Early box office tracking has been released for Pixar’s Onward and Blumhouse/Universal’s The Invisible Man, and both films are poised for impressive openings at the box office.
Onward enters tracking with a possible opening weekend of $44 million. Some might think this figure is a little low for Pixar but this is the first time in the studio’s 34-year history that they’ve opened a movie in the first-quarter corridor. In all likelihood, the film could surge higher, especially if it earns glowing reviews that are typical of a Pixar release. In the film, two teenage elf brothers embark on a quest to see if there’s still magic out there in their suburban fantasy world. The film features the vocal talent of Tom Holland, Chris Pratt, Octavia Spencer and Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
The Blumhouse/Universal release of The Invisible Man enters tracking today with a possible opening of $20-24.5 million. The film, which has released two very attention getting trailers, Elisabeth Moss stars as Cecilia, who finds that her abusive ex takes his own life and leaves her his fortune. Soon she suspects his death was a hoax but, as a series of coincidences turn lethal, Cecilia works to prove that she is being hunted by someone nobody can see. The film tracking best with the under 25 crowd and Hispanic audiences. If Fantasy Island maintains its tracking of opening this weekend between $15-20 million, Blumhouse is poised to have two hits within weeks of each other.
Also hitting tracking today, but on the low end, is The Way Back starring Ben Affleck. Tracking has the film opening at $7 million but the trailer I saw during Birds of Prey had our crowd intrigued so it’s possible that the film improve its tracking before its March 6 release, especially if good reviews follow. In the film, Affleck plays a former high school basketball phenom who struggles with alcoholism. He is offered a coaching job at his alma mater. As the team starts to win, he may have a reason to confront his old demons.
