oscar win last Sunday, dropping just 13.9% to make $3.4 million. The Oscar effect should stick around for at least one more weekend, so don't be surprised if it experiences another great hold. With $176.1 million already, 'Revenant' should cross $180 million by next weekend and could make it to $190 million total. In ninth was 'Eddie the Eagle', which held up fairly well with $3.1 million, down 48.6% from its opening. However, the $23-million sports dramedy is still running below expectations with just $10.9 million as of today. If it still manages to hold up well in the coming weeks, 'Eddie' could pass $20 million domestically, but that's nothing to be satisfied about.

     Tenth, eleventh, and twelfth all grossed around the same amount this weekend. In tenth was A24's 'The Witch', grossing $2.5 million (-51%) and bringing its cume to $20.9 million. $25 million is a lock at this point. Eleventh belonged to 'Triple 9', which erased all hopes of managing to be critic and audience-proof by falling a terrible 62.9% and making just $2.3 million. With only $10.4 million, the $20-million ensemble led crime thriller should end its run with around $15 million. Finally, rounding out the Top 12 was the $38-million rom-com 'How to Be Single', which made $2.1 million for a 57.7% decline. 'Single' has so far grossed a solid $43.3 million and will attempt to make it past $50 million.
     The Top 12 this weekend grossed $146.9 million, which is up a strong 52.3% from last weekend and a very strong 87.7% from last year when 'Chappie' and 'Unfinished Business' flopped while 'The Second Best Marigold Hotel' found itself with a solid opening.
     Next weekend, 'Zootopia' will go head-to-head with '10 Cloverfield Lane' for the first place position. '10 Cloverfield Lane' looks to have a very strong opening similar to its "blood relative" 'Cloverfield'. Meanwhile, the weekend's other new wide releases 'The Young Messiah' and 'The Brothers Grimsby' will probably end up with below $10 million.
     

Friday Report: Audiences Travel to 'Zootopia' with 'London Has Fallen' Runner-Up and 'Whiskey Tango Foxtrot' Disappointing

     More records will fall this weekend as 'Zootopia' attempts to claim the biggest March opening for an animated film. Meanwhile, 'London Has Fallen' provided solid counter-programming (for the most part) while the Tina Fey vehicle 'Whiskey Tango Foxtrot' underwhelmed.

     In a very solid first place yesterday, Disney's latest animated feature 'Zootopia' claimed $19.5 million (including an estimated $1.7m from Thursday night showings). That marks the second biggest opening day gross for an animated film in March, behind the $21.8 million take of 'Ice Age: The Meltdown', and the biggest opening day gross for an original animated film in March, ahead of 'Dr. Seuss' The Lorax' ($17.5m). Those films went on to gross $68 million ('Ice Age') and $70.2 million ('Lorax'), figures that 'Zootopia' likely to pass. Among Walt Disney Animation releases, it is ahead of 'Big Hero 6' ($15.8m/$56.2m weekend) and the Wednesday expansion of 'Frozen' ($15.2m/$67.4m weekend). With a very stellar 98% rating on Rotten Tomatoes as well as a 95% Flixter score, 'Zootopia' will likely hold up very well throughout the weekend and the long run. Although it has potential to beat Disney's fellow March release 'Oz The Great and Powerful' ($79.1m), I'm going to be a bit more conservative with an opening around $75 million.

     In a solid second place, the $60m-$105m budgeted action sequel to the 2013 surprise hit 'Olympus Has Fallen' ($30.4m/$98.9m total) 'London Has Fallen' grossed an estimated $7.6 million. Although that's down 24.8% from 'Olympus'' $10.1 million take, it was never expected to match its predecessor. It's opening is below recent action sequels 'Taken 3' ($14.9m) and 'A Good Day to Die Hard' ($8.2m), although the latter opened on a Thursday on Valentine's Day weekend. It is at least better than 'Transporter 2' ($5.6m), 'The Expendables 3' ($6m), 'Red' ($7.3m), and '13 Hours' ($5.9m). If 'London' follows the patterns of those films, it will end the weekend anywhere from $20m-$23m. A finish of around $21 million is likely for the big-budget sequel, which means that it will need to significantly improve on the predecessor's overseas gross to become profitable.
     Dethroned from the top spot for the first time, the $58-million R-rated Ryan Reynolds led superhero action comedy from Fox 'Deadpool' grossed $4.7 million on Friday, down a sizable 47.1% from last Friday. Despite the initial front-loading of its performance, 'Deadpool' has now grossed $299.5 million in 22 days. It will pass the $300 million mark today, and will likely finish with around $16m-$18m for the weekend.
     The $35-million Tina Fey led war comedy 'Whiskey Tango Foxtrot' disappointed in fourth with just $2.4 million. That lower than last December's 'Sisters' ($5m), which had to face much heavier competition against 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' and, to a lesser extent, 'Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip'. It is at least more than double of what October flop 'Our Brand is Crisis' made on opening day ($1.1m), though that's little consolation. Reviews (61% on RT) and word-of-mouth (66% Flixter score) are middling, but Tina Fey, who is known for starring in fairly leggy films, should carry this through the weekend and in the coming weeks, though this performance is nothing to do cartwheels over. Expect a $5.5m-$7m opening.
     Rounding out the Top 5 was the $140-million Alex Proyas directed action fantasy original 'Gods of Egypt', which has been dubbed the first big-budget flop of 2016. It continues to live up to the title, as it dropped a ghastly 72% from opening day and grossed a paltry $1.3 million. That drop is about on par with 'Exodus: Gods and Kings' (-74.3%/$2.3m) and is worse than other comparisons such as 'Jupiter Ascending' (-68.4%/$2m) and '300: Rise of an Empire' (-67%/$5.8m). A weekend of around $4.5 million is likely for this massive box office bomb.

Weekend Forecast

1. 'Zootopia' - $75.1 million

2. 'London Has Fallen' - $20.9 million

3. 'Deadpool' - $17.6 million (-43.4%)

4. 'Whiskey Tango Foxtrot' - $6.7 million

5. 'Gods of Egypt' - $4.6 million (-67.4%)