IT ENDS WITH US | BORDERLANDS | CUCKOO openings | August 9 to 11, 2024 weekend
Opening weekend box office, charts and commentary
The current weekend: August 9 to 11, 2024
1) It Ends With Us opening
- This is a sensational opening for a dramatic romance film. When the final numbers are in on Monday, the weekend start should be among the top 2 or 3 romance openings of all time.
Pure romance is not a big performer at the box office, but occasionally the right story based on the right book comes along, and with a well-cast female lead the movie catches fire. That's happening here.
Critics’ reviews are not strong for these films, although in this case they’re better than average. The audience experience is what counts, and audiences are enthusiastic (an A- CinemaScore):
- Below are the top romance titles of the last 27 years. For these productions, the popularity of the novel they’re based on is a huge asset; the films promise the same emotional punch the book had. The more melodramatic, the better:
2) Borderlands opening
- This is a weak opening for an action film based on a video game. The movie cost over $100 million to make and the cast is strong (Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jack Black). This was an ambitious concept, mixing sci-fi, humor and action. It’s a total miss.
Critics are panning the film, and audiences don't like it (a rare D+ CinemaScore):
- Video game adaptations are a good idea and they’ve been gaining strength in recent years, but the gaming fan base is serious about their action. If an action comedy is going to work, it has to be funny, and almost no one thinks this picture is.
3) Cuckoo opening
- This is a small horror release on 1,503 domestic screens. Considering the limited footprint, the weekend start is not bad for a single-episode title. Reviews are very good, with a soft audience score typical of a horror pic (a C+ CinemaScore).
The estimated cost was a modest $7 million. The picture will be profitable after it plays in all markets and on all media around the world:
Overall
- The industry is doing something extremely well right now. The current releases are appealing to a wide variety of audiences with a diverse lineup of films: superheroes, family movies, horror, action, and now romance. There’s something for everyone, and moviegoers are responding.
This is a healthy market, and we see it continuing through August, even as overall business slows down.
[Correction: Last week we misspelled M. Night Shyamalan's last name. It's been corrected in our archives. Apologies to the filmmaker, and to you.]