Weekend Wrap-Up

Burton, Wahlberg Send September Slump to October

By John Hamann

October 2, 2016

This is a watch. A watch. You use it to tell time, like with an iPhone.

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Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children has the same problem that Lemony Snicket had, and The Golden Compass before that. All of these films cost too much. Lemony Snicket cost $140 million, The Golden Compass cost $180 million and earned $372 million worldwide, and only $70 million from the US. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children cost Fox $110 million (or more), and it looks like it won’t match that budget stateside. That means the pressure will be on overseas audiences to make up the $200 million plus shortfall. The Cinemascore sits at a B+, which should help the legs a little going forward.

Deepwater Horizon is in even more trouble than Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, as it cost $118 million after tax credits, and is more of a domestic tale than Miss Peregrine’s. The Mark Wahlberg flick got started with a $7.1 million opening day, which meant a $20 million opening weekend was the best this big film was going to see (it finished with $20.6 million). This result shouldn’t make sense. It was a large, disaster-type flick, big effects and a couple of money shots, a decent star package and a veteran director in Peter Berg (no one remembers Battleship). This should have worked better, like The Martian did last year. Reviews, at 81% fresh, were at least in the same ballpark as The Martian, but it was the marketing that the Fox film had that Deepwater Horizon did not.

Somehow, Lionsgate struggled to create decent awareness for Deepwater Horizon, despite this film having literally everything going for it. The studio seemed to cheap out a bit on the marketing, as Relativity seemed to have more spots for Masterminds that Lionsgate did for Deepwater, and that is saying something. Deepwater Horizon does have the best Cinemascore of the weekend at A-, but with the low opening and high production cost this will be a very tough climb up a steep hill. Will Deepwater Horizon play in Poland? Lionsgate likely doesn’t care, as its normal model is to sell off its foreign rights to reduce risk of these bigger budget adventures.




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The Magnificent Seven had a tougher weekend than expected as well, as older audiences didn’t prop up it enough to clear the 50% second weekend drop. The Denzel Washington flick earned $15.7 million in its second weekend, and drops a hurtful 55% compared to its debut. Magnificent Seven was off compared to last weekend as was Sully, and Deepwater Horizon didn’t open at all. What is happening to that older moviegoer? The Magnificent Seven has a gross to date of $61.6 million, and an overseas gross at $46 million. The western has a long way to go for a film that cost $90 million to make.

Storks is fourth, as this animated disappointment strives to stay relevant in its second frame. The Warner Bros. release earned $13.8 million in its second frame, off an okay 35% compared to last weekend. Storks cost $70 million to make and has so far earned $38.8 million on the domestic side and $38 million overseas.


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