The movie ‘Smile 2’ opened with $23 million and ‘We Live in Time’ made $4 million

SUNDAY AM Writethru: Based on Saturday’s post, Paramount’s $28 million production Smile 2 is doing quite well. It opened with $23 million, or 1.6 million admissions, according to EntTellgence, after a strong $9 point 4 million Friday and an excellent $8 point 1 million Saturday (a 15 percent hold against previews/Friday!) and a B CinemaScore. This performs better than the B- on the previous one and is slightly better than the $202 million opening weekend of that 2022 film.

Before the storms of the Skydance merger, the Melrose lot had some good times. On Friday night, they fully unveiled Gladiator II to members of the press and actors branch, and based on the audience’s reaction, for the entire two and a half hours of the film, nobody dared to go to the bathroom. Overall, they were ecstatic. Smile 2 is the fourth number one film from Paramount. This year’s top opening titles are Bob Marley: One Love and IF, which came out before Mean Girls.

Naomi Scott, who starred in Smile 2 (the second No. 1), was spotted by us last night at the Academy Museum Gala. The actress, represented by CAA, has one opening title. “The communal experience of watching that movie, it’s such a roller coaster ride and it gives you everything you want from a horror movie, but it’s also a character piece, so you are really engaged the whole way through, and it’s very unhinged, it’s fun, and I just love what Parker did and I love that people are loving it,” she said, discussing how well the Parker Finn-directed and -written film was received. “.

Head of Paramount Domestic Distribution Chris Aronson beamingly said, “Parker really took the Smile universe into the galaxy as opposed to the solar system. He’s a visionary director.”. He’s taken complete control of Smile and produced something truly unique. “.

A campaign featuring Scott’s character, popstar Skye Riley, was launched in real life to promote Smile 2. It featured posters, billboards, and chalk stencil art all over Los Angeles, hinting at an upcoming single. Smile 2’s campaign was unveiled by the art on the day the trailer debuted. Both a music video and a lyric video for the single “Grieved You” were released simultaneously. Last week, on October 11, the entire Smile 2 EP became available on DSPs. Also, Smile added personalized artwork to the brat wall that Charli XCX made famous.

Smiling actors peered down from hotel and office windows at onlookers in a multi-city stunt that took place in Austin, New York City, Miami, Chicago, Mexico City, London, and Los Angeles.

Like Terrifier 3, Smile 2 featured a movie-themed bundle in which players could play as characters wearing the eerie smile. This was a nod to the Call of Duty X fan base.

Smile 2 collaborated with Valas, a Latin-owned fashion brand, to create a capsule collection of items that offer a distinct take on the brand’s iconic smile iconography, in an effort to appeal to Latino and Hispanic moviegoers. Some of the largest influencers in the Latino community received and wore the collaboration as gifts.

Nearly a third of all foot traffic this weekend, according to EntTelligence, was accounted for by Smile 2, which was followed by Terrifier 3 with 13 percent and Wild Robot at 16 percent. Naturally, the most popular showing times for this horror sequel were in the evenings, with 71% of viewers staying after 5 PM.

Based on updated Screen Engine/Comscore PostTrak exits, Smile 2 has received three stars. Men over 25 made up 31% of the audience for the R-rated film (up from 28% on Smile), women under 25 made up 22% (up from 20% on part one), and men under 25 made up 24% of the audience. The percentage for those aged 18 to 34 is almost 70%, which is approximately what the first survey collected. In terms of diversity, the demos showed that 40% of participants were Caucasian, 35% were Latino and Hispanic (both better than the first), 15% were Black, and 7% were Asian. The demographic of 18 to 34 accounted for 70% of business. PLFs accounted for 36% of ticket sales. Walk-up sales are excellent, with 67% of customers purchasing tickets on the same day. Thirty-four percent came because it’s a beloved franchise.

