Sat Oct 19 19:50:00 UTC 2024: **Summary of Recent Box Office News:**

1. **Smile 2 Opening**:
– Paramount’s horror film “Smile 2” had a successful opening weekend with $23M, surpassing projections after a $9.4M opening Friday.
– The film received a B CinemaScore, better than the B- of the original film.
– Audience demographics showed diversity, with 31% of ticket buyers being men over 25, and a majority (70%) of attendees aged 18-34.

2. **Social Media Impact**:
– “Smile 2” had a significant social media presence pre-launch, reaching 154.4M followers, surpassing competitors like “Saw X” and “The Nun II”.
– Positive word of mouth highlighted fans’ appreciation of the sequel’s new direction and suspense elements.

3. **Other Notable Releases**:
– A24’s “We Live in Time” is performing well with an estimated $4.3M opening and high audience scores (94%).
– Sean Baker’s “Anora”, debuted in six theaters with a strong average of $105K, and is getting solid reviews (98% on Rotten Tomatoes).

4. **Weekend Box Office Totals**:
– Overall weekend revenue is down 15% compared to the previous year, estimated at $71.3M, influenced by competition like “Taylor Swift: Eras Tour” and other hits.
– Other films, like “Wild Robot” and “Beetlejuice”, continued to do well, with “Wild Robot” surpassing $100M total.

5. **Lower Performers**:
– Ketchup Entertainment’s “Goodrich” opened weakly with $600K across 1,055 theaters.
– “The Apprentice” and “My Hero Academia: You’re Next” also saw significant declines in box office performance in their second weekends.

This weekend highlights the resilience of horror and romantic dramas, with “Smile 2” and “We Live in Time” showing good results despite overall box office declines.

Read More