Theater Counts: Jigsaw Has Halloween, But Thor Looms Large

October 26, 2017

Jigsaw

Although technically this isn’t Halloween weekend, it looks like we’re going to celebrate it early this year, judging by the line-up of films playing in theaters. Jigsaw joins the throng this weekend, and is the widest new release, playing in 2,941 theaters. That’s not a huge amount, to be honest, but its path into theaters is blocked by a plethora of horror alternatives: Happy Death Day adds 233 new theaters, and is the widest release playing at the moment, with 3,531 locations in total; It is still showing in 2,538 movie houses; and, if your taste runs towards lighter fare, Boo! 2 is available in 2,388 theaters this weekend.

Theater owners aren’t showing a lot of love for anything other than horror at the moment, and Thank You for Your Service (2,054 locations) and Suburbicon (2,046) look like the big losers this weekend. The movie business is inherently cyclical, and horror is clearly perceived as the most popular form of the art right now, but sometimes that can become a self-fulfilling prophecy, with theaters booking this weekend what worked last weekend.

This trend will be broken next weekend, however, with A Bad Moms Christmas coming out on Wednesday in approximately 3,500 theaters, and Thor: Ragnarok debuting in about 3,800 theaters on Friday. Both films have a shot at doing well, but all eyes will be on Thor, partly because the Marvel Cinematic Universe hasn’t enjoyed a $150-million opening weekend since Captain America: Civil War in May last year, and partly because it kicks off the end-of-year rush for Hollywood, at a time when the industry is heading for its worst year in two decades, in terms of tickets sold. No pressure.

Theater Counts for Weekend of October 27-29

MovieDistributorTheatersPrevious
Theaters
Change
Happy Death DayUniversal3,5313,298+233
GeostormWarner Bros.3,2463,2460
JigsawLionsgate2,941new
Only the BraveSony Pictures2,5772,5770
ItWarner Bros.2,5382,560-22
The ForeignerSTX Entertainment2,5052,515-10
Blade Runner 2049Warner Bros.2,4213,203-782
Tyler Perry’s Boo 2! A Madea HalloweenLionsgate2,3882,3880
Thank You for Your ServiceUniversal2,054new
SuburbiconParamount Pictures2,046new
The Mountain Between Us20th Century Fox2,0293,151-1,122
The SnowmanUniversal1,8151,812+3
My Little Pony: The MovieLionsgate1,6822,301-619
American MadeUniversal1,5522,559-1,007
Kingsman: The Golden Circle20th Century Fox1,4892,318-829
The Lego Ninjago MovieWarner Bros.1,4742,102-628
Same Kind of Different As MePure Flix1,2381,362-124
Victoria & AbdulFocus Features1,0391,060-21
MarshallOpen Road8218210
Battle of the SexesFox Searchlight291545-254
Goodbye Christopher RobinFox Searchlight21361+152
Despicable Me 3Universal208337-129
American AssassinLionsgate175312-137
The Hitman's BodyguardLionsgate147172-25
The Florida ProjectA24145112+33
Home AgainOpen Road126158-32
Annabelle: CreationWarner Bros.126138-12
DunkirkWarner Bros.108188-80
Cars 3Walt Disney8394-11
Wind RiverWeinstein Co.80121-41
The StrayPurdie-Distribution74139-65
Leap!Weinstein Co.62116-54
Wonder WomanWarner Bros.5584-29
A Question of FaithPure Flix4672-26
The Killing of a Sacred DeerA24334+29
Friend RequestEntertainment Studios Motion Pictures3240-8
KidnapAviron2732-5
Walking OutIFC Films2732-5
Hitchcock's Shower SceneIFC Films194+15
Tulip FeverWeinstein Co.176+11
Take Every WaveIFC Films1237-25
Amityville: The Awakening (Saturday only)Weinstein Co.10new
Viceroy's HouseIFC Films914-5
DealtIFC Films31+2
Note: New theater counts are added as studios report throughout the day on Thursday



Estimates for Weekend of November 3

MovieDistributorEstimated
Theaters
Thor: RagnarokWalt Disney3,800
A Bad Moms ChristmasSTX Entertainment3,500
Last Flag FlyingLionsgate4
Frank SerpicoIFC Films1

Filed under: Theater Counts, Marvel Cinematic Universe