BORAT Premieres the New Trailer for “The Brothers Grimsby”
4TH WRITETHRU, 8AM Saturday:Refresh for updatesZootopia is showing more muscle than originally expected, so much so that its now cutting into10 Cloverfield Lanes business, $51M to $24.7M. Thetotal B.O.for the Disney original animated filmswells to $143M through 10 days, pacing 52% ahead of Frozenover the same period.This puts Paramount/Bad Robots spinoffat the lower end of its opening weekend projections.
The bright side here is that 10 Cloverfield Laneisnt expected to play like a horror film with shrinking tickets sales over three-days; rather the pics business is expected to spike by at least 5% on Saturday after making $9M on Friday. This despite the fact that CinemaScore crowds graded10 Cloverfield Lanelike a horror film with a B-, which beats the first chapters C grade. J.J. Abrams has mentioned in interviews that the title wasnt revealed until January. Thats when Paramount unveiled its enticing teaser campaign of John Goodman, Mary Elizabeth Winstead and John Gallagher, Jr. residing in a bunker during a time when the alien monsters ruled the earth. The studio dropped a second trailer during the Super Bowl. Abrams has also said in interviews that 10 Cloverfield Laneis more akin to an anthology in theTwilight Zonesense of the word, versus being a sequel. Sixty-one percent males stopped by10 Cloverfield Lanewith 68% over 25. Fifty-five percent came out because it was a sci-fi thriller.
Meanwhile, Sony/Village Roadshow/LStarsThe Brothers Grimsbyis Sacha Baron Cohens lowest opening at the box office ever with $3.3M at 2,235 in eighth place, a complete dud with an estimated production cost of$35M-$37M (though we hear the budget was north $80M when Paramount passed). Oy. Audiences didnt entirely hate the R-rated comedywith a B+ CinemaScore overall and an A- among under 25ers. But, man, where were they? At Foxs Deadpool, of course,which is sitting there like a cat with a canary in its mouth, still bagging cash with a strong $10.4M fifth weekend in third place and a running domestic total of $327.7M.
Focus Features Christ childhood titleThe Young Messiahreceived the best grade of the wide entries with an A-, but its estimated opening is nothing miraculous at $3.7M-$3.8M. Like most faith-based movies, older females was the core crowd here at 57% women, 91% over 25. Focus shelled out a minimum guarantee for the film, however, Young Messiahwas financed by Ocean Blue Entertainment, which slashed the films production budgetfrom $40M to an estimated $18.5M. In regards to throwing stones at this films ticket sales, we have to consider thatYoung Messiahis in 1,154 theater less thanRisens first weekend. In addition, this Lent season in particular has been flooded with faith-based product, and despite any assumption that the audience just eats up whatever is placed in front of them, the fact is these parish busloads have become more discerning about whats placed in front of them. In addition, word is the faith-based are saving their money for next weekends Sony Affirm follow-upMiracles From Heaven,which is scheduled to hit 3,000-plus engagements.
LionsgatesThe Perfect Matchdidnt officially register on CinemaScores radar since it was playing in less than 1,000 theaters, but the African American comedy is also coming in under expectations with an estimated $3.7M-$3.8M FSS, fighting withYoung Messiahfor sixth place.
****Brothers Grimsby what happened here?****
Observing from their perch outside the studio walls, rival distribution chiefs believe that Sony dumped Brothers Grimsbyin the market, however, Sony tried to nurture this along the way with release date changes and testing.Grimsbyoriginated at Paramount in December 2013 withClash of the Titansdirector Louis Leterrier attached before Sonys previous administration acquired the title in February 2014 with an original release date of July 31, 2015. Test screenings for this Baron Cohen raunch romp started early and audiences werent kind during every bump along the way. Grimsbywasnt the witty satire they loved inBorat.Whats telling here, and explains is a lot, is that Baron Cohens core audience has grown significantly older since The Dictator. That film played to an under-25 audience of 56% versusBrothers Grimsbywhich skewed 72% over 25.Sony screened to50 campuses across the country and Brothers Grimsbyjust didnt penetrate with younger audiences.Also less guys turned out forBrothers Grimsby overDictator, 52% to 65%.Forty percent of Friday nights audience came out for Baron Cohen (vs.Dictators 47%).
