Ryan Reynolds' "Free Guy" Holds #1 Spot for 2nd Weekend

[JamesG]

Ryan Reynolds' Free Guy Beats Expectations, Taking the Top Spot with $28.4M at North American Box Office
by Chris Nashawaty - Box Office News
August 15, 2021


On a weekend that saw the arrival of three new major releases, moviegoers said “Hello, Ryan Reynolds” and “Adios, Suicide Squad” as Free Guy, the irreverent action comedy from 20th Century Studios and Disney, dominated a crowded field, landing at No. 1 at the domestic box office with a stronger-than-expected $28.4 million haul.

As for last week’s champs—that ragtag band of DC Comics antiheroes? They fell off a cliff.





Going into the weekend, expectations for ticket sales were guarded at best. With reported COVID cases spiking higher than they’ve been at any point in the past six months, box-office prognosticators skewed conservative with their predictions.

Would any of the session’s trio of new titles — Free Guy, the Aretha Franklin biopic Respect, and the horror sequel Don’t Breathe 2 —prove muscular enough to topple The Suicide Squad? Or would folks avoid masking up and steer clear of multiplexes all together?

In the end, it turned out that they did show up for the most part, but just not for the films the experts thought.





Originally slated to hit theaters back in July of 2020 before the pandemic forced it back onto the studio’s shelves to gather dust, Free Guy was the frame’s biggest question mark. After all, the title was an unusual box-office unicorn in an era of sequels, prequels, and pre-existing franchise extensions — it was an original concept with a not-insignificant $100 million price tag attached which could only be seen in theaters.

Not to mention that movies revolving around video games have historically been a tough sell. Early estimates for the film had it finishing in the $15-$19 million range. But when all was said and done, Free Guy soared past all of those low-ball predictions, racking up an impressive $29.4 million in North America.





The PG-13-rated film, which costars Jodie Comer and tells the story of a background character in a videogame racing to save his virtual universe before its real-world developers shut it down, earned a healthy $6,818 per-screen average in 4,165 theaters and added another $22.5 million overseas, bringing its first-week worldwide total to $50.9 million.

Strong reviews from critics and a straight ‘A’ grade from audiences via CinemaScore certainly helped. But, no doubt, so did the fact that Free Guy could only be seen on the big-screen for its first 45 days unlike so many other recent blockbusters, which have followed a hybrid release where titles are rolled out simultaneously in theaters and at-home through streaming platforms.

In fact, it was the studio’s first wide theatrical exclusive of 2021. And Disney was so pleased with the film’s early numbers that it is already talking about putting a sequel in the works.







In the runner-up spot was Screen Gems’ belated horror sequel, Don’t Breathe 2. The R-rated follow-up to 2016’s kick-off home invasion thriller (which stars Stephen Lang) pulled in $10.6 million in its opening frame.

While horror films have continued to fare well at the box office during the pandemic, Don’t Breathe 2’s numbers have to be considered especially solid in light of the fact that the film’s budget was only $15 million and that critics gave the film a woeful 51% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.



Still, it fell short of the first chapter’s $26.4 million bow five years ago. That film wound up topping out at $89.2 million domestically and at $157.8 million globally.

Don’t Breathe 2 scared up a $3,527 per-screen average at 3,005 locations and tacked on an additional $3.4 million overseas, bringing it one-week worldwide take to $14 million.







In third was Disney’s Jungle Cruise, which added $9 million in its third weekend. The PG-13-rated white-water adventure starring Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt slid -43.1% from the previous weekend, managing a $2,307 per-screen average at 3,900 locations.

Those third-week numbers now bring the movie’s domestic box-office total to $82.1 million, while its $72.2 million in international receipts pushes its worldwide tally to $154.3 million. Jungle Cruise is also available to Disney+ subscribers for a $30 surcharge.







In fourth was the weekend’s third and final major rookie, Respect. MGM’s PG-13-rated biopic of Aretha Franklin, which stars Jennifer Hudson as the Queen of Soul, bowed to $8.8 million at domestic theaters.

