Post Nominations Box Office Bump?
Sunday, January 28, 2018 at 9:26PM by Nathaniel R
With all but one (Dunkirk) of the Best Picture nominees still in or back in theaters (Get Out returned for the weekend at 468 screens after its blockbuster run nearly a full year ago) and most* of them wise enough to expand slightly to exploit any possible Best Picture bump, let's look at the top 30 movies and see how well they did and in what context...
| Weekend Box Office (Jan 26th-28th) | |
| TOP THIRTY | |
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| 1. 🔺 Maze Runner: The Death Cure $23.5 NEW |
6. 12 Strong $8.6 (cum. $29.7) |
| 2. Jumanji Welcome to the Jungle $16.4 (cum. $338) |
7. Den of Thieves $8.3 (cum. $28.5) |
| 3. 🔺 Hostiles $10 (cum. $12) |
8.🔺 The Shape of Water ... $5.7 (cum. $37.6) CAPSULE | PODCAST | SCREENPLAY |
| 4 The Greatest Showman $9.5 (cum. $126) REVIEW | ANOTHER HIT MUSICAL |
9. Paddington 2 $5.5 (cum. $32) REVIEW |
| 5. The Post $8.8 (cum. $58.5) REVIEW | OSCAR KICK-OFF |
10.🔺 Padmaavat $4.2 NEW |
While the final installment of The Maze Runner owned the weekend and The Greatest Showman continued to defy the odds by climbing UP a rung in the top ten in its 6th week, the big news of the week was the Oscar nominations. Guillermo del Toro's Oscar frontish-runner Shape of Water took the most advantage of the news and jumped an incredible 160% up from last weekend's gross. That makes sense since it dominated headlines and was somewhat underseen with a strange underperformance to date. That should change now with a second chance to find an an appreciate audience. The Post, still in the top five, wasn't able to capitalize on its 2 nominations but to hold fairly well but in fairness it was already popular so it didn't have much to gain.
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| 11. SW VIII: The Last Jedi $4.1 (cum. $610.7) PODCAST | REVIEW | SECOND TAKE | 16. 🔺 I Tonya $2.9 (cum. $18.8) REVIEW | FYC ALLISON JANNEY |
| 12.🔺 Forever My Girl $3.7 (cum. $9.2) | 17. 🔺 Phantom Thread $2.8 (cum. $10.6) REYNOLDS VS ALMA | HARRIET'S CAMEO |
| 13.🔺 Three Billboards... $3.6 (cum. $37) REVIEW | WILLOUGHBY & DIXON |
18. Darkest Hour $2.1 (cum. $45.1) CAPSULE | SECOND VISIT |
| 14. The Commuter $3.4 (cum. $31.4) REVIEW | 19. 🔺 Lady Bird $1.9 (cum. $41.6) REVIEW | TEAM EXPERIENCE | PODCAST |
| 15. Insidious The Last Key $3.2 (cum. $63.4) | 20. Coco $1.4 (cum. $202.7) REVIEW | FEELING SEEN |
Lady Bird returned to wide release and Three Billboards added 500 theaters and both were rewarded though Billboards got the bigger boost. Phantom Thread and Darkest Hour though, like The Post, weren't able to gain so much as prevent much of a drop. Still, Phantom Thread surpassed Inherent Vice this weekend so it's no longer P.T. Anderson's lowest grosser after his little seen debut Hard Eight. It will need another strong week to get past The Master or Punch-Drunk Love, though.
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| 21. Proud Mary $1.3 (cum. $19.2) | 26. Wonder $430k (cum. $130.5) |
| 22. Call Me By Your Name $1.3 (cum. $11.3) REVIEWISH | SCREENPLAY | SEX | 27. All the Money in the World $225k (cum. $24.5) REVIEW |
| 23. Pitch Perfect 3 $1.3 (cum. $102.6) REVIEW |
28. Thor Ragnarok $183k (cum. $313.6) REVIEW | YOUR QUEEN |
| 24. Ferdinand $950k (cum. $80.4) | 29. 🔺 Get Out $170k (cum. $175.8) PEELE & KALUUYA | SCREENPLAY | THAT HOUSE |
| 25. Molly's Game $900K (cum. $25.9) | 30. Daddy's Home 2 $150k (cum. $103.7) |
🔺 = new or significant theater expansion numbers (in millions unless otherwise noted) from box office mojo |
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Post BP Nominations % gains or losses?
Shape of Water +160%
Three Billboards +87%
Lady Bird +61%
Call Me By Your Name -6%
Phantom Thread -11%
Darkest Hour -20%
The Post -24%
n/a
Dunkirk and Get Out
Other gains post Oscar nomination
The Insult (foreign film nominee) +162%
The Breadwinner (animated nominee) +51%
Faces Places (documentary nominee) +44%
Florida Project (supporting actor nominee) +42%
I Tonya (actress nominee) +3%
* Which brings us to Call Me By Your Name which confuses us yet again. It was agonizingly slow to expand, finally doing so last week but post Best Picture nomination it added... zero theaters. What gives?
