Pacific Rim: Uprising is the sequel to Guillermo Del Toro’s 2013 film, which “almost” broke even ($411 worldwide versus a production cost of $190 million). Uprising, which stars John Boyega (Star Wars: The Force Awakens, etc.), cost a bit less to produce ($155 million), but it also opened weaker in the U.S. than Del Toro’s film ($28 million vs. $37 million). Uprising, which is long on action-packed special effects, but a bit short on narrative, received mediocre reviews (46% positive on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes), and a mediocre “B” CinemaScore from opening weekend audiences, which were well balanced by age (53% over 25), but skewed heavily male (68%). Caucasians made up 52% of the crowd, followed by Hispanics (20%), and then African-Americans and Asians (both 11%).
Foreign audiences accounted for 75.2% of the revenue for Del Toro’s 2013 Pacific Rim, and Stephen DeKnight’s Pacific Rim: Uprising is going to need even more success outside of North America to get in the black. Uprising did earn $122.4 million overseas this weekend, led by $65 million in China, so it is still possible that foreign markets will be able to make up for what would appear to be a weak run here in North America that is not likely to amount to more than $70 million.
After five weeks at number one, Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther slipped to #2 as it earned $16.65 million to bring its domestic cumulative to $630.9 million. Black Panther is now the number one superhero film in the North American market (not adjusted for inflation) as it soared past Joss Whedon’s Avengers ($623 million). Even when adjusting for rising ticket prices, Black Panther is now #4 (soon to become #3) trailing only Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man ($638 million adjusted), Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight ($684 million adjusted), and Whedon’s Avengers ($705 million adjusted).
Globally Black Panther has now earned $1.237 billion, and it has passed Iron Man 3 to become the third biggest global earner in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, trailing just the two Avengers films. Will T’Challa’s appearance in the upcoming Avengers: Infinity War help that superhero team-up film keep up the franchise’s sterling box office record?
Yes the past two weeks have been lackluster at the box office, but still the performance of the religiously-themed I Can Only Imagine, which traces the origin of an extremely popular Christian rock song, is impressive. Finishing #3 for the second week in a row, I Can Only Imagine dropped just 19% as it earned $13.8 million, bringing its 10-day total to $38 million.
The animated Sherlock Gnomes debuted with a disappointing $10.6 million. Spring break vacations over the next few weeks might help, and the film did receive an OK “B+” CinemaScore from opening weekend audiences, but this MGM release will have to demonstrate great “legs” just to break even.
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Weekend Box Office (Studio Estimates): March 23-25, 2018 |
||||||
|
Film |
Weekend Gross |
Screens |
Avg./Screen |
Total Gross |
Wk# |
|
|
1 |
Pacific Rim Uprising |
$28,003,000 |
3,708 |
$7,552 |
$28,003,000 |
1 |
|
2 |
Black Panther |
$16,658,000 |
3,370 |
$4,943 |
$630,916,236 |
6 |
|
3 |
I Can Only Imagine |
$13,837,495 |
2,253 |
$6,142 |
$38,316,986 |
2 |
|
4 |
Sherlock Gnomes |
$10,600,000 |
3,662 |
$2,895 |
$10,600,000 |
1 |
|
5 |
Tomb Raider |
$10,430,000 |
3,854 |
$2,706 |
$41,748,108 |
2 |
|
6 |
A Wrinkle in Time |
$8,044,000 |
3,423 |
$2,350 |
$73,886,607 |
3 |
|
7 |
Love, Simon |
$7,800,000 |
2,434 |
$3,205 |
$23,695,601 |
2 |
|
8 |
Paul, Apostle of Christ |
$5,000,000 |
1,473 |
$3,394 |
$5,000,000 |
1 |
|
9 |
Game Night |
$4,160,000 |
1,866 |
$2,229 |
$60,813,535 |
5 |
|
10 |
Midnight Sun |
$4,119,000 |
2,173 |
$1,896 |
$4,119,000 |
1 |
Warner Bros.’ rebooted Tomb Raider finished in fifth as it fell off 56% from its disappointing debut, earning just $10.4 million to bring its North American total to $41.7 million. Internationally the film is doing much better, adding $34 million for an overseas total of $170 million.
Ana DuVernay’s A Wrinkle in Time fell to sixth as it earned $8 million to bring its domestic total to $73.9 million, while Greg Berlanti’s coming-of-age saga Love, Simon dropped just 33.7% as it earned $7.8 million to bring the $17 million production’s domestic total to $23.7 million.
Debuting in eighth place was Sony’s faith-based biopic Paul, Apostle of Christ, which was clearly outshone by I Can Only Imagine. Paul earned just $5 million and will face additional competition from a God Is Not Dead sequel opening next weekend.
Equally disappointing was the debut of the teen romance Midnight Sun, which earned just $4.1 million from over 2,100 theaters. The good news for Midnight Sun is that it did reach its target demographic and spring break is coming up. Midnight Sun earned a solid “A-“ CinemaScore from opening weekend audiences that skewed heavily female (80%) and younger (66% under 25).
Even worse was the debut of the best reviewed new film, Steven Soderbergh’s Unsane, which has a 78% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but earned just $3.9 million from over 2,000 venues, and received a lousy “B-“ CinemaScore from opening weekend crowds that were not pleased with the first feature film ever shot completely on an iPhone 7.
Mention should be made of Wes Anderson’s stop motion-animated Isle of Dogs. Anderson is one of few “art film” directors who has shown the potential to create solid mid-range hits, and Isle of Dogs earned an impressive $1.57 million from just 27 theaters for an average of $51,458 per screen. Fox Searchlight will add 22 theaters next weekend, and Isle of Dogs will go nationwide in mid-April.
Be sure and check back here next week to see if Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of the video game-themed Ready Player One, which had a smash showing at South by Southwest, can revive a box office that has sagged in the wake Black Panther’s record-setting Q1 debut.