The happiest smile is Smile 2, which is found from coast to coast in the East, South, South Central, and West. Only 8% of the film’s locations were in Canada, yet the country accounted for nearly 10% of the sequel’s revenue. Until Saturday, the movie’s highest grossing location is the Regal Times sq\., which brought in $47,000. Detroit, Toronto, LA, NYC, Chicago, NJ, Detroit, and Montreal are the main markets that over-indexed. Los Angeles, New York City, Phoenix, Phoenix, Orlando, Baltimore, Miami, Pharr, Texas, Fresno, and Sacramento were the top markets.

With 154 point 4 million followers on TikTok, X, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube before its debut, Smile 2’s social media reach surpassed that of Saw X (134 million) and The Nun II (149 point 8 million), according to analytics company RelishMix. Smile 2’s trailers had an 11 to 1 repost rate, indicating that a $20 million or more opening was in store for this film.

Positive feedback, as reported by RelishMix: “Many viewers of the 2022 horror movie who are looking forward to Parker Finn’s next installment are enjoying the new focus and direction of the suspense in this follow-up, stating that ‘I feel like the first Smile took on the psychological aspect of the curse, a full-on horror.'”. The fact that this evil spirit can possess young children is unsettling. This feels just as terrifying but has more social overtones. “The fear endures,” the person said, “Smile 1 was my favorite horror film when it came out.”. ‘”.

After last weekend’s debacle, there is still positive news for adult filmgoers. Studio Canal and A24’s We Live in Time made $4.18M for a $4,2K theater average. Additionally, NEON’s exclusive six theater production of Cannes Palme D’Or winner Sean Baker’s Anora is looking very hot right now, and it is expected to make an estimated $540K at six theaters, which is the second-best opening theater average post-Covid at $90K (after Asteroid City’s $142,2K). The film is selling a lot of tickets at AMC Century City, Grove and Burbank in Los Angeles, as well as at Lincoln Center, Angelika NY, Alamo Brooklyn, and NYC. Remarkably, this surpasses Searchlight’s Kinds of Kindness, which opened with a $75,4K theater average, as the best theater average of the year thus far. On Rotten Tomatoes, Anora has 98 percent certified fresh reviews, which is extremely positive.

“We’re extremely excited about this weekend’s record-breaking results and the fantastic critical and audience response to Sean Baker’s Palme d’Or-winning film, Anora,” said Elissa Federoff, executive director of NEON Distribution. Director Baker is a unique individual who knows the value of watching movies in a theater and the potency of the theatrical experience. Mikey Madison’s outstanding performance as Anora, along with the movie’s strong potential for awards, ensure that the film will continue to captivate a large audience well into the fall. “.

In terms of the magic of We Live in Time, audiences outside of cities are finding the British romance to be most appealing in the West, South, and Mountains. It was $1.08 million on Friday. Rotten Tomatoes gives the audience a whopping 94 percent rating.

Disney has Hocus Pocus, which opened in 1993, reopened at 1,480 locations. It made $287K on Friday and is expected to gross $841K over the course of three days. This brings the comedy starring Kathy Najimy, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Bette Midler to a lifetime total of $50.2M by Sunday.

Michael Keaton and Mila Kunis’s $650K dramedy Goodrich failed at 1,055 theaters for almost $616 per location in its first weekend of release, according to Ketchup Entertainment. The movie featured amazing exits, as we told you on Friday.

The overall weekend haul of $71.3M is down 15% from the $33M+ taken in weekend 2 of last year’s Taylor Swift: Eras Tour, despite a strong start by Smile 2 and a strong hold by Wild Robot in weekend 4 at -28 percent or $10.1M and a $101.7M take by Sunday. Swift and Five Nights at Freddy’s, which ended up becoming the highest grossing horror movie of the year, helped October 2023 put up strong comps despite the strikes that rocked the box office last autumn.

Updated Sunday figures:.

Remaining:.

1,131 (-609) theaters showing The Apprentice (Briar); Friday, $193K; Saturday, $270K; Sunday, $217K; three-day, $680K (-58 percent); total, $3.25M/week 2.

1,590 (-255) theaters, Friday $180K, Saturday $277K, Sunday $193K, three-day $650K (-78 percent), Total $4.6M/Week 2. My Hero Academia: You’re Next (Toho).

