The movie earned $5.2 million from 2,931 theaters, putting it behind Nicholas Sparks’ film adaptation The Choice, which took in $6.1 million from 2,631 locations.
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An ode to Hollywood of yesteryear, Hail, Caesar! stars George Clooney as a 1950s Hollywood star who is kidnapped from set and held for ransom.
The 30-second spot, which will air during the 3rd quarter of the CBS broadcast, features characters from DreamWorks Animation’s “Kung Fu Panda 3” wondering how to promote Mr. Ping’s Noodle Shop, and opting to start with a Wix website.
Fourth was “The Finest Hours”, a rescue-at-sea drama that made US$10.3 million on its debut weekend.
The biggest new release this weekend will probably be the 19th century horror-comedy “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies”, which could open to $12 million or more, according to people who have reviewed pre-release tracking surveys.
The movie, produced by the Coens and Working Title Films, cost $22 million to make.
Sony Pictures, which is releasing the movie under its Screen Gems label, is anticipating a more conservative $8 million to $9 million.
Lionsgate’s The Choice nabbed a B+ CinemaScore. The weepy romance starring Benjamin Walker and Teresa Palmer pulled an abysmal 6% positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, although a much more promising 64% from audiences. The Choice also stars Maggie Grace, Alexandria Daddario, Tom Welling and Tom Wilkinson.
“Star Wars: The Force Awakens”, kept up its blockbuster run for a seventh week, pulling in another US$11.1 million. The weekend tally thrusts “Force” past the $900 million mark – and to a new cumulative USA total of $906.0 million.
The sequel’s premiere did not live up to the box office bonanza of its first and second installments, which earned 60.2 million and 47.6 million respectively in 2008 and 2011.
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And Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s awards frontrunner The Revenant crossed the $300 million globally, a strong showing considering the gritty subject matter. “Dear John”, for instance, opened on that weekend in 2010, and Jennifer Lopez’s “The Wedding Planner” was released opposite the Big Game in 2001.
