Refresh for updates 20th Century Fox is reporting $1.7M for Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials at 2,900 locales, a 55% spike over the first installment’s Thursday previews of $1.1M. The gun went off at 8PM last night for Scorch Trials. While we saw an 11% spike in last weekend’s moviegoing over the same frame a year ago with $101.2M, everyone — adults and teens — are expected to go back to the movies this weekend in bulk, led by Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials which is looking forward to a mid $30M weekend.
Warner Bros.’ Johnny Depp Boston gangster pic Black Mass gunned down $1.4M last night. While tracking has pegged the Scott Cooper-directed film about Whitey Bulger in the high teens, it has a great shot of overperforming thanks to great reviews — at 76% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes — coming out of Venice, Telluride and Toronto film festivals, specifically for Johnny Depp getting lost in the role on screen in full-on fearful make up.
Uni’s co-production with Working Title-Walden-Cross Creek, Everest, notched $325K at 481 Imax hubs and premium large format screens which started their ascent at 7PM. The title, which has had a worldwide film festival launch at the Venice and Deauville, recently is not even a wide release this weekend, but a limited one, playing strictly in 546 big pic venues. Projections are at $6-$7M. The film recounts the 1996 expedition which resulted in the death of eight climbers. Current Rotten Tomatoes on Everest is 71% fresh.
An even bigger deal this weekend for distributors, with Black Mass at the head of the pack, is that a plethora of award contending product is hitting the multiplex, hot off their festival runs: Bleecker Street’s Pawn Sacrifice which has checked an estimated $16K since Wednesday at four New York and Los Angeles locations before its break into 11 cities as well as Lionsgate’s Sicario which opens in six New York and Los Angeles locations today.
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