What did you see this weekend?
ICYMI
Biggest Box Office Hits of 2017 | Biggest Documentaries of 2017 | Biggest Foreign Films of 2017
Reader Comments (23)
I saw " 12 Strong" which is another well made war on terror propaganda picture from Jerry Bruckheimer. I was going to see " Call Me By Your Name" and was surprise that even in N Y C is not playing in that many screens even after the Oscar nominations- this movie needed better marketing. From the people lining up they were going to see the over hyped "Phantom Thread" which apart from the score left me cold
Wind River - great thriller with solid direction; love Sheridan's economical writing style. Renner gives a terrific performance as a grieving father just trying to do his job to the best of his abilities.
The Post - handsomely made and well directed, but the writing was a little too on the nose in some sections. And also a little manipulative (Streep walking through the crowd and all of the women staring at her? Gimme a break). I was honestly looking forward to this when it was first announced and ended up disappointed; and am not suprised by its low nomination count at the Oscars (although I think it should have gotten in for production design; those scenes in the offices were great).
The problem with CMBYN is that its expansion didn't do so well last weekend (it had the lowest per theater average of all BP nominees even after adding the 2nd most theaters). So the studio probably found it difficult to convince theaters to expand it further this weekend.
The studio basically screwed up this movie's release plain and simple. They'll probably do one more expansion before the ceremony, but unless it surprises with a BP win, not much more life to it sadly.
I just caught Novitiate. My question is: why wasn't Melissa Leo even part of the award conversation? She's terrific. It's the same way I feel about Cynthia Nixon in A Quiet Passion. These two are superior to any of the BA nominees this year in my opinion.
Saw I, Tonya.
Absolutely loved it - what a fucking blast it was!
I really don't get why you don't like it, Nathaniel - its form is similar to that of To Die For, a movie you like, if I remember correctly.
I, Tonya contains;
amazing cinematography,
great performances (Janney and Robbie should win the Oscars),
inventive, playful filmmaking - highly surprising as the director, Craig Gillespie,
hasn't done anything in the past that suggests him being capable of something like this,
and a KILLER soundtrack.
Man, is it great!
Saw The Shape of Water since it finally appeared in the part of Texas I live in. It was good, but not my favorite (del Toro or of the year).
Keep meaning to watch Gerald's Game on Netflix, but always get distracted with other things.
Jans -- i have theories on Novitiate. I guess i should write about it.
Ulrich -- i feel like i saw a different movie than everyone else saw. Like I thought it looked straight up ugly and you're saying "great cinematography" so i dont know how to see this movie other people saw. I like dark comedies like ToDie For but To Die For is not trying to have its cake and eat it too. It knows exactly what kind fo person Suzanne Stone is and it's also fictional.. I Tonya seems to want to redeem the real Tonya Harding by abstracting her past, and making it funny, and telling only her perception of it. I just found it off putting in so many ways.
MDA -- i feel very similar to you about The Post. Way too clunky and stiff for me though it's certainly enjoyable and Meryl is really good in it. So i was very surprised when the first round of critics were all like "omg it's perfect" I'm like HUHWHATNOW?
I saw Lucky with Harry Dean Stanton and was very moved by it. He should have gotten an Oscar nomination.
I saw mother! and loved it. I think it will be one of the movies from last year that will be amply discussed in the future. Also saw The Shape of Water. Underwhelming. I thought it was a revamp of the superior Pan’s Labyrinth (which was not great shakes either). My problem with Shape was that its script was unbelievable in so many parts. SPOILERS. why wait to liberate the merman, even when he was clearly dying? Why wait for the rains and a cannal when you can go directly to the ocean? Answer: so the date and place can be annotated on the calendar and Hence Michael Shannon’s character knows where to go for the final confrontation. Lazy writing.
I don't think Call Me By Your Name expanded poorly due to a lack of interest, SPC waited Too. Damn. Long!!!!! It came out two months ago.
The fact that it had the highest PTA of the year on its opening weekend should've been a sign for them to fast track their expansion. In fact, I think one reason it underperformed on Oscar nomination day is because of its expansion that was as fast as a tortoise race. If it's not reaching out to a wider enough audience, how are more people going to keep buzzing about it?
I saw The Post yesterday afternoon, which is exactly the type of middle-of-the-road, B-grade effort I've come to expect from Spielberg at this point in his career. I enjoyed it and believe that it's timely, but I think it needed a more deft, more restrained hand to be elevated to greatness (those Nixon phone conversation bits, that ending -- YIKES).
I saw Phantom Thread and loved it! It may be my second favorite of the year, after Lady Bird. Lesley Manville is divine and the screenplay was wonderful. Now THIS feels like a feminist film with two powerful women at its core (other films in the Oscar race should take note).
