Universal’s Fifty Shades Darker previews began last night with the E.L. James sequel earning $5.72M from 3,120 venues which started showtimes at 7PM. Also, Warner Bros. reports that The LEGO Batman Movie grossed $2.2M off 3,500 locations, starting at 5PM, a figure that outstrips the $1.7M Thursday night of Zootopia. In addition, Lionsgate is reporting $2.2M for John Wick: Chapter 2 last night at 3,131 sites, a boom over the $870K earned by the first film in October 2014. All great starts for this time of year.
In addition last night, distributors contended with snow in the Northeast. While there weren’t any theater closings, it shaved hundreds of thousands of dollars off from each pic’s evening take. Bad weather is expected to continue in markets like New York, Philadelphia and Boston this weekend, and if there are multiplex closings tonight, it will impact business by as much 5%.
Heading into the weekend, projections for Fifty Shades Darker resided at $35M. However, these new numbers for LEGO Batman could send it toward the upper echelon of $60M.
At the time when Fifty Shades of Grey opened to $8.6M at 2,830 theaters on its first Thursday night, it slotted the second-best preview night for an R-rated movie behind the $10.4M made by The Hangover. But last year, Deadpool‘s Thursday night of $12.7M pushed Fifty Shades of Grey to third. Fifty Shades of Grey also once owned the top February opening record with $85.1M, until Deadpool pulled the rug out from underneath it with a massive $132.4M three-day.
Fifty Shades Darker‘s advance ticket sales have been healthy, obviously not as big as Fifty Shades of Grey, but many expect those dollars to hit on Valentine’s Day, and thus impacting its five-day figure. Fifty Shades Darker, which was shot at the same time as its threequel, Fifty Shades Freed, cost an estimated $55M before P&A.
Fifty Shades of Grey‘s opening weekend broke down as follows: $30.3M on opening day (second best for February), then $37.75M on Saturday, +21% due to Valentine’s Day and Imax hubs, and a Sunday of $18.1M.
When Zootopia opened last March, it went on to make $19.5M on its first Friday, and a $75M opening weekend. LEGO Batman is also just under the $2.3M that Cinderella made on its Thursday before posting a $69.8M opening. The first LEGO Movie made $400K after 10PM Thursday night previews and went on to make $69M in its first weekend. LEGO Batman will play in Imax, 3D, 2D, 4DX, and PLFs.
Even through Fifty Shades Darker won’t be as sexy here in the states, it is expected to whip LEGO Batman for the worldwide weekend win.
Lionsgate/Summit’s John Wick: Chapter 2, propelled by a 90% certified fresh Rotten Tomatoes score (better than its first chapter of 85%), is expected to debut to north of $20M, besting its predecessor’s $14M opening.
