Of course, the dashing super spy wasn’t exactly facing off against Ernst Stavro Blofeld.
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The new releases at the multiplex this weekend were no match for 007. That puts it domestic total at more than $82 million. The Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Eon Productions film carries a $250 million price tag and has to gross at least $650 million to break even. The film is now heading for a $35 million weekend, after falling behind Skyfall during its debut.
Should my prediction for Spectre hold true, Bond could be risking a second place finish as 007 narrowly edged out The Peanuts Movie for #1 on Veteran’s Day. I’m expecting something in the range of a 57% drop for a $30.2 million second weekend before the big competition arrives next weekend in the form of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2.
Not even two of the biggest stars in the world could keep “By the Sea” afloat. The French-flavored movie, which stars real-life spouses Jolie Pitt and Brad Pitt as a couple coming apart, took in more than $95,000 in ticket sales, nearly $40,000 below its first weekend projections, for a per-screen average of about $9,500. But the pleasures of voyeurism extend only so far. Universal, the studio behind the picture, pegs the budget at US$10 million, but industry figures believe the cost of the picture is higher, citing its extended shoot in Malta. The 33, My All American and Love the Coopers are all projected below $10 million, although perhaps The 33 and Love the Coopers can get closer to the $10 million side with a boost.
“Love the Coopers”, starring Diane Keaton, Alan Arkin, Olivia Wilde, John Goodman and Amanda Seyfried, is aiming for older audiences looking for a few Christmas cheer.
Warner Bros. and Alcon Entertainment’s “The 33” is a Hollywood dramatization of a 2010 Chilean mining accident that left 33 people trapped underground for 69 days. Reviews haven’t been great (the film has a 35 percent on Rotten Tomatoes), and The 33 is expected to open stateside between $8 million and $10 million for the weekend in about 2,400 theaters.
Yup, it’s one of those weeks when the box office is so top-heavy that a Bollywood film in 286 theaters is able to make it into the top ten with $700,000 earned on Friday. The audience was 51% female and 73% over 25. The film, starring Finn Whitrock and Aaron Eckhart, had hoped to snag the faith-based crowds that made “War Room” and “God’s Not Dead” hits, but struggled to complete the play. Back in 2012, Skyfall fell about 54 percent in its second weekend, and if Spectre performs similarly, it’ll bring in about $32.4 million. The Matt Damon sci-fier has crossed the $200 million mark on the domestic side.
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Expanding to 60 theaters, Tom McCarthy’s acclaimed “Spotlight”, about the Boston Globe investigation into Catholic priest sex abuse, pulled in $1.4 million with a per-screen average of $23,307 for Open Road Films. Its cume has hit $1.8 million.
