Weekend Wrap-Up: Venom Invades Record Books with $80.26 million
October 9, 2018
Venom topped the high end of expectations over the weekend with $80.26 million, breaking several October records. A Star is Born also topped expectations with $44.26 million during its opening weekend and should have very long legs. Overall, the box office pulled in $177 million, which is 68% more than last weekend and this weekend last year. That’s a strange coincidence. Year-to-date, 2018 was able to stretch its lead over 2017, which now sits at 9.9% or $810 billion at $8.98 billion to $8.16 billion. I was worried we might be down to a $500 million lead at this point, but 2018 continues to impress.
I was pessimistic about Venom’s box office chances, but it topped high end expectations with $80.26 million, becoming Sony’s fastest opening film since Homecoming. The film’s reviews are only 30% positive while it managed just a B plus from CinemaScore, so I don’t expect good legs. That said, it should still top Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation as Sony’s biggest hit of the year.
A Star is Born opened in a solid second place with $44.26 million. The film should have long legs for a number of reasons, most obviously its reviews and its A from CinemaScore. However, its target audience and its release date should also help keep its future rosy. While October isn’t known for its explosive starts, films like Gravity and The Martian show movies that open in October can last a long time. I don’t know if this film will have the same multiplier, but I would be shocked if it didn’t get to $150 million domestically after this start.
Smallfoot dropped just 38% earning $14.40 million over the weekend. Its two-week total is $42.26 million, keeping it on pace to match its production budget domestically. If it can do the same internationally, then it should break even sometime during its home market run.
Night School fell faster with $12.51 million over the weekend for a two-week total of $46.99 million. Universal’s share of the box office is almost more than the $29 million it cost to make. They have to be happy with that.
The House with a Clock in its Walls added another $7.33 million to its running tally, which now sits at $55.09 million.
Hell Fest was the only sophomore film not in the top five. It fell 59% to $2.08 million over the weekend for a total of $8.87 million. A 59% drop-off isn’t terrible for a horror film and it could still break even, if it finds an audience on the home market.
- Venom Comparisons
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- A Star is Born Comparisons
Filed under: Weekend Wrap-up, Venom, Smallfoot, Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation, A Star is Born, Night School, Hell Fest, The House with a Clock in its Walls