We have two new wide releases in Black and Blue and Countdown and given that Maleficent: Mistress of Evil underperformed last weekend despite a number one finish, Joker is set to reclaim the top spot during a relatively sleepy pre-Halloween weekend.
Black and Blue earned $675,000 from Thursday night previews at 1,962 venues that began at 7:00 PM. For director Deon Taylor, who helmed last summer’s The Intruder, it’s below that film’s preview number ($875,000) but higher than Traffik ($225,000), another film helmed by Taylor. The Intruder opened to $10.9 million on its way to $35.4 million on a $5 million budget. That’s the hope for Black and Blue, which stars Naomie Harris as a rookie New Orleans police officer who witnesses her fellow cops committing a murder. The film cost $12 million to make so there’s some hope it can pull a small profit if the demo shows up this weekend. The reviews are a bit mixed at 48% rotten on Rotten Tomatoes but the target audience may show support this weekend to moderate results. I’m predicting about $8-10 million for the weekend.
Countdown also premiered in Thursday night previews with $515,000 from 7:00 PM shows, on par with such horror films as 47 Meters Down Uncaged ($500,000) and Hell Fest ($435,000). Uncaged went on to open to $8.4 million with a $22.2 million final gross while Hell Fest opened to $5.1 million before ending with $11.1 million. STX Entertainment is hoping the pre-Halloween rush may boost Countdown’s revenue and that could happen to some extent but this isn’t going to be a huge hit by any means. After October 31, Countdown, which tells the story of a nurse (Elizabeth Lail) who downloads an app that tells her she has three days to live, will be a distant memory, especially considering reviews have been a bit dire (28% rotten on Rotten Tomatoes). STX kept cost low at $6.5 million so Countdown will turn a profit which is all STX wants in the end. I’m predicting about $7-8 million for the weekend.
Given the slate of weak new releases, Joker is about to laugh its way back to the top of the heap. Throughout this week, Joker has actually beaten Maleficent: Mistress of Evil leading up to its fourth weekend so it bodes well for Joker to get the last laugh in this new frame. I’m calling about $20 million for its fourth weekend which will continue its stellar box office run.
