Welcome back to Box Office Breakdown, the weekly segment where I analyze the top ten highest grossing films of the past weekend. As theatres continue to reopen and prepare for an onslaught of new theatrical releases, we will be analyzing the state of the box office, as well as VOD and streaming.
With a recent spike in COVID cases across Canada and worldwide, its uncertain how theatres will respond. As of now, theatres remain open, but many upcoming anticipated releases have been postponed. The most recent example is Denis Villeneuve’s highly anticipated, star-studded blockbuster Dune, which has been postponed to October 1st, 2021. This monumental move has shifted the entire movie release schedule, as The Batman (which was initially supposed to be released that same weekend) has been pushed to March 4th, 2022, while DC’s Black Adam has been moved from its December 2021 release slot and is currently delayed indefinitely. The latest film in the James Bond franchise No Time to Die, has been rescheduled once again. It was the very first notable film to be postponed due to the pandemic and many fans have been anxiously awaiting its release ever since. No Time to Die will now be released on April 2nd, 2021.
With no major studio releases opening in theatres, independent films and re-releases have been occupying spots within the top 10. Disney’s cult-classic Halloween staple Hocus Pocus received a wide re-release and has managed to do quite well, securing the #2 at the box office. With the lack of Halloween-fare currently playing in theatres, Hocus Pocus could be a dominate force at the box office for the remainder of October.
Brandon Cronenberg’s provocative and polarizing horror film Possessor was this week’s highest charting new release. The film received generally stellar reviews from critics, but has divided general audiences. Nonetheless, the film seems to have very strong word of mouth and it is one of the only horror movies currently playing in theatres. NEON, the film’s distributor, are running quite the marketing campaign, so it will likely stick around for a while.
Bleeker Street’s sci-fi/comedy Save Yourselves also managed to crack the top 10. The film jokingly tackles relevant themes that may resonate at the moment, such as societies addiction to technology and the importance of connecting with one another. It has received generally positive reviews from both critics and audiences, so it could potentially stick around if it garners some more word of mouth buzz.
Here are the top 10 highest grossing films domestically from the past weekend:
10) Save Yourselves (Week 1: $143K)
9) Shortcut (Week 2: $212K)
8) Possessor (Week 1: $252K)
7) The Broken Hearts Gallery (Week 4: $276K)
6) Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (Week 13: $335K)
5) Infidel (Week 3: $460K)
4) Unhinged (Week 8: $847K)
3) The New Mutants (Week 6: $1M)
2) Hocus Pocus (Week 1: $1.9M)
1) Tenet (Week 5: $2.7M)
In the coming weeks, we will continue to analyze the state of VOD releases and will provide updates regarding upcoming films.
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