Weekend Report (cont.): 'Jupiter Ascending,' 'Seventh Son' Flop
<< Continued from "Weekend Report: 'Jupiter Ascending' Crushed by Super 'SpongeBob'"
Playing at 3,181 locations, Jupiter Ascending opened in third place with a very disappointing $18.4 million this weekend. That's a fraction below the Wachowskis' Speed Racer ($18.6 million); with seven years of ticket price inflation and the addition of 3D premiums, it's likely that attendance for Jupiter was substantially lower.
Jupiter Ascending's opening was also around $10 million less than recent big-budget sci-fi movies like Elysium ($29.8 million), Edge of Tomorrow ($28.8 million), After Earth ($27.5 million) and Ender's Game ($27 million), all of which were considered misses on opening weekend.
The marketing for Jupiter Ascending never quite found a way to sell the convoluted story, and also struggled to hide the movie's sillier elements. It also doesn't help that the Wachowski brand is essentially worthless now: the massive amount of goodwill generated by The Matrix has faded thanks to two lukewarm sequels followed by odd originals Speed Racer and Cloud Atlas.
Warner Bros. is reporting that the audience was 57 percent male and 82 percent over the age of 25. Showings in 3D accounted for 52 percent of ticket sales.
Moviegoers awarded Jupiter Ascending a weak "B-" CinemaScore; combine that with poor reviews, and it's a foregone conclusion that this fades quickly. There's a realistic chance that this falls short of $50 million, which would be a huge loss considering the movie's massive price tag ($176 million). There's always a chance that overseas saves the day, though it's hard to imagine it generates much more than $200 million or so outside of the U.S.
In fourth place, Seventh Son bombed with $7.2 million. That's lower than early 2014 flops I, Frankenstein ($8.6 million), The Legend of Hercules ($8.9 million) and Pompeii ($10.3 million). It is, at least, better than fellow Legendary Pictures movie Blackhat's $3.9 million, though that's not saying much.
Seventh Son has been gathering dust on various shelves since completing principal photography two-and-a-half years ago. If a movie is well-made and has some kind of interesting hook, it's possible to overcome this kind of delay. Seventh Son, on the other hand, would probably have looked like a derivative mess regardless of when it opened, and this lengthy delay only served to exacerbate the problem.
According to distributor Universal Pictures—who picked up the movie when production company Legendary Pictures moved over from Warner Bros.—the movie's audience was 61 percent male and 53 percent were 30 years of age or older. They awarded the movie a "B-" CinemaScore, which fits in nicely with the movie's 10 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Look for Seventh Son to fall off quickly in the coming weeks on its way to less than $20 million total.
Project Almanac dipped 37 percent to $5.23 million. That's a strong hold for this teen-friendly title, though part of that can be attributed to the Super Bowl weekend effect. So far, Project Almanac has banked $15.7 million total.
Paddington took sixth place with $5.22 million, which is off a light 37 percent from last weekend. The movie has now earned $57.1 million, and remains on track to close with at least $70 million total.
The Imitation Game held steady at $4.7 million—off seven percent—and has now grossed $74.5 million total. Meanwhile, Black or White eased 27 percent to $4.5 million. Through 10 days, the Kevin Costner drama has earned $13.1 million.
Discuss this story with fellow Box Office Mojo fans on Facebook. On Twitter, follow us at @boxofficemojo, and follow author Ray Subers at @raysubers.
Forecast
• 'SpongeBob' To Take Down 'Sniper' on First Weekend of February
Last Weekend
• 'American Sniper' Adds $30 Million in Third Weekend
This Timeframe in Past Years:
• 2014 - Everything Is Awesome For 'The LEGO Movie'
• 2013 - 'Identity Thief' Cashes Big Check
• 2012 - Moviegoers Say "I Do" to 'The Vow,' Check In to 'Safe House'
• 2011 - 'Just,' 'Justin,' 'Juliet' Jumpin'
• 2010 - 'Valentine's Day' Massacres Presidents' Day Record
• 2009 - 'He's Just' a Hit Over Busy Weekend
• 2007 - 'Norbit' Out-Grosses 'Hannibal'
• 2006 - 'Pink Panther' Slinks Past 'Destination'
• 2005 - 'Hitch' Scores Romantic Comedy Record
Related Charts
• Weekend Box Office Results
• 2014 Domestic Box Office
Playing at 3,181 locations, Jupiter Ascending opened in third place with a very disappointing $18.4 million this weekend. That's a fraction below the Wachowskis' Speed Racer ($18.6 million); with seven years of ticket price inflation and the addition of 3D premiums, it's likely that attendance for Jupiter was substantially lower.
