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 are currently in 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 in particular had a slew of notable new theatrical releases, although the majority of them were released in select theatres and were unable to crack the top 10 at the domestic Box Office. That being said, there was one new released that thrived at the Box Office this past weekend. Blumhouse Pictures’ latest horror-comedy Freaky debuted at the #1 spot and has already gained a relatively large cult-following. The film received very strong reviews, with many drawing comparisons to Happy Death Day (2017) and Scream (1996). Due the rise of COVID cases, the film unfortunately wasn’t able to perform nearly as well as it would have in regular circumstances.
Debuting just outside of the top 10 at #12 is the Christmas themed dark comedy Fatman, starring Mel Gibson. The film has received relatively negative reviews, but considering its bizarre premise, it has the potential to gain a cult-following once it hits VOD platforms next week.
The Alice in Wonderland/Peter Pan based fantasy drama Come Away hit theatres this past weekend, debuting at #13. The film initially had buzz behind it due to its star-studded cast, but it lost steam when it premiered at Sundance in January to mostly negative reviews. The film is currently available to purchase on iTunes and will be available to rent on December 8th.
The Climb has finally hit theatres after playing the festival circuit for what seems like ages. The film debuted at #14 and has received very strong reviews, but it has an upward battle as the majority of the niche demographic it appeals to who have already seen the film at one of the various film festivals it played at. It will need to continue to generate word of mouth buzz if it wants to stick around.
Despite being considered one of the most promising Oscars prospects a few months ago, Ammonite has lost a considerable amount of steam after premiering to lukewarm reviews at TIFF. The film opened in only 280 theatres so its not surprising that it didn’t crack the top 10, but considering its fairly high profile and stars A-list actresses such as Saoirse Ronan and Kate Winslet, it definitely underperformed.
Here are the top 10 highest grossing films domestically from the past weekend:
10) Elf: 2020 Re-release (Week 1: $170K)
9) Toy Story: 2020 Re-release (Week 11: $222K)
8) True to the Game 2 (Week 2: $288K)
7) Guardians of the Galaxy: 2020 Re-release (Week 1: $406K)
6) Tenet (Week 11: $735K)
5) Honest Thief (Week 6: $780K)
4) Come Play (Week 3: $1.1M)
3) The War With Grandpa (Week 6: $1.3M
2) Let Him Go (Week 2: $1.7M)
1) Freaky (Week 1: $3.6M)
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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