Theater Counts: Fifty Shades in 3,768 Locations, Black Panther Headed for 3,800 Plus

February 8, 2018

Fifty Shades Freed will open in 3,768 theaters this weekend, according to Universal’s Thursday report. The studio usually finds a few extra theaters before the weekend begins, so the final number will probably be fractionally higher. It’s the best performance for the franchise, ahead of the 3,710 theaters that Fifty Shades Darker opened in, and Fifty Shades of Grey’s 3,646. It’s not expected to be enough to stop a general decline in the box office fortunes of the franchise, but theater owners are clearly still keen to book it.

Peter Rabbit won’t be far behind, in 3,725 theaters this weekend, and The 15:17 to Paris completes the triumvirate of 3,000-theater-plus openings by debuting in 3,042 locations.

Next weekend is all about Black Panther, which Disney has opening in 3,800 theaters right now. That’s how many theaters they were predicting for Thor: Ragnarok a week before that movie came out in 4,080 venues, so there’s a good bet that number will grow when we have an official final count this time next week.

Bruce Nash

Filed under: Theater Counts