|
 The movie's hybrid release on
HBO Max likely isn't the reason "Those Who Wish
Me Dead" sold hardly any tickets; "Godzilla vs.
Kong" and "Mortal Kombat" were both recent
Warner Bros. films that were able to generate
decent box office revenues despite being
released concurrently on a streaming service.
As movie theaters attempt to rebound from the
COVID-19 pandemic, family films and CGI
spectacles have been popular options to see on
the big screen. Gritty dramas geared toward
adult audiences haven't been performing as well,
and mediocre reviews for "Those Who Wish Me
Dead" didn't help drum up interest.
"The film was barely promoted even by pandemic
standards and effectively went under the radar
as both as a theatrical and streaming release,"
says Shawn Robbins, the chief analyst at Box
Office Pro. "We've seen a number of genre
thrillers aimed at audiences of a certain age
open during the past year, so there could also
be an element of saturation in play."
The film played in 3,188 cinemas, a sizable
footprint considering only 65% of movie theaters
are currently open, according to Comscore.
Taylor Sheridan directed "Those Who Wish Me
Dead," based on the novel by Michael Koryta. The
story centers on a teenager who witnesses the
murder of his father and goes on the run with a
smokejumper (Jolie) to escape two gunmen trying
to silence him. Variety's chief film critic
Peter Debruge was a fan of the film, writing in
his review: "The idea may be outrageous, but
Sheridan's commitment makes the whole thing
work." Moviegoers gave the film a "B"
CinemaScore.
"Those Who Wish Me Dead," which finished the
weekend in third place, wasn't the only new
movie to open. "Spiral," a creepy addition to
the terrifying "Saw" franchise, brought in $8.7
million between Friday and Sunday. That's a
mediocre start given its $20 million production
budget, but it's enough to easily nab the No. 1
spot on box office charts in the coronavirus
era.
Paul Dergarabedian, a senior media analyst with
Comscore, says the debut of "Spiral" is "solid"
given the slow-to-recover box office. "We are
still operating in a very limited marketplace,"
says Dergarabedian. He's optimistic that things
will pick up with releases of Paramount's "A
Quiet Place Part II" and Disney's "Cruella" over
Memorial Day weekend.
"Saw" veteran Darren Lynn Bousman directed
"Spiral," which stars Chris Rock, Max Minghella
and Samuel L. Jackson and follows police efforts
to stop a Jigsaw copycat killer. It got mixed
reviews, with Variety's Owen Gleiberman saying
for better or worse, the latest entry stays true
to its graphic, stomach-churning roots. "No,"
Gleiberman wrote, "the 'Saw' series hasn't
really changed. So depending on whether you're a
fan or not, eat up...or throw up."
[to top of second column]
|
 Fans of dismemberment movies
ate well this weekend. Zack Snyder's zombie
movie "Army of the Dead" also arrived on the big
screen, one week before it becomes available on
Netflix. Since the streaming service has a
contentious relationship with cinema owners, the
film only played in 430 locations, far fewer
than its fellow new releases. Netflix, unlike
traditional movie studios, doesn't reveal box
office data. However, rivals estimate that "Army
of the Dead" generated $800,000 over the
weekend, enough to crack the top 10.
"Army of the Dead" came in slightly ahead of
"Profile," a thriller from Focus Features that
follows an undercover British journalist in her
quest to expose a terrorist recruiter through
social media. Despite playing in 2,033 North
American theaters, the movie didn't make much of
a dent and brought in just $670,000.
Elsewhere at the domestic box office, a series
of holdovers rounded out charts. "Wrath of Man,"
a heist thriller starring Jason Statham, slid to
No. 2 in its second weekend of release, adding
$3.7 million from 3,007 theaters. The MGM film
has made $14.6 million in North America to date.
At the international box office, where Miramax
is distributing the movie, "Wrath of Man" has
grossed $41.4 million in total. It opened in
Chinese theaters on Monday and made $7.1 million
in its first three days of release, as well as
another $8.7 million over the weekend, bringing
its tally in China to $18.5 million.
Ranking slightly below "Those Who Wish Me Dead,"
the anime film "Demon Slayer: Mugen Train" and
Disney's "Raya and the Last Dragon" landed in
fourth and fifth place, respectively.
"Demon Slayer" has become an unexpected hit in
the U.S. In its fourth weekend in theaters, the
film collected $1.78 million for a domestic haul
of $41.9 million. Meanwhile, "Raya and the Last
Dragon," which is currently available on Disney
Plus for a premium $30 rental fee, pulled in
$1.71 million in its 11th weekend of release.
That brings its cumulative total to $46 million.
[© 2021 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2021 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content |