I think SPC marketed Novitiate poorly. I live in a heavily Catholic area with a lot of older arthouse moviegoers where there would have been interest, but it barely made a sound here. Also, I just found out that it was directed by Maggie Betts, an African-American woman. That in and of itself is unique (it would have made me more likely to see the film), and I think they could have gotten her some press.
We caught Wonderstruck (Michelle Williams & Julianne Moore) - pretty ambitious - but the movie felt kind of flat to me...production values were really good though....the remark made by the spouse while watching the movie "I bet this film didn't do too well at the box office."....pretty much sums up our thoughts... :-)
Also, caught Strange Weather - Holly Hunter really delivers in this film with great work by Carrie Coon as the best friend/next door neighbor...hope more folks get a chance to see this gem!
Caught up with THE FLORIDA PROJECT, a film in which I liked what it was saying but not how it was saying it. I can't fathom a world in which it was a Best Picture nominee and sure enough...
Also saw THE INSULT, which is not great. About as subtle as its characters are well-reasoned and well-intentioned. I genuinely guffawed at the mid-film twist. What a disappointing Best Foreign Language Film nominee.
Phantom Thread ... again. So bonkers. So great.
Three Billboards - I've tried to see it twice now and have fallen asleep in the first 20 minutes both times. I guess I'll never see it all the way through ...
Eva - No one held the screen better than Jeanne Moreau. So sad that she's gone.
The Darkest Hour - Oldman is totally fine. KST is completely wasted. I don't understand why Lily James is even in it. Talk about a movie of boring old white dudes! A complete snoozefest overall.
My two favorite movies from 2017 are both doing well: Making it three out of top five for the studio, Fox's The Post rounds out the top five after bringing in an estimated $8.85 million. The Steven Spielberg-directed film was nominated for two Oscars this past week, including Best Picture and Best Actress (Meryl Streep), and has now grossed $58.5 million domestically. The film also added five new international markets this weekend where it grossed an estimated $10.2 million, including a #1 debut in France with $3 million. The film's international cume thus far stands at $24.5 million, for a total worldwide haul of $83 million.
Outside the top five we find The Shape of Water, which received the year's most Oscar nominations with 13, which certainly helped its box office prospects. The film expanded into 1,854 theaters (+1,001) and brought in an estimated $5.7 million bringing the film's domestic total to $37.6 million. Internationally the film played in ten markets this weekend and brought in an estimated $3.2 million, pushing its worldwide cume to $51.5 million.
Saw Phantom Thread - wow, the trailer really did not do it justice. The cast is fantastic (Krieps really held her own, and Harriet Harris was just astoundingly great) and the story gets more and more interesting. However, [SPOILERS] I'm not sure I fully bought/understood Woodcock's willingness to eat the mushroom? He was ready to divorce her in the previous scene. I enjoyed the twist, but not sure it was set up correctly. [END SPOILERS]
Also saw Icarus on Netflix, nominated for best documentary. It's about people and a subject I care so very little about (you want to ride a bike for 7 days in an amateur race? Go for it, I just don't want to watch you prepare for it for 45 minutes), but it does get better and better as it goes along.
I saw Ex Libris. Once again, I am puzzled by people who automatically recoil at the word "documentary". This movie was over 3 hours long and nothing happens and I was fascinated throughout. It could have gone on another 3 hours. Also streamed Loveless (as an Indie Spirit voter). A stunning film. Even more grim than Leviathan, and real punch to the gut. Reminded me of other classics like The Children Are Watching Us and The Rocking Horse Winner. Mix in a little L'Avventura, where the search for a missing character becomes a way to explore the lives of the searchers. A really powerful experience. I hope it wins the Oscar for Best Foreign Film. Streamed Columbus, too. Pretty dull.
My problem with Phantom Thread is the thing that is praised most! The music just didn't lead me to expect the horror/weirdo goings on there at the end. I wish it was MORE like Bernard Herrman and the like.
And like Nathaniel, I think I, Tonya is fine in a scuzzy retro TV movie sort of way and I have no problem with the acting nominations, but that's about as far as it should go.
PSA : BPM Beats Per Minute is now on iTunes.
I agree with Ulrich- No Pedro " Pan's Labyrinth" is a masterpiece of cinefantastique it transcends its genre something the the more conventional structured " The Shape of Water" fails to do except for it's delirious crazy musical fantasy scene
The lack of box office bounce for Call Me by Your Name is disappointing. I was hoping word of mouth would carry it, but I think America is generally unwilling to embrace a film set in Europe featuring LGBTQ characters. It's already scheduled to come out on Blu Ray March 13, so it will probably gross another $3 million or so and top out at $15 million.
Stupid click bait stories like this on Indiewire certainly don't bode well for Chalamet's tight race against Gary "the wife-beater" Oldman.
http://www.indiewire.com/2018/01/timothee-chalamet-woody-allen-a-rainy-day-in-new-york-contract-1201919512/