Super Bowl Weekend Set to Be Very Quiet at the Box Office
by EG
Only one new movie is going to try to compete with the Super Bowl this weekend, the thriller Miss Bala. Holdovers Glass and The Upside have faded fast since their winning debuts, and they're unlikely to draw many new moviegoers out into the cold when there's football to watch inside. Read on for more predictions.
Super Bowl LIII is likely to sack moviegoing this weekend, following a dismal January at the domestic box office.
The weekend of the big football game is traditionally slow at the mulitplex, and 2019 isn't expected to be an exception as February gets underway.
The sole new nationwide offering is Sony's Miss Bala, a remake of the Spanish-language film of the same name. The $15 million action-thriller, directed by Catherine Hardwicke and starring Gina Rodriguez, is tracking to open in the $6 million-$10 million range.
Miss Bala centers on a young woman who seeks revenge on the drug cartel that kidnapped her friend. Ismael Cruz Cordova and Anthony Mackie co-star.
Following a record year at the North American box office, revenue slipped sharply in January to an estimated $810 million, the worst showing in six years and down by as much as 15 percent over January 2018.
Several films disappointed, including The Kid Who Would Be King and Serenity, both of which bombed last weekend in their debuts.
The biggest grosser of the month was Aquaman, which first hit theaters in December before earning another $118 million in January.
M. Night Shyamalan's Glass ($75 million to date) is the top earner among January releases, followed by Kevin Hart-Bryan Cranston dramedy, The Upside ($64 million to date).
Get the rest of the story at The Hollywood Reporter.
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