Significant things are expected from the combined strength of these businesses in the anime and Japanese genre space, as evidenced by Toho’s acquisition of US company GKids. The Boy and the Heron, directed by Hayao Miyazaki, became the highest grossing original anime film in the United States last year with a total of $46.8 million, while Toho’s Godzilla Minus One brought in $56.4 million.

FRIDAY PM: Smile 2, which will open to $22 million following an $8.8M Friday that included previews, is expected to demonstrate the resilience of Paramount’s Smile franchise. 3,610 theaters have reserved the film. Others also perceive it at this level. As of yet, no RT audience score.

With approximately $1.75 million today, $4.03 million over the weekend, and a total of $4.06 million by EOD Sunday at 955 theaters, A24’s romantic drama We Live in Time is storming into the top five. Regarding the Florence Pugh-Andrew Garfield kleenex film, Rotten Tomatoes reviewers have given it an 80% fresh certification. There would be a $4,500 cost per theater.

Thank heaven for that. The worry was that the future of adult-oriented films appeared bleak for a brief period following the deep-sixing of three highly acclaimed films: The Apprentice, pc\. by pc\., and Saturday Night. During its wide release at 2,308 theaters, or $3.4M, Saturday Night only made $1,400 per theater last weekend.

Remaining in second place at 3,820 screens for weekend four, DreamWorks Animation and Universal’s The Wild Robot managed a $2.65M Friday, $10M three-day, -29 percent, and a running total of $101.6M. If that happens, it will be DWA’s second film to reach the 100th mark this year, following Kung Fu Panda 4. Why is this original animated film so controversial? A head of a competing distribution studio claims, “It’s emotional and audiences connect with it, and they know the book very well.”.

Terrifier 3, which has 2,762 screens reserved for it, is expected to gross $2,5 million on Friday and $7,5 million to $8 million on Saturday, a decrease of 58 percent. The 10-day total is $34.9M at the upper end.

With a seventh Friday of $1.44 million, a seventh weekend of $5.01 million, a 30 percent drop, and a running total of $284 million, Warner Bros.’s holding-like-a-rock Beetlejuice Beetlejuce at 3,251 sites ranks fourth. Digital copies of the film can be purchased or rented.

Previously, on Friday morning, Paramount’s Smile 2 earned $2.55 million during Thursday night’s previews, which started at 5 p.m. M. at 3,000 venues, a half-million more than the number from the 2022 film’s trailer. The initial Smile moved on to a $22 point 6 million opening and eventually legged out to $105 point 9 million.

Smile 2’s presales had predicted a high-teens showing at this weekend’s domestic box office; however, maybe Paramount executives will be grinning and the sequel does better. This weekend, Smile 2 will be playing on every PLF screen, while Warner Bros.’ Joker: Folie à Deux will be showing in Imax theaters.

Fans’ PostTrak exits from Smile 2 last night are at 3 1/2 stars and 71 percent positive, and the film has an 85 percent critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes, making it a certified fresh. Last night’s audience demographics were led by Latinos and Hispanics (36%) and followed by Caucasians (40%) Black moviegoers (11%) and Asian Americans (7%).

The sequel debuts on 3,619 screens today. Returning for the $28 million sequel is Smile architect Parker Finn. In the film, Naomi Scott, who played Aladdin, plays a pop singer on tour who has a strange ability to see smiles on people.

Smile 2’s initial revenue is comparable to Blumhouse/Universal’s Tuesday preview of The First Purge, which brought in $2.5M in 2018 before going on to gross $17.3M over three days and $31.2M over five.

On Thursday, Cineverse’s unexpected Terrifier 3 earned $1.05 million, or 16 percent, of its first week’s gross of $26.9 million, according to industry estimates.

We Live in Time, an A24 film that is being gradually expanded, made $500,000 in previews last night before opening in 955 theaters this weekend. On Rotten Tomatoes, the romantic drama starring Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh scored 98 percent from viewers. Hopefully, this film will be a huge hit at the box office and mark the beginning of another romantic comedy comeback. After bowing at $225,900 in five New York City and Los Angeles theaters on its opening weekend, the John Crowley-directed film is currently bringing in $820K domestically.