It helps when a studio has a mass-appealing movie during a heat wave-laden and rainstorm-soaked weekend, and that is what’s going on here for Disney/Pixar’s Inside Out 2, which is heading to a historic second frame for an animated movie with $100M per Disney. If that number sticks, it’s a -35% second-weekend ease, which is exceptional for any kind of tentpole.
Not only does that beat the best second weekend for an animated movie, that being previously Illumination/Universal’s Super Mario Bros Movie ($92.3M), but it’s the best second weekend since Barbie‘s $93M during late July, and it’s the 7th best second weekend ever (and one of a few) to cross $100M after Force Awakens ($149.2M), Avengers: Endgame ($147.3M), Avengers: Infinity War ($114.7m), Black Panther ($111.6M), Jurassic World ($106.5M) and The Avengers ($103M).
Note that Disney’s projections for a $100M second weekend stem from the current extreme temperatures and weather conditions. With Louisiana swamp humidity in NYC and 90-degree temperatures in LA, the notion is that many will take safe harbor in air-conditioned theaters. However, if today eases 25% off Saturday’s $38.5M, Inside Out 2 stays in the $98M range, which is still an animated second-frame record and the best since Barbie.
Meanwhile, Focus Features did a very good job with Regency’s male-skewing The Bikeriders, landing the Jeff Nichols-directed movie at $10M in third place. This is a respectable result for a wide-release arthouse title in a marketplace still licking its wounds from two strikes and Covid, and this Austin Butler movie isn’t exactly Elvis in its story of a brutal motorcycle gang. That’s right in the range of the movie’s comps: Ahead of Lionsgate’s The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare at $8.9M, and just below Regency/Focus’ The Northman $12.2M. Northman ended its run at $34.2M domestic, while Ministry stopped at $20.5M. The Jeff Nicols-directed film brought in older audiences in places like Phoenix, Sacramento, and Austin, which are outstripping their normal market share.
Vertical’s widest release ever of The Exorcism at 2,240 locations posted $946K Friday and $853K Saturday for a $2.4M opening in 7th place.
Magnolia, like Vertical and IFC, is taking big swings with wide releases. They were passionate about the June Squibb comedy Thelma, snatched it up at Sundance, making it the widest release in the distributor’s history at 1,290 theaters and a $2.2M result in 9th place after an $830K Saturday. They promoted on social media after seeing how the film played to those under 45, did a screening program with AARP who bought out theaters for members and reached older demos via ads on ad-supported streamers like Peacock and Hulu as well as cable boxes. In the summer of 2018, Magnolia excited an older demo with the documentary RBG, which grossed $14M. Maybe we see a similar vibe with Thelma.
Speaking of arthouse, a great job here by Searchlight with the three-hour Yorgos Lanthimos-directed Kinds of Kindness. The Emma Stone-Jesse Plemons movie did $350K at five NYC and LA locations for a $70K per screen, which is the best so far YTD. Lanthimos’ Poor Things opened in nine locations during the second weekend of December, posting $661K and a per screen of $73,4K. Next weekend, the movie goes to 500 locations in Chicago, Boston, Dallas, DC, Portland, Orlando, Toronto, Vancouver, and more.
The chart:
1.) Inside Out 2 (Dis) 4,440 Fri $30.5M Sat $38.5M Sun $31M 3-day $100M (-35%), Total $355.1M/Wk
2.) Bad Boys Ride or Die (Sony) 3781 (-104) theaters, Fri $5.3M Sat $7.8M Sun $5.5M, 3-day $18.7M (-44%) Total $146.9M/Wk 3
3.) The Bikeriders (Foc) 2,642 theaters, Fri $4.1M Sat $3.2M Sun $2.7M, 3-day $10M/Wk 1
4.) Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (20th) 2,410 (-190) theaters, Fri $1M Sat $1.49M Sun $1.1M 3-day $3.7M (-33%), Total $164.4M/Wk 7
5.) Garfield Movie (Sony) 3,013 (-398) theaters Fri $1m Sat $1.4M Sun $1M 3-day $3.6M (-23%) Total $85.1M/ Wk 5
6.) IF (Par) 2,504 (-502) theaters Fri $790K Sat $1.1M Sun $880K 3-day $2.77M (-23%) Total $106.6M/Wk 6
7.) The Exorcism (Vert) 2,240 theaters, Fri $946K, Sat $853K Sun $640K, 3 day $2.43M/Wk 1
8.) Ghost: Rite Here Rite Now (Traf) 751 theaters, 3-day $2.39M/Wk 1
9.) Thelma (Mag) 1,290 theaters, Fri $730K Sat $830K Sun $640K 3-day $2.2M/Wk 1
10.) The Watchers (WB) 2,423 (-928) theaters, Fri $575K Sat $780K Sun $585K 3-day $1.94M (-45%) Total $17.7M/Wk 3