Additionally, it felt like the marketing campaign didnt have a long enough lead time. Arguably, Brothers Grimsbydidnt really land in the public consciousness until Baron Cohen appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live with his too-crude-for-broadcast clip all ofone month ago. Compare this to Paramounts runway forThe Dictatorin 2012. Even though that R-rated comedy had a May 16 release, Baron Cohen started an awesome uproar at the Oscars that year with his General Aladeen alter ego and his supposed boycott by the Academy. More headlines were heard around the world as the General dumped Kim Jong Ils ashes on Ryan Seacrest, and was kicked off the red carpet. In addition, Paramount also had aDictatoradult game app. This resulted in athird place opening for Dictatorwith $17.4M (final $60M) in the wake ofThe Avengersthird weekend, and UniversalsBattleship. Twothings you can never knock Baron Cohen for: Hes a master of guerrilla theater PR and hes a tireless promoter. Even onBrothers Grimsby, I hear Baron Cohen was a studios dream when it came to star collaborators. During the college tour ofBrothers Grimsby,he mingled with students in New York, Boston and Austin. As is typical for Baron Cohen, he did some interviews in character as Nobby. Even handcuffed himself to Matt Lauer.
Downsides to Brothers Grimsbys marketing efforts is that the one sheets and billboards looked like rip offs on Adam McKaysThe Other Guysand even SonysSpectre.The title is so British, its alienating to U.S. auds, and Mark Strong as second banana to Baron Cohen isnt known for his marquee power. The conceit of the movie looks funny, but on a mass consumption basis, theres a been-there-done-that to the elements, criticized one studio marketing executive who has handled Baron Cohen vehicles in the past. According to iSpot, Sony shelled out $7.7M this weekend forBrothers GrimsbyTV spots, while Paramount spent $16.3M for10 Cloverfield Laneads.
That said, what was clever about Sonys online/social media campaign was how it built off the audience reaction gimmick that began onJimmy Kimmel Live(4.1M YouTube views).Sony just kept hitting this joke in its viral marketing. They posted video reactions to the elephant scene from pastors and rabbis (1M YouTube views), fashion model Cara Delevingne (439K), the Kardashians (420K on Kims Instagram, 255K on Kourtneys), Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron on the set ofBaywatch(371K Instagram likes), Pharrell (48K likes) and The Lonely Island guys (8K likes). In total, two dozen social media influencers participated.
But still, why did 20th Century FoxsBoratwork as an overnight success with a $26.4M opening at 837 theaters (a $32K per theater, global take of $262M) and everything else just gradually slid downhill for Baron Cohens comedic solo vehicles? Borat succeeded because it was a stroke of genius that was never seen before, said one studio executive. It was shock theater. It was horribly offensive, rightfully funny to most. Then cameBrunowhich opened to No. 1 in July 2009 to a decent $30.6M, but petered out to a 2x multiple at the domestic B.O. with $60M.
Added the same executive, Brunowas more of the same shtick. Even though it was a different character, he wasnt nearly as charming as Borat, and his effeminate bent was off-putting to audiences. There was a meanness to Bruno that wasnt as far reaching. In Borat, Baron Cohenwas an equal-opportunist in his insulting. Then when he started doing the scripted material like The Dictator, it was as though it was the same guy.
