SATURDAY AM: No need to change tires here, because Apple Original Films‘ F1 via Warner Bros is still zooming around the track with a massive $140M global opening we hear, not only the best ever for the streamer that embraced theatrical, but also a record start for a Brad Pitt movie ahead of World War Z‘s global launch.
How that breaks out (no pun intended): $85M overseas debut and $55M 3-day. Note rivals are seeing F1 going off course to $56M-$58M. There’s bound to be more gas in the tank today for F1 with hot audience exits A CinemaScore here (the second back-to-back for producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Joseph Kosinski who landed an A+ on Top Gun: Maverick), 5 Stars PostTrak at 92%, and an amazing 78% definite recommend, the most powerful odometer as far as moviegoers’ reactions go. Stand up and applause once again for Warner Bros in launching an original movie post Sinners, something they’ve been masters at going back to the Christopher Nolan movies. Great films find their way through the noise.
Stateside, PLFs and Imax are driving 58% of F1 with Imax alone contributing 25%. Huge. Remember that whole stigma about moviegoers turning their noses up to racing car movies? Throw that out the window: 40% of the audience went because it was a racing car movie, while 35% went because it’s a Pitt movie.
F1 is playing evenly from coast to coast, but strong in the South Central, Mountain and West. AMC Lincoln Square is the top grossing venue in NYC with close to $119K.
Universal
Yes, yes, we teased that Universal/Blumhouse’s M3GAN 2.0 was going to run F1 off the course three weeks ago with a $30M+ opening, however, tracking didn’t have its gears greased. Quite often franchise movies come on strong on tracking in total awareness versus originals (this always happens, remember what happened with Sinners?). However, M3GAN 2.0 is powering down to a $10.4M opening. Though she has a B+ CinemaScore, higher than her B, nobody is making a date to play with M3GAN 2.0.
Nancy will have more on international in a bit, and the heat wave that’s going on in Europe (apparently moviegoers there unlike New Yorkers don’t flee to the movie theaters for the A.C.).
FRIDAY AFTERNOON: F1 is accelerating right now to a $55M+ opening at 3,661 theaters with potential for upside. It’s by far the biggest opening ever for an Apple Original Movie on the big screen, miles ahead of Martin Scorsese’s 3-hour, 26-minute Killers of the Flower Moon ($23.2M opening, $68M final domestic). Friday alone for F1 is right around Killers of the Flower Moon‘s 3-day.
Right now, the Jerry Bruckheimer production from director Joseph Kosinski is shaping up to be the second-best opening for Pitt as a leading man after 2013’s World War Z ($66.4M). Talk about a comeback for Apple theatrically. Remember their period NASA rom-com $100M Fly Me to the Moon last summer? Remember the Pitt-George Clooney noir Wolfs? No! What are those? Even if F1 stays idle this weekend at this range, it’s a still a commendable success. Word is international is very strong, which makes all the sense in the world given the international appeal of Formula One racing.
The other beautiful thing about this Apple made, Warner Bros.’ release car is that it pulled the 13-24 demo at 30% last night. That’s very impressive for a movie such as this which appear older skewing.
F1 is seriously warming up its engines, and we’ll be checking its oil throughout the weekend; Warners having worked tirelessly on the marketing and distribution front to make this Apple’s best.
RelishMix reports that F1‘s social media reach is a massive 845.6M across TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, X and Instagram “+62% above action adventure genre norms with notable late video view growth on Instagram over 400M.” F1‘s reach is right around Mission: Impossible – Final Reckoning (847.2M) and ahed of Fast X‘s 798M.
Second is Universal/DreamWorks Animation’s How to Train Your Dragon at 4,127 locations is looking at at $5.5M today, and a third frame of $18.5M (-49%) for a running cume of $199.1M (C’mon, we gotta get that to $200M this weekend!). The Dean DeBlois directed movie stands as the fifth to cross the double century mark YTD.
