MOVIES
1:53 PM PDT 3/13/2020
by
Pamela McClintock
A trio of new nationwide releases are coming in behind expectations Friday as moviegoing slows across the U.S. and theaters announce reduced capacity.
Movies playing at the U.S. box office are bracing for a tough weekend as moviegoing slows due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to Friday matinee returns.
Early projections show Disney and Pixar’s family animated film Onward staying at No. 1 in its second weekend with $15 million to $16 million. That would mark a decline of as much 60 percent, a steep drop-off for most Pixar titles (The Good Dinosaur fell 59 percent).
So far, the trio of new films opening nationwide this weekend — I Still Believe, Bloodshot and The Hunt — are all projected to open behind expectations, albeit to varying degrees.
I Still Believe, a faith-based pic from Lionsgate, is eyeing a $10 million to $11 million debut. The last film directed by the Erwin brothers, I Can Only Imagine, started off with $17.1 million in 2018, not adjusted for inflation. Several weeks ago, many box office analysts were putting I Still Believe at $13 million to $14 million.
Sony’s Vin Diesel action pic Bloodshot is on course to open to $8 million to $9 million, while Universal and Blumhouse’s controversial pic The Hunt is eyeing a $6 million opening. It was hoped that each would come in about $2 million higher.
The fast-unfolding events of this week have left the film and exhibition industries reeling.
On Thursday, more films were pulled from the release calendar, including A Quiet Place Part II, Mulan and F9, raising the question of what will be left for theater chains to play this month and next in terms of new offerings.
That was followed by Friday’s news that many U.S. theaters — including mega-chains Regal and AMC — are operating at reduced capacity in order to provide plenty of room between patrons.
Distribution sources say Thursday marked the first time they saw a marked dip in moviegoing due to the coronavirus.
They’ll have a better sense of how this weekend is playing out when full Friday grosses are reported Saturday morning.
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