Weekend Wrap-Up: Was Universal Trolling Us?
June 9, 2020
None of the major studios have been releasing box office numbers in recent weeks, so the weekend box office chart was dominated by those independent distributors that did, in particular IFC Films and IFC Midnight. However, Deadline is reporting that Universal had in fact been dominating the box office. In fact, Trolls World Tour has been leading the way every week since it was released two months ago, and earned $3.1 million, including $300,000 in 197 theaters this past weekend. The studio’s success doesn’t end there.
The Invisible Man (with about $279,000 at the weekend) and The Hunt ($189,000) have also been doing well. This makes sense, as all three of Universal’s films are the kind that would do well in drive-ins. Family films work, because you don’t have to worry about younger kids disturbing other moviegoers, and older kids would have to be aggressively energetic to annoy someone in another car. I certainly remember seeing family films at the local drive-in when I was a kid. Meanwhile, The Invisible Man is a horror film based on a classic movie monster, while The Hunt is an exploitation thriller. Both of these genres thrived at drive-ins during their heyday.
As for new releases, Quiver had a hit with Becky, as it earned $206,000 in 45 theaters during its opening weekend. The film is an action film, but one with heavy thriller and exploitation elements that makes it a good fit for drive-ins. Meanwhile, The Wretched crossed $1 million over the weekend and has a running tally of $1.11 million, including $197,000 in 99 theaters this past weekend. This is a great achievement for any limited release and it is truly worth celebrating for a horror film during such a difficult time.
We’re reaching out to the studios for further official figures, and hope to see more reporting soon. For now, our weekend chart will only include official studio numbers, unless a studio grants us permission to publish estimated figures.
Filed under: Weekend Wrap-up, The Hunt, Becky, The Wretched