The movie played in 3,207 theaters, which translated to a $2,745 per-screen average. Respect’s numbers have to be a bit of a let-down for MGM considering the film’s $55 million budget. But, while reviews were mixed, the movie did manage an ‘A’ grade from CinemaScore.

There were also some interesting demographic nuggets from the film’s first-week turnout: 48% of its audience was Black and two-thirds of its ticket buyers were over age 35.







Rounding out the top five, in what has to be considered a disappointment by any metric, was last weekend’s box-office heavyweight, The Suicide Squad. Warner Bros.’ R-rated wannabe-blockbuster about a motley crew of colorful antiheroes suffered a freefall drop-off of -70.4% from the previous session, pulling in just under $7.6 million in its sophomore weekend.

While the film is also available on HBO Max, which certainly contributes to the film’s poor week-two performance in theaters, it only was able to grab a $1,928 per-screen average in 4,019 locations.

To date, The Suicide Squad has accrued $42.9 domestically and $75.2 internationally, bringing its global box-office total to $118.1. The film’s reported budget was $185 million.







Finally, one dilemma that will be worth keeping an eye on in the days and weeks ahead is how studios will react to the pandemic’s new wave of Delta-variant infections. Will they keep their titles scheduled for late summer and early fall in place, or will they start reshuffling their release dates like they did during the pandemic’s first wave?

Some early games of musical chairs are already underway as Sony just bounced its Venom: Let There Be Carnage from Sept. 4 to Oct. 15 and Paramount pulled the Sept. 7 release of its Clifford The Big Red Dog from the calendar all together.

https://www.boxofficemojo.com/articl...?ref_=bo_hm_hp







August 13-15, 2021: Weekend Studio Estimates

1. Free Guy $28,400,000
2. Don't Breathe 2 $10,600,000
3. Jungle Cruise $9,000,000 / $82,142,554
4. Respect $8,806,106
5. The Suicide Squad $7,750,000 / $42,884,747
6. Old $2,400,000 / $42,957,640
7. Black Widow $2,000,000 / $178,199,531
8. Stillwater $1,300,000 / $12,542,695
9. The Green Knight $1,163,401 / $14,738,256
10. Space Jam: A New Legacy $1,115,000 / $68,082,738

[JamesG]

Free Guy Holds #1 Spot with $18.8 Million in 2nd Weekend, PAW Patrol Nips at its Heels in 2nd Place
by Chris Nashawaty - Box Office News
August 22, 2021


Despite a handful of splashy, star-studded new releases, Ryan Reynolds’ two-week-old action comedy, Free Guy, held the top spot over the weekend. The irreverent crowd-pleaser from 20th Century Studios and Disney pulled in $18.8 million in its sophomore frame, making it one of the summer’s most encouraging sleeper hits.

Nipping at the heels of Reynolds & Co. with a $13 million second-place opening was Paramount’s PAW Patrol: The Movie —an adaptation of Nickelodeon’s kid-friendly animated TV show about a group of rescue pups whose bark at the box office turned out to be just as mighty as its bite.

The rest of the frame’s newcomers, however, wound up arriving D.O.A.







Just one week after its stronger-than-predicted $28.4 million debut, Free Guy saw a surprisingly small drop-off from the previous session, dipping just -33.8% (it marked the best second-weekend hold of the summer so far).

Part of the reason for its continued grip on audiences is the fact that the film, unlike every other widely-released Disney title this year, was not released simultaneously on the studio’s streaming service, Disney+ (it will only pop up on the platform after unspooling in theaters for 45 days). In other words, if you wanted to see the film, you could only see it in a theater.




Free Guy has strong reviews from critics, a straight ‘A’ CinemaScore grade and has earned a $4,511 per-screen average in 4,165 theaters, bringing its two-week domestic box-office total to $58.8 million.

