If Thursday night preview numbers are any indication, The Upside will likely secure the runner-up spot at the box office this weekend behind Aquaman.
The Upside grossed $1.1 million in Thursday night previews last night from 7 PM shows at 2,460 theaters. The Kevin Hart and Bryan Cranston film will expand to 3,080 locations starting today. The film has been tracking in the $11-12 million range but the preview number means it could surge a bit higher than that. The Upside is currently 34% rotten on Rotten Tomatoes but I think the film is running on the appeal of its stars, which is making most ignore the negative reviews.
A Dog’s Way Home also debuted on Thursday for previews with $535,000 at 2,657 locations that started at 5 PM. The number is fine considering this is a family film and it’s likely to really hit its stride on Friday night and especially on Saturday when kids are out of school for the whole day. The film is tracking in the $9-10 million range but family films have been known to surge throughout the weekend so this will be one to watch. The film is based on a novel by W. Bruce Cameron, the same man that penned A Dog’s Purpose. That film opened to $18.2 million back in January 2017 and made $205 million WW off a $22 million budget before P&A. A Dog’s Way Home cost $18 million to make and is hoping for a similar result.
Replicas, our last new wide release of the weekend, grossed $200,000 in Thursday night previews at 1,630 theaters. The sci-fi film isn’t expected to make an impression this weekend and its Thursday preview number really drives that point home. The film is 11% rotten on Rotten Tomatoes and will be long forgotten before Keanu Reeves stars in John Wick 3, which is sure to be the hit he needs.