Some rival distribution chiefsthink that Baron Cohens dirty sense of humor has grown too long-in-the-tooth for the big screen. Still, you cant take away the fact that hes a brilliant, multi-talented actor who continues to be in demand by auteurs for his sublime acting chops. Baron Cohen next appears in James BobinsAlice Through the Looking Glassas Time. Talking to Deadline during his press tour forLes Miserables,Baron Cohen spoke about the hurdles in pulling off docu-comedies like Boratin this day and age, and why he changed to script-driven material likeDictatorandBrothers Grimsby:The problem is it is definitely challenging, especially now with Twitter and Facebook. Its very, very hard to get away with, he said. You dont just want to interview some doorman at a hotel; you want to interview the incredibly wealthy guests at the penthouse, high-ranking politicians or people who are threatening.
The top 10 films as of late late Friday night per industry estimates for weekend of March 11-13:
1).Zootopia(DIS), 3,827 theaters (0)/ $12.5M Fri. (-36%)/ 3-day cume:$51M/Total Cume: $143M/Wk 2
2).10 Cloverfield Lane(PAR), 3,391 theaters/ $9M Fri. / 3-day cume:$24.7M/Wk 1
3).Deadpool(FOX), 3,331 theaters (-293) / $2.9M Fri. (-38%) / 3-day cume:$10.4M(-38%)/Total Cume: $327.7M/Wk 5
4).London Has Fallen(FOC), 3,492 theaters (+2)/ $3M Fri. (-60%)/ 3-day cume:$10.3M(-52%)/Total Cume:$38.5M/Wk 2
5).Whiskey Tango Foxtrot(PAR), 2,413 theaters (+39)/ $1.3M Fri. (-45%) / 3-day cume:$4.55M (-39%)/Total Cume:$14.5M/Wk 2
6) The Young Messiah(FOC), 1,761 theaters/ $1.3M Fri. / 3-day cume:$3.7M-$3.8M/Wk 1
The Perfect Match(LG), 3,391 theaters/ $1.35M Fri. / 3-day cume:$3.7M-$3.8M/Wk 1
8.) The Brothers Grimsby(SONY), 2,235 theaters/ $1.2M Fri. / 3-day cume:$3.3M/Wk 1
9).Gods of Egypt (LG), 2,306 theaters (-811)/ $622k Fri. (-52%) / 3-day cume:$2.3M(-56%)/Total cume: $27.1M/ Wk 3
10).Risen(SONY), 2,095 theaters (-412) / $629K Fri. (-41%) / 3-day cume:$2.27M(-42%) / Total cume: $32.37M / Wk 4
NOTABLES:
Spotlight(OR), 847 theaters (-380) / $220K Fri. (-54%) / 3-day cume:$817k (-54%) / Total cume: $43.1M / Wk 19
Love Punjab(WHP), 36 theaters/ $100k Fri. / 3-day cume:$308k/Wk 1
Eye in the Sky(BLST), 5 theaters/ $30k Fri. / 3-day cume:$93k/PTA: $19k/Wk 1
Knight of Cups(BROAD), 36 theaters (+32)/ $26K Fri. (+27%) / 3-day cume:$85K (+40%)/Total: $171K/Wk 2
Hello, My Name Is Doris(RSA), 4 theaters/ $22K Fri. / 3-day cume:$69K/PTA: $17K/Wk 1
City of Gold(IFC), 4 theaters/ $16k Fri. / 3-day cume:$50k/PTA: $12k/Wk 1
2ND UPDATE, 12:12PM Zootopiaand10 Cloverfield Laneare the two top travel destinations for moviegoers this weekend. Disneys animated film is looking to collect in the high $40M range, while Paramount/Bad Robots thriller is looking at $32M. Both titles respective Friday hauls are currently $500K apart, $12M to $11.5M. The box office business theory never gets old: matinees will continually be a family titles best friend.
