Theater Counts: The Last Jedi Expected in 4,100 Theaters

December 7, 2017

Coco

The long wait is nearly over. In eight days time we’ll have a lot of numbers to report as the film rolls out worldwide. But today we got our first official number from Disney: 4,100. That’s approximately how many theaters Star Wars Ep. VIII: The Last Jedi will play in when it opens in the US, Canada and Puerto Rico next Friday. The number is no surprise: The Force Awakens debuted in 4,134 locations two years ago, and Rogue One opened in 4,157 last year. But it’s the first hard number that we have from the studio, and allows us to do a little speculation about how the opening is shaping up.

Needless to say, we’ll have a lot more to say about The Last Jedi over the next few weeks, but for now it’s worth noting that Disney is probably being a little cautious about their opening theater count estimate. It would be a surprise if The Last Jedi didn’t open in at least the same number of theaters as the previous two movies in the franchise. Even if it does, though, it will barely be in the top 50 widest openings of all time, and it would be little surprising for the film to play in so many fewer theaters than Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, which started out in 4,347 earlier this year. A week ahead of that film’s release, Disney predicted it would open in 4,200 locations, so adding 100 to their 4,100 prediction for The Last Jedi today doesn’t seem unreasonable.

If they sell as many tickets per theater for The Last Jedi as they did for The Force Awakens, play in 4,200 theaters instead of 4,134, and get 5% more per ticket (which is the average price increase over the past 2 years), that would translate into a $264 million opening weekend. Hold on to your hats…

With that sort of juggernaut barreling towards us, it’s not surprise this weekend is looking more subdued. Broad Green are going to sneak Just Getting Started into 2,146 theaters, and A24 expands The Disaster Artist into 840, and both films should find themselves somewhere in the top 10.

Also worth noting is I, Tonya opening in four locations, and probably headed for the best theater average of the weekend.

Next weekend, Ferdinand will be the back-up option for parents who can’t find tickets to Star Wars. Even if it gets completely overshadowed, it’s the sort of family-friendly animated fare that should play well into the New Year.

Theater Counts for Weekend of December 8-10

MovieDistributorTheatersPrevious
Theaters
Change
CocoWalt Disney3,7483,987-239
WonderLionsgate3,5193,449+70
Justice LeagueWarner Bros.3,4283,820-392
Daddy's Home 2Paramount Pictures3,2633,403-140
Murder on the Orient Express20th Century Fox3,0893,201-112
Thor: RagnarokWalt Disney3,0473,148-101
The StarSony Pictures2,9762,822+154
Just Getting StartedBroad Green Pictures2,146new
A Bad Moms ChristmasSTX Entertainment2,1242,251-127
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, MissouriFox Searchlight1,6201,430+190
Lady BirdA241,5571,194+363
Roman J. Israel, Esq.Sony Pictures1,4531,669-216
The Disaster ArtistA2484019+821
The Mountain Between Us20th Century Fox535119+416
Blade Runner 2049Warner Bros.366515-149
MarshallOpen Road341651-310
JigsawLionsgate257301-44
Tyler Perry’s Boo 2! A Madea HalloweenLionsgate210212-2
ItWarner Bros.208221-13
Despicable Me 3Universal142152-10
The ForeignerSTX Entertainment1301300
GeostormWarner Bros.107125-18
Victoria & AbdulFocus Features103131-28
The Florida ProjectA24101120-19
Happy Death DayUniversal88100-12
Last Flag FlyingLionsgate85110-25
TitanicParamount Pictures7587-12
American MadeUniversal7493-19
Darkest HourFocus Features534+49
The Shape of WaterFox Searchlight412+39
The Killing of a Sacred DeerA243141-10
Same Kind of Different As MePure Flix2030-10
WonderstruckRoadside Attractions1316-3
The StrayPurdie-Distribution660
I, TonyaNeon4new
A Question of FaithPure Flix421-17
The Tribes of Palos VerdesIFC Films41+3
BadsvilleEpic Pictures12-1
Note: New theater counts are added as studios report throughout the day on Thursday



Estimates for Weekend of December 15

MovieDistributorEstimated
Theaters
Star Wars: The Last JediWalt Disney4,100
Ferdinand20th Century Fox3,600

Filed under: Theater Counts