Box Office Preview: Another Quiet Weekend on the Way
by EG
According to The Hollywood Reporter, this weekend is shaping up to be even quieter at the box office than last week was.
Via The Hollywood Reporter–
The dog days of August are just that at the U.S. box office.
This weekend, a trio of smaller offerings enter the fray — The Weinstein Co.'s animated Leap!, martial arts pic Birth of the Dragon and All Saints, a faith-based film from Sony's Affirm label that is only opening in 700-plus locations. Even if they do solid business in their own right, tracking shows Leap! grossing the most of the three, or $4 million-$5 million, as summer revenue slips even farther behind from last year.
The Hitman's Bodyguard, Lionsgate's action comedy starring Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson, is tipped to stay atop the chart in its sophomore outing after debuting to $21.4 million last weekend.
The end of August is often quiet in terms of moviegoing, but this year is particularly bleak. Last weekend was the lowest-grossing frame of the year to date, and this weekend is going to be even worse. As it stands now, domestic summer revenue is down more than 13 percent.
Leap!, opening in approximately 2,570 theaters, hopes to benefit from being the only new family offering in the marketplace. The film tells the story of an 11-year-old orphan, voiced by Elle Fanning, who dreams of becoming a ballet dancer. She teams up with a young inventor named Victor, and together they pursue their passions in 19th century Paris, where the Eiffel Tower is still under construction. Along the way, they encounter such characters as a devious classmate (Maddie Ziegler) and a tough but encouraging mentor (Carly Rae Jepsen).
An homage to Bruce Lee's movies, Birth of the Dragon is from Blumhouse's micro-budgeted genre label BH Tilt and will play in 1,600 theaters. The company said an opening in the $3 million range would be a win.
The film, which is directed by George Nolfi, is a fictionalized account of when Lee challenged kung fu master Wong Jack Man to a fight in the mid-1960s in San Francisco. The movie stars Hong Kong-born actor and martial artist Philip Ng, Xia Yu, Billy Magnussen, Qu Jingjing, Jin Xing and Simon Yin. BH Tilt's marketing campaign included a robust screening program in Asian-American markets.
It won't be the only fight-centric offering. On Saturday night a live broadcast of the showdown between world boxing champion Floyd Mayweather and UFC megastar Conor McGregor will play in 500 theaters in the U.S. via Fathom Events and Mayweather Productions.
Check out the rest of the story at The Hollywood Reporter.
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