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FRIDAY AFTERNOON: Studios used to avoid the frame after Memorial Day weekend, as it was a post-holiday relaxation period for moviegoing. Not anymore.
from Sony Animation Spider-Man: About the Spider-Verse is about to post box office numbers as if it were a live-action Marvel superhero movie. After clocking up the second-best previews ever for an animated film, the picture from directors Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers and Justin K. Thompson looks to $40 million+ day today (including those previews) and a 3 day that could very well hit $100 million in 4,313 theatres.
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Rivals see opening optimistically well into the $110 million+ range, but its unpredictable nature Spider verse is how fanboy-laden it could be with PLF and Imax ticket sales. Even if the animated movie settles into the high $90 million range, it’s still a huge success alongside the debut of the 2018 original movieSpider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse for $35.3 million.
RelishMix exclaims about the social media buzz: “Spider verse positive chatter overflows Super Mario Bros mass audience – with excitement for Hailee Steinfeld as Gwen Stacy aka Spider-Woman, cross-referencing live-action Spidey, added enthusiastic praise for the film’s look. MCU divers are diving into the franchise expansion scenarios and storylines for the next animated and live movies – with a noticeable absence of questions about when it will be streaming.
About the Spider-Verse‘s social media stats are 15% above the levels of the 2018 version, now at 665.1 million across Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok combined. This animated franchise runs on unique channels of the live action at 1.85 million fans. By comparison, the past two live-action Spider-Man movies reached 1B SMU social media universe, led by the epic weekend before No way home ($260.1M/1.2B SMU). Fans and superfans are posting content online at a massive 47:1 viral rate, which is mind-blowing according to RelishMix.
Gwen Stacy, aka Steinfeld, has 32.7 million fans for the photo campaign out of a total of 68.3 million for the total cast, which includes Shameik Moore with 367,000 and Jake Johnson with 1.6 million.
Disney owns spots 2, 3 and 4 on the map. Weekend 2 of The little Mermaid looks around $12 million today for one $42 million – $44 million second weekend in 4,320 theaters, -54% in high-end, for a total of 10 days $189.7 million. Aladdin Down 53% with a second weekend of $42.8 million in 2019, bringing it to $185.5 million at the same time.
Disney/Marvel Studios’ Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3 in 3,580 theaters is seeing a fifth Friday of $3 million3 days of $10.5 million-49%, for a running total of $322.9 million. Great keeps going here Little Mermaid And GOTG3.
Disney and 20th Century Studios’ The boogeyman is watching $4.5 million today for one $10 million+ weekend in 3,205 theaters.
Universals Fast X is booked at 3,467 and looking forward to a third Friday of $2.4 million3 days of $8.3 million-64%, and running total by Sunday of $127.5 million.
UPDATED FRIDAY AM after THURSDAY EXCLUSIVE: That reports Sony Spider-Man: About the Spider-Verse previews came in at $17.35 millionstill the second highest for an animated film after The incredible things 2$18.5 million. Comscore/Screen Engine’s PostTrak outputs from last night’s big turnout is 5 stars.
General audience turnout last night on PostTrak for Spider verse was 39% boys under 25, 28% boys over 25, 21% women under 25 and 11% women over 25. A 79% clear recommendation with a very diverse turnout with Hispanic and Latino audience making up 33% of the crowd whites 30%, Black 20% and Asian 11%. Parents and children together represented 16% of the preview night audience. Boys under the age of 12 outweighed girls, 63% to 37% and 64% between 7-12.
Meanwhile, Disney’s lynchpin is 20th Century Studios’ PG-13 horror picture Boogeyman from Hulu to the big screen extrapolated $1.1 million. A bit lighter than recent horror movie previews ie Evil Dead Rise ($1.9 million) and Smile ($2 million), even though they were rated R. PG-13 M3GAN did $2.75 million. The Rob Savage-directed film has been booked in 3,205 locations and currently holds a Rotten Tomatoes verified cinema rating of 74% and 2 1/2 stars on PostTrak. The picture’s outlook is about $15 million for the weekend.
Disneys The little Mermaid yesterday led all movies in regular release with $6.8 million (-17% as of Wednesday) ends the week with an estimate $145.7 million in 4,320 theaters, +2% ahead of the first week of Aladdin. The studio’s MCU title Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 did $1.58 million-22% from Wednesday, for a week 4 of $32.6 millionrunning total of $312.1 million in 3,940 theatres. Universals Fast X, booked at 4,088 theaters, hit $1.4 million yesterday, -22% from Wednesday, for a pending cume of $119.4 million. The second week was $34.3 million. Unis Super Mario Bros had $556K, -14% for a pending cume of $562.8 millioneighth week of $10.2 million at 3,148. Fifth place was for Lionsgate’s About my father with $300K, -22% and a first week of $6.7 million. There was a time when stand-up comedians’ forays into the big screen fared better, undiluted by streaming: Dane Cook’s Employee of the monthalso from Lionsgate, posted a first week gross of $14.3 million in October 2006.
LAST EXCLUSIVE: from Sony Animation Spider-Man: About the Spider-Verse doing serious business tonight according to sources at the box office, and piling up $16 million from previews starting at 3 p.m. in 3,562 theaters. That’s the second best preview night ever for an animated movie after Disney/Pixar Incredible 2 ($18.5 million) as of June 2018. Disney/Pixar’s Toy story 4with $12 million, is now the third best animated film in previews at the domestic box office.
The sample money for About the Spider-Verse alone is 4.5x more than what the first animated film from 2018, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Versedid on Thursday night, which was $3.5 million before a $12.6 million Friday and $35.3 million three-day open.
Now the question remains how front-loaded About the Spider-Verse is; hence it is too early to compare it Incredible 2. That Pixar sequel ended up posting a first-day $71.2 million, 26% of that number from Thursday previews. Incredible 2 holds the opening weekend record for an animated feature at $182.6 million. Opening projections in the United States are wild for it About the Spider-Verse ranging from $75 million – $90 million. Even on the low side About the Spider-Verse‘s 3 days will be more than double the opening weekend of the first picture, still commendable.
What makes the sequel’s box office hard to peg: It’s a Marvel animated film, which is a rare breed, not to mention it’s one of the longest-running animated films of all time with a running time of 140 minutes. Among those long-run animated films, About the Spider-Verse ties with Funimation/Kyoto Animations Violent Evergarden in seventh place. The animated photo with the longest running time is that of Sunao Katabuchi In this corner (and other corners) of the world at 168 minutes.
Great diagnostics as the weekend heats up About the Spider-Verse at 95% certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes and RT audience already gives it 97%. We have more in the morning.
The Phil Lord-Christopher Miller-Amy Pascal-Avi Arad-Christina Steinberg animated sequel also gets to brag when compared to other live-action Spidey-verse properties, making it past preview night of Spider Man: Coming Home ($15.4 million), Venom: Let there be carnage ($11.6 million), venom ($10 million), and spider man 3 ($10 million).
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