On social, Relish Mix reports that#10CloverfieldLane led the run-up to opening with 2K combined hashtags across Twitter and Instagram. The social media monitor notices that the conversation has been positive for the movie with mentions of producer J.J. Abrams as well as predictions on what the monster might look like. Other fans are curious as to what might lie outside the bunker. The good word of mouth counters any hurdle of the casts low wattage on social media. Nonethless, star Mary Elizabeth Winstead leads the charge with 663K social followers across Twitter, Instagram and an unofficial Facebook page. In addition, the endorsements by Chris Hardwick and Amy Schumer have been shared across Twitter. Trailers have pulled in 20.9M YouTube views, while the Super Bowl teaser counts 11.3M views on the films Facebook page.
Meanwhile, Gramercy/Focus FeaturesLondon Has Fallenis looking at a second weekend between $10M-$12M. This would raise its 10-day cume to $38M-$40M. Meanwhile, Lionsgates romantic comedyThe Perfect Matchat 925 venues looks to be beating the rest of the wide release competition with a FSS of $5M, pegging ahead of Focus Features Young Messiahwith an estimated $3.75M and Sony/Village Roadshow/LStar Capitals Sacha Baron Cohen comedyThe Brothers Grimsbyat$3.5M (ouch). Typically when it comes to an R-rated comedy at this time of year, matinees are null. Its during the wee hours of the night that the prime twentysomething demo comes out.
1ST UPDATE, 8AM:Paramount reports that Bad Robots10 Cloverfield Lanerang up $1.8M at 2,500 theaters. Pic is expected to move to 3,391 locations today with a projected FSS between $25M-$30M. 10 Cloverfield Lanes Thursdaybeats the $1.5M preview night cash ofSuper 8which went on to open to $35.5M. In addition, it outstrips the $1.02M Thursday night grossed by Universals horror thrillerThe Visit,which opened to $25.4M back in September. 10 Cloverfield Laneis a spinoff to 2008s monster movieCloverfield,which was an MLK holiday hit with a $40M opening and final cume of $80M.Currently,10 Cloverfield Laneis charting a 91% fresh Rotten Tomatoes rating, and its something clever to behold. Itsnot just some Godzilla-like sequel. John Goodman and Mary Elizabeth Winstead are receiving high praise for their respective portrayals of an apocalypse fanatic and a car accident victim in rural Louisiana.
Outside of previews, among regularly ranked films, DisneysZootopiaranked first on Thursday with $3.88M taking its first weeks cume to $92.6M. Many expectZootopiato hold No. 1 again with a $38M-$45M second frame.
Focus FeaturesThe Young Messiahtook in $475K last night at 1,300 locations. Industry projections are at $7M-$8M for this faith-based title which follows a year in the childhood of Jesus Christ. In spreading the word about The Young Messiah, directorCyrus Nowrasteh spoke at a number of religious conferences including the National Religious Broadcasters convention in Nashville, Tenn. Producer Chris Columbus, director of the first twoHarry Potterfilms, has also been banging the drum for the movie in TV and radio interviews, including an appearance onThe Today Show.Theres also been a number of local premieres for the movie hosted by churches, local faith leaders and community groups around the country.
Sony/Village Roadshow/L Star CapitalsThe Brothers Grimsbygot the short end of the stick last night with $235K at 1,937 theaters. Heres hoping that the10 Cloverfield Lanecrowd finds this hysterical R-rated comedy after getting their fill of J.J. Abrams- sci-fi spinoff production.The Brothers Grimsbyis expected to make $7M-$8M this weekend. Currently,Brothers Grimsbyhas a 43% Rotten Tomatoes score, but then again, its quite hard for critics to swallow gross out films and this one has more than its fair share of an elephant co-starring in it. The British action comedy, directed by Louis Leterrier, has already logged more than $7M at the overseas box office.
Also in play this weekend among wide entries is Lionsgates African American romantic comedyThe Perfect Matchwhich is projected to post a FSS between $5M-$6M.
Source: http://deadline.com/2016/03/10-cloverfield-lane-brothers-grimsby-zootopia-weekend-box-office-1201718537/
