ZAMM.COM

IF looked a little iffy Friday, but strong Saturday matinees for the family appeal comedy starring Ryan Reynolds boosted its opening to $35M.

Hollywood handicappers had been overly exuberant with $40-45M projections, so Saturday morning estimates of $30M made for unhappy headlines. What wasn’t taken into account was that families don’t go to Friday matinees. They turn up Saturday & Sunday afternoons — so IF’s total could kick up some more when the final numbers are in.

Reynolds’ superstar luster and his hard work promoting IF are key factors
in getting it open this well and positioning the John Krasinski written & directed film to play into the summer. Paramount’s solid marketing campaign also worked to achieve what’s a decent launch in a marketplace that will take years to recover from the 2023 strikes the AMPTP allowed to drag on.

Too much has been made of IF’s miserable 49% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes. What’s much more important is RT’s audience score of 87%, which indicates favorable word of mouth.

Driven by IF & KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES, the overall marketplace, per Comscore Senior Media Analyst Paul Dergarabedian, totaled $98.989M, up1.6 % from the prior weekend, but down 20% vs. this time last year. Comscore’s year to date tally has 2024 at $2.43B, down 21% from $3.08B in 2023. Last weekend, 2024 was down 22% vs. 2023.

Meanwhile, back at the multiplexes: Paramount/Maximum Effort’s PG family film IF was #1 with $35M at 4,041 theatres ($8.661). It’s done $24M internationally, per Comscore, for a worldwide cume of $59M. IF reportedly cost $110M to produce. It’s tracking best for first choice with under-25 women (nine points over norm) and next best with women over 25 (six points over norm).

Disney/20th Century’s KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES was #2 in weekend two with $26M (-55%) at 4,075 theatres ($6,380). It reportedly cost $160M to produce and has done $101.2M domestic and $237.5M worldwide.

Lionsgate’s R rated horror thriller “THE STRANGERS: CHAPTER 1” opened #3 to $12M at 2,856 theatres ($4,202). It reportedly cost just $8.5M to produce and is tracking best for first choice with women under 25 (two points over norm). RT critics are a dreadful 14% and audiences are a dead 41%.

As for next weekend’s wide releases: WB’s R rated sci-fi action adventure FURIOSA: A MAD MAX SAGA could raise boxoffice temps with $40-50M, per analysts, at about 3,700 theatres. RT critics are cheering at 85%. It’s tracking best for first choice with men over 25 (five points over norm).

Sony/Alcon Entertainment’s PG animated comedy adventure THE GARFIELD MOVIE could do $35M, per Hollywood handicappers, at about 3,700 theatres. RT critics are a blah 73%. It’s tracking best for first choice with women under 25 (five points over norm).