Box Office Breakdown (October 30-November 1)

Tristan FrenchNovember 3, 2020n/a6 min

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. 

While many theatres throughout Canada and worldwide remain open, the Ontario government shut down all theatres throughout Toronto, Peel and Ottawa for 30 days due to the recent spike in COVID cases. It’s unclear whether other provinces and areas throughout the world will respond in the same way, but as of now there are still enough theatres open domestically to be able to report on the box office.

We have finally entered the month of November, which is usually a hot-spot for both prestige films looking for awards consideration and blockbusters alike. While this year the lineup isn’t nearly as stacked, there are still some notable releases coming out this month whether its theatrical, streaming or PVOD.

This past weekend we were treated to two new theatrical releases. The first was Focus Features’ latest horror film, Come Play. The film was able able to obtain an impressive amount of revenue, surpassing $3 Million domestically. However, the film largely benefited from being released so close to Halloween and has received relatively mixed reviews therefore it is unclear whether it will remain near the top of the charts over the coming weeks The other notable new release was Spell, a horror film receiving relatively mixed reviews and is likely to face a similar fate. However, the film’s limited release means that it has yet to be viewed by mass audiences. Both films seem like they could gain some more traction once they hit VOD/streaming.

Robert Zemeckis’ adaptation of Roald Dahl’s cult-classic The Witches was released on HBO Max in the U.S. last weekend before receiving a international theatrical release this weekend. The film has since earned just under $5 Million worldwide and seems to be doing well on streaming, although it may not have much staying power as a result of its negative reception from both critics and audiences alike.

Here are the top 10 highest grossing films domestically from the past weekend:

10) The Addams Family: 2020 Re-release (Week 2: $187K)

9) Spell (Week 1: $210K)

8) Monsters Inc.: 2020 Re-release (Week 2: $232K)

7) The Nightmare Before Christmas: 2020 Re-release (Week 3: $386K)

6) Hocus Pocus: 2020 Re-release (Week 5: $456K)

5) The Empty Man (Week 2: $577K)

4) Tenet (Week 8: $885K)

3) The War With Grandpa (Week 4: $1.3M

2) Honest Thief (Week 4: $1.4M)

1) Come Play (Week 1: $3.1M)

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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