Jupiter Ascending's opening was also around $10 million less than recent big-budget sci-fi movies like Elysium ($29.8 million), Edge of Tomorrow ($28.8 million), After Earth ($27.5 million) and Ender's Game ($27 million), all of which were considered misses on opening weekend.
The marketing for Jupiter Ascending never quite found a way to sell the convoluted story, and also struggled to hide the movie's sillier elements. It also doesn't help that the Wachowski brand is essentially worthless now: the massive amount of goodwill generated by The Matrix has faded thanks to two lukewarm sequels followed by odd originals Speed Racer and Cloud Atlas.
Warner Bros. is reporting that the audience was 57 percent male and 82 percent over the age of 25. Showings in 3D accounted for 52 percent of ticket sales.
Moviegoers awarded Jupiter Ascending a weak "B-" CinemaScore; combine that with poor reviews, and it's a foregone conclusion that this fades quickly. There's a realistic chance that this falls short of $50 million, which would be a huge loss considering the movie's massive price tag ($176 million). There's always a chance that overseas saves the day, though it's hard to imagine it generates much more than $200 million or so outside of the U.S.
In fourth place, Seventh Son bombed with $7.2 million. That's lower than early 2014 flops I, Frankenstein ($8.6 million), The Legend of Hercules ($8.9 million) and Pompeii ($10.3 million). It is, at least, better than fellow Legendary Pictures movie Blackhat's $3.9 million, though that's not saying much.
Seventh Son has been gathering dust on various shelves since completing principal photography two-and-a-half years ago. If a movie is well-made and has some kind of interesting hook, it's possible to overcome this kind of delay. Seventh Son, on the other hand, would probably have looked like a derivative mess regardless of when it opened, and this lengthy delay only served to exacerbate the problem.
According to distributor Universal Pictures—who picked up the movie when production company Legendary Pictures moved over from Warner Bros.—the movie's audience was 61 percent male and 53 percent were 30 years of age or older. They awarded the movie a "B-" CinemaScore, which fits in nicely with the movie's 10 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Look for Seventh Son to fall off quickly in the coming weeks on its way to less than $20 million total.
Project Almanac dipped 37 percent to $5.23 million. That's a strong hold for this teen-friendly title, though part of that can be attributed to the Super Bowl weekend effect. So far, Project Almanac has banked $15.7 million total.
Paddington took sixth place with $5.22 million, which is off a light 37 percent from last weekend. The movie has now earned $57.1 million, and remains on track to close with at least $70 million total.
The Imitation Game held steady at $4.7 million—off seven percent—and has now grossed $74.5 million total. Meanwhile, Black or White eased 27 percent to $4.5 million. Through 10 days, the Kevin Costner drama has earned $13.1 million.
Discuss this story with fellow Box Office Mojo fans on Facebook. On Twitter, follow us at @boxofficemojo, and follow author Ray Subers at @raysubers.
Forecast
• 'SpongeBob' To Take Down 'Sniper' on First Weekend of February
Last Weekend
• 'American Sniper' Adds $30 Million in Third Weekend
This Timeframe in Past Years:
• 2014 - Everything Is Awesome For 'The LEGO Movie'
• 2013 - 'Identity Thief' Cashes Big Check
• 2012 - Moviegoers Say "I Do" to 'The Vow,' Check In to 'Safe House'
• 2011 - 'Just,' 'Justin,' 'Juliet' Jumpin'
• 2010 - 'Valentine's Day' Massacres Presidents' Day Record
• 2009 - 'He's Just' a Hit Over Busy Weekend
• 2007 - 'Norbit' Out-Grosses 'Hannibal'
• 2006 - 'Pink Panther' Slinks Past 'Destination'
• 2005 - 'Hitch' Scores Romantic Comedy Record
Related Charts
• Weekend Box Office Results
• 2014 Domestic Box Office
