Movie weekend gets more crowded as weather warms up and summer season nears
It isn't quite summer movie season, but activity at the box office is ramping up - a far cry from the quiet March where The Batman was allowed to roam unchallenged.
Three films go to wide release this weekend, while another half dozen or so try small-theater runs in limited release. Prominent among the wider openers is violent Viking epic The Northman, from Universal's indie/foreign label Focus Features (NASDAQ:CMCSA), and the latest from director Robert Eggers (The Witch, The Lighthouse).
The Northman did best among newcomers in Thursday previews, drawing $1.3 million, often a precursor for how the weekend is going to go. It edged the animated family film counterprogrammed against it, The Bad Guys (CMCSA), which grossed $1.1 million in previews. And then there's Nicolas Cage in self-deprecating story The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (NYSE:LGF.A) (NYSE:LGF.B), which drew some $800,000.
If Thursdays are an indicator, though, this weekend may belong to last weekend's top films - Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (WBD) scored $42.2 million last weekend and pulled $1.9 million on Thursday, while Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (PARA) (PARAA) drew $29.3 million last weekend and $1.1 million on Thursday. And they're more likely to perform with wide audiences vs. Eggers' modestly promoted Viking movie.