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 Its success is a shot in the arm to DreamWorks, which
optioned the Paula Hawkins' best-seller about an alcoholic woman
(Emily Blunt), who must piece together a mysterious
disappearance. The company has suffered a string of flops in
recent years, most recently shouldering the twin duds of "The
BFG" and "The Light Between Oceans." However, "The Girl on the
Train" kicks off a new five-year distribution deal with
Universal Pictures. One that will see the company rebranded as
Amblin Partners, complete with backing from Reliance,
Entertainment One, and Participant. Over the weekend, Amblin
announced that Alibaba Pictures will take an equity stake in the
production company. "The Girl on the Train" cost $45 million to
make.
"We are thrilled with the results of the first film in our new
partnership with Amblin," said Nick Carpou, Universal's domestic
distribution chief. "Their passion and commitment to bringing
high quality stories to theaters, coupled with our expertise in
marketing and distribution, makes for a bright future."
Nate Parker's "The Birth of a Nation" was not as fortunate,
premiering to a disappointing $7.1 million across 2,105
theaters. The biopic about slave rebellion leader Nat Turner was
a sensation at the Sundance Film Festival, where it premiered to
a rapturous standing ovation and sold to Fox Searchlight for a
record-shattering $17.5 million. But the release was derailed
after rape allegations against Parker and his "The Birth of a
Nation" co-writer Jean Celestin resurfaced. Both men were
accused of assaulting a college classmate over a decade ago.
Though they were ultimately acquitted of those charges, news
broke this summer that their accuser had committed suicide in
2012. The ensuing controversy overshadowed the strong reviews
and may have hurt the film's Oscar chances.
"This is a pretty pedestrian result," said Jeff Bock, a box
office analyst with Exhibitor Relations. "Clearly, not all press
is good press."
Searchlight, however, believes that the film's A CinemaScore
could lead to robust word-of-mouth, which might help "The Birth
of a Nation" draw an audience in the coming weeks. Distribution
chief Frank Rodriguez said he was pleased by how diverse the
audience for the film was -- 54% of ticket buyers were
African-American and 42% were caucasian. He stressed that it was
difficult to know how many people had opted not to see the
picture because of coverage of the rape accusation.
"The film stands on its own," said Rodriguez. "What it was
before at Sundance, the actual celluloid, the image, is still
the same, but the perception may have changed and there's not
too much anyone can do about it."
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 Hurricane Matthew led to theater closures in Florida, South
Carolina, and other Southern states. Studio executives that it
could have depressed ticket sales by between 2% to 4%.
The weekend's other wide release, "Middle School: The Worst
Years of My Life," attempted to court younger crowds, opening to
$6.9 million from 2,822 theaters. The film follows a teenager
who cooks up a series of pranks to embarrass his autocratic
principal. It is based on a popular series of books by James
Patterson. CBS Films produced the movie for $11 million, with
Lionsgate distributing the picture.
Last weekend's champ, "Miss Peregrine's School for Peculiar
Children," fell roughly 50% to $15 million for a second place
finish. That puts the Tim Burton fantasy's total at $51.1 million.
Fox backed the film, which carries a sizable $110 million price tag,
and will need foreign audiences to come out in force if it wants to
make a profit.
Lionsgate's "Deepwater Horizon" continued to struggle, taking in
$11.7 million, and bringing its domestic total to $38.5 million. The
action-drama about the men and women caught up in one of the worst
oil spills in history earned solid reviews, but cost a massive $120
million after tax credits were taken into account. It's shaping up
to be a money loser.
Sony's "The Magnificent Seven" took fourth place with $9.1
million, pushing the Western remake's haul to $75.9 million.
"Storks," the Warner Bros. animated comedy, rounded out the top five
with $8.4 million, bringing its stateside receipts to $50.1 million.
It's been a rough fall for the movie business. Ticket sales for the
season are down 5.7% year-over-year, as hits like "Sully" have
failed to eclipse 2015 blockbusters such as "The Martian" and "Hotel
Transylvania 2." Year-to-date, however, the box office remains up
3.9%, and analysts are hopeful that upcoming releases such as
"Doctor Strange" and "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" will
get consumers back in the habit of going to the multiplex.
"We're just waiting for a breakout hit," said Paul Dergarabedian,
senior media analyst at ComScore. "We need something to get us out
of this box office funk."
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