So far, the film has added another $53.1 million from overseas, bringing its current worldwide cume to $111.9 million.







In the runner-up spot was Paramount’s tyke-targeted ‘toon, PAW Patrol: The Movie. The G-rated spin-off of the hit Nickelodeon kids’ show about a posse of pups who come to the aid of the accident-prone residents of Adventure City, pulled in a Doberman-sized $13 million haul in its opening frame.

That’s a lot of kibble and it well exceeded pre-weekend estimates. While kids’ movies have fared well at the box office throughout pandemic, PAW Patrol’s numbers are especially solid considering that the title was also available via the Paramount+ streaming service.

With its A- CinemaScore, PAW Patrol managed a $4,082 per-screen average at 3,184 locations and has tacked on an additional $21.5 million overseas, bringing it worldwide take to $34.5 million.







Repeating in third place was Disney’s Jungle Cruise, which added $6.2 million in its fourth weekend. The PG-13-rated white-water adventure starring Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt dropped off -31.7% from the previous weekend, earning a $1,742 per-screen average at 3,575 locations.

Those fourth-week numbers now bring the movie’s domestic box-office total to $92.5 million, while its $81.2 million in international receipts gooses its worldwide tally to $173.7 million. Unlike Free Guy, Jungle Cruise is currently available to Disney+ subscribers for a $30 surcharge.







In fourth was Screen Gems’ horror sequel, Don’t Breathe 2. The R-rated follow-up to the highly profitable 2016 invasion thriller (starring Stephen Lang) pulled in slightly more than $5 million in its second weekend, falling a steep -52.5% from the previous weekend.

The fright-flick earned a $1,680 per-screen average in 3,005 theaters and its two-week domestic tally now sits at just under $19.7 million, which is more impressive than it seems in light of the movie’s bargain $15 million budget.

Overseas, Don’t Breathe 2 has added $7.5 million in receipts, bringing its global box-office cume to roughly $27.2 million.







Rounding out the top five was MGM’s Aretha Franklin biopic, Respect. In its second weekend, the PG-13-rated portrait of the Queen of Soul starring Jennifer Hudson took in $3.8 million, which translated to a -56.7% drop off in business from the prior weekend.

The music-fueled film played in 3,207 theaters, which equaled a $1,188 per-screen average. Respect’s shaky numbers have to be a disappointment for MGM considering the film’s $55 million budget. But its ‘A’ grade from CinemaScore means that its older target demo may catch up with it eventually, especially if it can hold on until COVID numbers begin to flatten out.

After two weeks, Respect has raked in $15.1 million domestically and a negligible $569,000 from abroad, putting its worldwide gross at $15.7 million.







Speaking of disappointments, three other newcomers all with Hollywood stars, albeit of varying degrees of wattage, entered the charts well below the top five.

In seventh place with $2.9 million was Lionsgate’s adult action-thriller The Protege, starring Michael Keaton, Maggie Q, and Samuel L. Jackson.

In eighth place with $2.86 million was Searchlight’s ghost story The Night House, starring Rebecca Hall.

In ninth place — and the biggest bust by far — was Warner Bros. sci-fi thriller Reminiscence, starring Hugh Jackman and Rebecca Ferguson. While Reminiscence probably did lose some of its audience to its day-and-date release on HBO Max, its $2 million debut has to sting no matter how you try to rationalize it.

https://www.boxofficemojo.com/articl...?ref_=bo_hm_hp







August 20-22, 2021: Weekend Studio Estimates

1. Free Man $18,790,000 / $58,812,975
2. PAW Patrol: The Movie $13,000,000
3. Jungle Cruise $6,230,000 / $92,543,828
4. Don't Breathe 2 $5,050,000 / $19,672,202
5. Respect $3,810,742 / $15,113,605
6. The Suicide Squad $3,410,000 / $49,271,711
7. The Protege $2,935,000
8. The Night House $2,869,000
9. Reminiscence $2,000,000
10. Black Widow $1,157,000 / $180,211,043