Friday Estimates: American Makes it an Exciting Race with $6.1 million

September 30, 2017

American Made

American Made topped the box office chart on Friday with $6.1 million. This is a little better than predicted and certainly better than previews were suggesting it would make. Its 85% positive reviews should result in long legs. On the other hand, its B plus from CinemaScore is the definition of average. It could grab first place with just over $16 million, but it is not the only film on pace to earn that much this weekend.

It added $4.9 million on Friday, also putting it on pace for just over $16 million over the weekend, meaning it could return to first place, but that depends on how good American Made’s legs are. Additionally, it is about a week away from the $300 million mark, a figure that won’t be enough to earn it a spot in the top five at the end of the year, but it will come a lot closer than anyone was expecting.

Kingsman: The Golden Circle fell faster than expected, with just $4.85 million for the day. I thought the weak competition would help, but that is clearly not the case, as it fell 68% from its opening Friday. It could still earn first place with just over $16 million, but it would have to climb above both American Made and It, so that seems unlikely.

The Lego Ninjago Movie fell 53% to $2.7 million on Friday, putting it on pace with just under $12 million during its second weekend of release. That’s close enough to our prediction to call it a victory.

Flatliners was next with $2.15 million. The real news is the film’s reviews, which have remained 0% positive. The average isn’t as bad as its Tomatometer Score, so it will likely get one or two positive reviews by the end of the weekend, but even if it does, it will still be one of the worst films of the year. Audiences have responded a little better, giving the film a B minus from CinemaScore, but that is still not a good result and even getting to $6 million over the weekend could be asking too much.

Til Death Do Us Part grabbed a spot in the top ten with $506,000; however, it is playing in 550 theaters, so it will barely avoid the Mendoza Line. There are still no reviews and the movie was too small for CinemaScore to track, so it is hard to tell how long its legs will be.

A Question of Faith wasn’t as lucky with an opening Friday of $370,000 in 661 theaters. The film’s reviews are mixed, but that’s still better than most of the rest of the new releases this week have earned.

- Friday Box Office Chart

- American Made Comparisons
- Flatliners Comparisons
- ’Til Death Do Us Part Comparisons

Filed under: Friday Estimates, The Lego Ninjago Movie, American Made, Kingsman: The Golden Circle, Flatliners, It, A Question of Faith, Til Death Do Us Part