In their Super Bowl tradition, the major Hollywood studios sat on the sidelines over the weekend. Only one new low-cost movie, the horror-themed “Winchester,” arrived in wide release, an effort by a small film company to counterprogram the big game by going after female ticket buyers.
That left two holdovers to lead the box office. “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” (Sony Pictures) reclaimed the No. 1 spot, selling about $11 million in tickets at North American theaters, for a seven-week domestic total of $352.6 million, according to comScore, which compiles box office data.
It is almost unheard-of for a movie to continue to perform so strongly so late in its run.
“Maze Runner: The Death Cure” (20th Century Fox) was second, collecting an estimated $10.2 million, for a two-week total of $39.8 million.
Third was “Winchester,” inspired by the true story of Sarah Winchester, a firearm heiress who, in the early 1900s, came to believe that people killed by the Winchester rifle were haunting her labyrinthine house.
The film took in roughly $9.3 million, a bit more than analysts were expecting before release. Critics eviscerated the movie, which stars Helen Mirren, but ticket buyers gave it a B-minus grade in CinemaScore exit polls, a relatively good result for the horror genre.
CBS Films paid $3.5 million for the rights to “Winchester,” which was distributed by Lionsgate. Founded in 2007, CBS Films aims to release about four modestly priced movies a year. It focuses on counterprogramming.
For instance, the last CBS Films effort, the action thriller “American Assassin,” arrived in September, a month when competitors mostly focus on more serious genres as students return to school. “American Assassin,” the lone CBS Films wide release in 2017, took in a soft $36.2 million. Ticket sales were likely hindered by “It,” which became an unexpected blockbuster for Warner Bros.
“Winchester” did not perform like a typical horror movie. Ticket sales increased from Friday to Saturday; horror movies often drop after opening day.
Horror also tends to appeal primarily to teenage girls. But women over the age of 25 — the line that marks “older” ticket buyers in Hollywood’s view (yes, really) — made up 64 percent of the opening-weekend audience for “Winchester,” CBS Films said.
Casting veteran actresses in horror movies has become a trend. The Oscar-winning Mirren is 72. Lin Shaye, 74, anchored the recent “Insidious: The Last Key.” Another Oscar winner, Octavia Spencer, 45, was just cast as the lead in “Ma,” a coming film from the Blumhouse horror factory.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
In their Super Bowl tradition, the major Hollywood studios sat on the sidelines over the weekend. Only one new low-cost movie, the horror-themed “Winchester,” arrived in wide release, an effort by a small film company to counterprogram the big game by going after female ticket buyers. Read Full Story
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