Going into the weekend the only reported budget for Will Smith‘s Focus that I saw was $100 million. Well, either that was way off or someone is doing a little conning over their own as the reported budget is now only $50.1 million (I wonder what that extra $100,000 was for), which makes the lackluster opening a little easier to swallow. Opening with only $19.1 million, this one appears dead on arrival. Opening night audiences weren’t too disappointed, giving the film a “B” CinemaScore, but in three weeks this one should be out of the top ten and will likely drop 53% or more next weekend…. On to the next one…
Fifty Shades of Grey managed to eek out a fourth place finish, dropping 53% and a $10.9 million weekend, topping newcomer The Lazarus Effect, which came in with $10.6 million to go along with a nasty “C-” CinemaScore. Oh well, with a budget of $3.3 million this is already in the black.
Perhaps the most interesting thing about The Lazarus Effect is that it played in 2,666 theaters. Oooooh, 666, coincidence or is the devil at play? Spoooooooky. More spooky, though, is the fact Fifty Shades is now over $486 million worldwide. Neither of those films, however, could top Kingmsan: The Secret Service in its third weekend as it brought home an additional $11.7 million as its domestic cume climbs to $85.7 million.
It is interesting to note that while Birdman hit DVD and Blu-ray this past weekend, it still managed to make $1.9 million this weekend from 1,213 theaters as Searchlight pumped it into 806 more following its Best Picture win.
Meanwhile, Oscar winner Julianne Moore had a pair of pictures in theaters, the new release Maps to the Stars, which brought in $139,000 from 66 theaters and the movie that earned her a Best Actress Oscar, Still Alice, scored $2.7 million from 1,318 theaters.
And that puts a wrap on February as March will kick off next weekend with Neill Blomkamp‘s Chappie, The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and the Vince Vaughn comedy Unfinished Business.
