Focus Features’ New Kevin Costner-Diane Lane Thriller ‘Let Him Go’ Bows At No. 1 Over A Soft Election Weekend at the Domestic Box Office With $4.1 Million
While the nation was glued to the round-the-clock election results, the domestic box office suffered another slow weekend. For once, the blame couldn’t be pinned exclusively on the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic or the dearth of major-studio tentpoles in theaters.
Still, the weekend did produce a new box-office champion, as Focus Features’ thriller, Let Him Go, debuted at No. 1 in North America with $4.1 million. The R-rated film, which stars Kevin Costner and Diane Lane as grandparents who race from their Montana ranch to rescue their young grandson from a dangerous family in the Dakotas, opened in 2,454 theaters and earned a $1,670 per-screen average. It fared well with critics and audiences alike, getting 77% and 78% fresh ratings respectively on Rotten Tomatoes.
Focus, the specialty division of Universal Pictures, pulled off a box-office exacta by scoring the No.2 finisher as well this weekend thanks to the PG-13-rated chiller Come Play. In its second week, the film dropped off -45%, scaring up $1.7 million in 2,183 theaters, which translates to a $792 per-screen average. Focus, which continues to roll out new films as the major studios continue to push their big releases to next year, has clearly benefited from the lack of splashy, high-profile competition in the marketplace.
In third place was 101 Studios’ The War with Grandpa, which pulled in $1.5 million in its fifth week, ticking up +19% from the previous frame. The PG-rated comedy starring Robert De Niro snagged a $644 per-screen average in 2,348 theaters, bringing its North American box-office total to $13.4 million. To date, the kid-friendly comedy has tacked on an additional $7 million overseas, bringing its worldwide tally to $20.4 million.
In fourth was Open Road’s Honest Thief, which dipped -18.1%, pulling in $1.1 million in its fifth week. The PG-13-rated picture which stars Liam Neeson as a double-crossed bank robber, had a $507 per-screen average in 2,217 theaters, bringing its total domestic haul to $11.2 million. Abroad, Neeson’s film has racked up $9.8 million so far, bringing its worldwide box-office total to $21 million.
Rounding out the Top Five was Warner Bros.’ Tenet, which got a +2.3% bump in its tenth week of domestic release. The Christopher Nolan-directed epic took in $905,000. The PG-13-rated film had a $640 per-screen average in 1,412 theaters, bringing its North American box-office total to $55.1 million. Nolan’s film, which continues to benefit from a more robust international showing, has added $295.6 million from overseas so far, bringing its cumulative worldwide total to $350.7 million. However, with the announcement this week that Tenet would become available via VOD next month, its theatrical run seems to be approaching the finish line.
Bubbling just under the Top Five was Disney’s re-release of the computer animated 1995 family classic Toy Story. The Pixar film pulled in $505,000 in 2,102 theaters for a $240 per-screen average. In its initial blockbuster run in theaters 25 years ago, Toy Story racked up $191.8 million domestically and $171.2 million overseas for a cumulative worldwide total of $363 million.
In other box-office news, this past week saw several more high-profile future releases delaying their planned theatrical openings. Warner Bros’ pushed its latest Harry Potter spin-off, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them 3, from November 12, 2021 to the summer of 2022. And Disney announced that it was removing its Ryan Reynolds action comedy, Free Guy, from its December 11, 2020 slot as well as its Agatha Christie adaptation of Death on the Nile starring Kenneth Branagh from its December 18, 2020 perch (neither film has been given a new release date yet). Those moves now leave Warner Bros’ Wonder Woman 1984 as the last big-studio tentpole standing on the 2020 calendar for now.
Still, the weekend did produce a new box-office champion, as Focus Features’ thriller, Let Him Go, debuted at No. 1 in North America with $4.1 million. The R-rated film, which stars Kevin Costner and Diane Lane as grandparents who race from their Montana ranch to rescue their young grandson from a dangerous family in the Dakotas, opened in 2,454 theaters and earned a $1,670 per-screen average. It fared well with critics and audiences alike, getting 77% and 78% fresh ratings respectively on Rotten Tomatoes.
Focus, the specialty division of Universal Pictures, pulled off a box-office exacta by scoring the No.2 finisher as well this weekend thanks to the PG-13-rated chiller Come Play. In its second week, the film dropped off -45%, scaring up $1.7 million in 2,183 theaters, which translates to a $792 per-screen average. Focus, which continues to roll out new films as the major studios continue to push their big releases to next year, has clearly benefited from the lack of splashy, high-profile competition in the marketplace.
In third place was 101 Studios’ The War with Grandpa, which pulled in $1.5 million in its fifth week, ticking up +19% from the previous frame. The PG-rated comedy starring Robert De Niro snagged a $644 per-screen average in 2,348 theaters, bringing its North American box-office total to $13.4 million. To date, the kid-friendly comedy has tacked on an additional $7 million overseas, bringing its worldwide tally to $20.4 million.
In fourth was Open Road’s Honest Thief, which dipped -18.1%, pulling in $1.1 million in its fifth week. The PG-13-rated picture which stars Liam Neeson as a double-crossed bank robber, had a $507 per-screen average in 2,217 theaters, bringing its total domestic haul to $11.2 million. Abroad, Neeson’s film has racked up $9.8 million so far, bringing its worldwide box-office total to $21 million.
Rounding out the Top Five was Warner Bros.’ Tenet, which got a +2.3% bump in its tenth week of domestic release. The Christopher Nolan-directed epic took in $905,000. The PG-13-rated film had a $640 per-screen average in 1,412 theaters, bringing its North American box-office total to $55.1 million. Nolan’s film, which continues to benefit from a more robust international showing, has added $295.6 million from overseas so far, bringing its cumulative worldwide total to $350.7 million. However, with the announcement this week that Tenet would become available via VOD next month, its theatrical run seems to be approaching the finish line.
Bubbling just under the Top Five was Disney’s re-release of the computer animated 1995 family classic Toy Story. The Pixar film pulled in $505,000 in 2,102 theaters for a $240 per-screen average. In its initial blockbuster run in theaters 25 years ago, Toy Story racked up $191.8 million domestically and $171.2 million overseas for a cumulative worldwide total of $363 million.
In other box-office news, this past week saw several more high-profile future releases delaying their planned theatrical openings. Warner Bros’ pushed its latest Harry Potter spin-off, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them 3, from November 12, 2021 to the summer of 2022. And Disney announced that it was removing its Ryan Reynolds action comedy, Free Guy, from its December 11, 2020 slot as well as its Agatha Christie adaptation of Death on the Nile starring Kenneth Branagh from its December 18, 2020 perch (neither film has been given a new release date yet). Those moves now leave Warner Bros’ Wonder Woman 1984 as the last big-studio tentpole standing on the 2020 calendar for now.
