The March box office is coming to an end and Steven Spielberg is hoping to have one of his best debuts in 10 years.
Ready Player One, Warner Bros.’ nostalgic fantasy adventure, currently holds a 79% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes & got an early start on Easter weekend by debuting with Wednesday night previews at 3,500 locations. Starting today, it expands to 4,200 locations, while launching day and date internationally in 62 markets.
Based on Ernest Cline’s 2011 novel, Ready Player One is set in an elaborate virtual reality world full of pop culture totems from the ’80s. The film, written by Cline and Zak Penn, stars Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn, T.J. Miller, Simon Pegg, and Mark Rylance. In the year 2045, virtual reality software OASIS is used to engage in work and play. Sheridan’s character, Wade Watts, discovers clues to a hidden game within the program that promises the winner full ownership of the OASIS.
This vehicle is pure Spielberg and finds him directing his first full-fledged tentpole film since Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull in 2008. Spielberg has had success since then but on a much smaller scale (Bridge of Spies, The Post). The nostalgia factor of Spielberg doing what he does best and fans of the novel should bring out a decent crowd opening weekend. The film carries a budget estimated to come in at $150 million (some say it’s as high as $175 million) and that puts it in a similar position as Pacific Rim: Uprising last weekend. International grosses are going to go a long way to seeing this film be truly successful but it should have a bigger start than Rim on the domestic front, especially since we have it opening on a holiday weekend. I’m predicting about $38-42 million over the four day weekend.
Tyler Perry snuck a film into the fray this weekend with his latest called Acrimony. The psychological thriller, produced, written, and directed by Perry, follows Taraji P. Henson as a wife who takes revenge on her unfaithful husband (Lyriq Bent). The film isn’t being screened in advance for critics (usually the case for Tyler Perry films) but this is also usually a none factor. Fans of his go to see what he puts out, no matter how amateur it looks. I will say the TV spots for the film are engaging and sell its premise well which could make for a decent opening weekend. Fans also love Taraji P. Henson, especially in a scenery-chewing role such as this one. I think it will be on the low end of the Tyler Perry brand due to its R-rating but I’m predicting about a $13 million opening.
Check out the full box office report on Monday for the final results
