It was a bit of a soft night for both of our wide releases in Thursday night previews but it should keep them in line with their box office predictions for the weekend.
The Gentlemen pulled in $725,000 in Thursday night previews at 1,885 theaters. The Guy Ritchie crime-caper which stars Matthew McConaughey, Charlie Hunnam, Hugh Grant, Michelle Dockery, Jeremy Strong Colin Farrell, & Henry Golding, has a start that is in line with other similarly themed films such as the Russell Crowe-Ryan Gosling ’70s pic Nice Guys which grossed $700,000 in previews before opening to $11.2 million for the weekend. Other titles similar to The Gentlemen include STX’s Jackie Chan movie The Foreigner, which did $775,000 during its Thursday previews ahead of a $13.1 million opening, Lionsgate’s Liam Neeson movie Cold Pursuit, which generated $540,000 on Thursday before a $11 million debut, and STX’s Peppermint which took in $800,000 before opening to $13.4 million. STX acquired U.S. rights for The Gentlemen for $7 million so there is a chance this turns into a modest hit for the studio if it can thrive the rest of the weekend.
The Turning scared up $425,000 in Thursday night previews at 2,200 locations last night from showtimes that began at 7:00 PM. It’s not a horrendous start considering the film is 26% rotten on Rotten Tomatoes and the target audience really won’t be out for the film until late night tonight and Saturday. Reaction to the film has been savage on Twitter and it currently sits with a 16% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes so it’s possible that the wheels could fall off before the weekend is over. The Turning, directed by Floria Sigismondi, follows a young governess who is hired by a man who has become responsible for his young nephew and niece after their parents’ deaths.
