This weekend’s box office saw Spider Man: Brand New Day comfortably retain the top spot, while Insidious: Out of the Further made a strong debut in second. The Odyssey continued its impressive theatrical run, while PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie and The End of Oak Street remained locked in a remarkably close battle for fourth.
Last week’s predictions were fairly close on the weekend’s biggest new release. I expected Insidious: Out of the Further to make around $28 million, and while its $25.3 million opening fell short of that estimate, it still landed comfortably within its projected range and secured the second place finish I expected. With two more notable releases arriving next weekend, the fight behind Spider Man could become considerably more interesting.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day Remains on Top
Spider Man: Brand New Day earned $39 million in its fourth weekend.
After opening with an enormous $355 million, followed by $145 million and $70 million weekends, another $39 million haul represents a significant decline, but hardly anything worth worrying about. The film remains miles ahead of everything else at the box office and has now spent four consecutive weekends at number one.
At this stage, the conversation has shifted away from whether Brand New Day will be successful and toward just how high its final total can climb. The film has already established itself as one of the year’s biggest theatrical releases, and its continued ability to dominate despite fresh competition demonstrates just how powerful the Spider-Man brand remains.
Insidious: Out of the Further Opens Strong
Insidious: Out of the Further opened with $25.3 million.
Last week, the film was tracking between $23 million and $35 million, with my prediction sitting at $28 million. The final result came in $2.7 million below my estimate, but that still represents a solid prediction considering the uncertainty surrounding a horror sequel entering a marketplace dominated by Spider-Man.
The $25.3 million debut gives the franchise another healthy opening and proves there is still an audience willing to return to The Further. Horror has also continued to demonstrate an ability to find its audience even when competing against larger studio productions, and Insidious appears to be following that same pattern.
The Odyssey Continues Its Impressive Run
The Odyssey brought in $19.5 million.
Christopher Nolan’s epic continues to show remarkable staying power, even while dealing with the rather inconvenient presence of one of the biggest Spider-Man movies ever made. Another $19.5 million weekend keeps the film comfortably above the competition and demonstrates that audiences are still interested in seeing Nolan’s latest spectacle on the big screen.
The film has benefited from strong premium format business and the kind of theatrical legs that studios would love to see more often. While Spider-Man has dominated the headlines, The Odyssey has quietly built an impressive run of its own.
PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie Holds Fourth
PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie earned $9.1 million.
The family film managed to stay ahead of The End of Oak Street, although the difference between the two was almost comically small. A $9.1 million weekend represents a respectable hold, particularly as the film continues to rely on younger audiences and families to keep tickets moving.
The franchise has always benefited from a dependable audience, and that reliability is once again proving useful. It may not be dominating the box office, but PAW Patrol continues to do exactly what the studio needs it to do.
The End of Oak Street Holds Onto Fifth
The End of Oak Street earned $9 million.
There was almost nothing separating the thriller from PAW Patrol, with just $100,000 keeping it out of fourth place. After opening below expectations last weekend, the film has settled into a more modest run, although it has managed to maintain enough interest to remain inside the top five.
That narrow margin also gives the film something of a moral victory. It may not have become the breakout hit some expected, but staying competitive with a major family franchise is hardly the worst outcome for a thriller fighting for theatrical attention.
Next Weekend’s Predictions
Next weekend brings The Dog Stars, which is tracking between $18 million and $25 million. I’m expecting it to land around $20 million, which should be enough for second place behind Spider-Man: Brand New Day. The film will have to establish itself quickly with audiences, but the current marketplace leaves plenty of room for a new release to make an impact.
Coyote vs. Acme is tracking between $12 million and $18 million, although early buzz has me leaning toward the top end of that range. I’m predicting an $18 million opening, which should put it in third place. If that positive early reaction translates into strong word of mouth, the film could potentially outperform its relatively modest tracking and become one of the weekend’s more interesting performers.
As always, we’ll find out next week.
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