New Movies October 9: Pan Challenges The Martian
by EG
On its opening weekend last week, The Martian came just over a million dollars short of setting a new record for the best ever October opening for a new film. Critics and audiences alike have nothing but good things to say about the movie, so this week's single new wide release is going to have a tough time competing with its holdover power.
That new wide release is Pan, a new film based on the Peter Pan story and starring Hugh Jackman, Mara Rooney and a few others. Pan is a big-budget spectacle film, and it's been receiving unkind reviews ahead of its release, making it seem unlikely that it has any chance at a successful opening weekend.
The Martian took in over $55 million last weekend, and a second-weekend take of even half that much will probably be enough to beat Pan. The new film will also have strong holdovers Hotel Transylvania 2 and Sicario to contend with. The Walk, which debuted in IMAX theaters last week, will expand into wide release this week, and although The Walk's first-weekend performance was disappointing, it will give Pan one more competitor to worry about, too.