Third goes to Disney/Pixar’s Elio which is seeing a second weekend of $11M-$12M, -45%, steeper than Elemental‘s second frame which dipped -38% for an $18.4M second weekend. It’s all about tomorrow, of course. At the high end by the EOD of Sunday, the 28th Pixar feature release stands around $43.4M.
Universal
There’s also Universal/Blumhouse/Atomic Monster’s M3GAN 2.0 at 3,112 theaters is powered down to an opening of $10M, well below where everybody was seeing it (worst case, we thought high teens). Friday is $4.3M. Thank God, she’s cheap at $25M before P&A. We’ll dissect her later.
Speaking of dismemberment, there’s a chance that M3GAN 2.0 could get bitten by zombies as Sony’s Danny Boyle revival 28 Years Later is looking at north of $10M, -67% in weekend 2, after a $3.3M second Friday, for a ten-day running total of $50.6M by EOD Sunday.
FRIDAY AM: Apple Original Films’ F1 via Warner Bros. sped to $10M in total previews from this week while Universal/Blumhouse/Atomic Monster’s M3GAN 2.0 drew $1.5M.
The Joseph Kosinski-directed, Jerry Bruckheimer-produced Formula One movie starring Brad Pitt, arguably the first-of-its-kind tentpole for Apple Original Films on the big screen, bested the preview grosses of such expensive Apple movies as Ridley Scott’s Napoleon ($3M), Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon ($2.6M), Matthew Vaughn’s Argylle ($1.7M) and Greg Berlanti’s Fly Me to the Moon ($875K). F1 also smokes the previews of another car-racing movie, the multi-Oscar-winning, solid-grossing Ford v Ferrari, which is actually a high point for the struggling motor sports genre at the box office — the best that there has been in recent times ($2.1M previews, $31.4M opening).
Broken out, F1 did $7M last night from showtimes that began at 3PM and another $3M from earlier week Imax and PLF previews. Based on early results, and the way the engines have been firing for this film, a $50M+ opening appears likely. Warner Bros. chipped in 50% of the global P&A. Both Apple and Warners recoup the P&A together before the Burbank, CA lot gets a distribution fee around 8%. Production costs per the filmmaker in interviews is $200M (though I constantly get phone calls with the line “But, ya know, it cost $300M…). At the end of the day, get a grip people, F1 stands to open globally to $115M+. The Pitt movie is in great shape with Rotten Tomatoes Audience score of 97% and 84% certified fresh reviews.
M3GAN 2.0‘s previews are less than the original movie which did $2.75M and went on to a surprise $11.7M and $30.4M. M3GAN 2.0 will be lucky to clear $20M, last night’s previews from 2PM showtimes at 2,700 theaters around the level of Blumhouse’s Night Swim which did $1.45M and went on to post a $11.7M opening. No audience score yet. Critics loved the first movie at 93% certified fresh, but they’ve had enough with the robot gimmick at 59% Rotten. No audience score yet on the sequel from the franchise architect Gerard Johnstone. At the end of the day, M3GAN 2.0 is counterprogramming in the summer. The movie cost $25M before P&A versus $12M on the first.
In other news, Lilo & Stitch is crossing $400M this weekend, the second movie to do so this year after Warner Bros/Legendary’s A Minecraft Movie.
The rest of the week went down as follows:
1.) How to Train Your Dragon (Uni) Thu $4M (-15% from Wednesday), Wk $57.1M (-54%), Total $180.6M/Wk 2
2.) 28 Years Later (Sony) Thu $1.9M (-15%), Week $40.6M/Wk 1
3.) Elio (Dis) 3,750 theaters Thu $2.2M (-7%), Wk $31.4M, Wk 1
4.) Lilo & Stitch (Dis) 3,375 theaters, Thu $1.5M (+1%), Wk $16M (-39%), Total $393.1M, Wk 5
5.) Mission: Impossible – Final Reckoning (Par) 2,603 theaters, Thu $722K (-14%), Wk $10M (-37%), Total $181.8M/Wk 5
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