Box Office Recap 2015: Will Smith's 'Focus' Underperforms; Oscar Winner 'Birdman' Soars
"Focus" won the box office but underperformed while "Kingsman: The Secret Service" and "The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water" continued to play solidly.
The Will Smith and Margot Robbie thriller made an estimated $19.1 million 3,323 theaters. The Warner Bros. film underperformed as it was expected that "Focus" would open above $20 million. The movie's mediocre reviews and lack of buzz failed to make it a must-see event. The movie marks the latest Will Smith film outside of a franchise to underperform. Before that, "After Earth" and "Seven Pounds" failed to generate solid performances and once again showed that Smith has lost fans throughout the years. With "Chappie" and "Unfinished Business" out next weekend, it is likely the film will have a massive drop.
In its second weekend, "Kingsman: the Secret Service" made another $11.7 million. The thriller starring Colin Firth has already grossed $85 million in three weeks and will likely cross the $100 million mark by the end of its run.
In its fourth weekend, "The SpongeBob Movie" made $11.2 million and brought its total to $140 million. The film is now expected to end its run with over $165 million. That would be far more than the original SpongeBob movie, which was released more than 10 years ago.
In its third weekend, "Fifty Shades of Grey" continued to fall quickly as it made $10.9 million. The 50 percent drop brought its total to $147 million. If the film continues to drop quickly, expect it to end its run with $170 million.
In its first weekend, "The Lazarus Effect" surprised, making an estimated $10.6 million. Despite horrible reviews, the horror thriller managed to perform better than most analysts expected. This was due in part to the marketing campaign. However, the movie does fall short of expectations for horror pictures which get most of their gross from opening weekend. Expect a massive drop next weekend.
"McFarland, USA" had an impressive second weekend as it was down 29.3 percent and made an estimated $7.7 million. In two weeks, the Latino-themed picture has made $21.9 million.
Meanwhile, "American Sniper" added $7.7 million to its gross and now stands at $331 million. Next weekend, it should become the highest grossing film of 2014.
Lionsgate had a successful weekend with "The Duff." In its second weekend, the high school comedy made $7.1 million and brought its total to $20 million. After two weeks, the film has overperformed and has a chance of ending its run with at least $30 million.
A number of Oscar winners benefited from victories on Awards Night. The biggest boost came for "Still Alice," which expanded into 1,318 theaters and made an estimated $2.6 million. The film, starring Julianne Moore, has made an estimated $11.9 million and should easily break the $20 million mark if word-of-mouth continues to be strong.
The Best Picture winner "Birdman" made $1.9 million and the film finally broke the $40 million mark. The feature is currently on DVD but that still did not stop audiences from heading out to see the Oscar-winning film. If Fox Searchlight continues to keep it in theaters, then the film could easily top $45 million.
"The Imitation Game" was down 23 percent and made $1.9 million. The Best Adapted Screenplay winner has grossed $83 million and now looks to end its run with $90 million.
Oscar winner "Whiplash" had a successful weekend as it made another $677,000 and brought its total to $12 million. "The Theory of Everything" also took advantage of its Oscar win and expanded to make $649,000. The drama has now made $35 million and will likely end its run with $37 million. Like "Birdman," both films are on VOD and DVD.
In limited released, Pantelion's "A La Mala" flopped, with $1.4 million in 384 theaters. The opening was on par with the company's last film "Spare Parts." However, this opening can be considered better, given the fact that it is an all-subtitled film. With negative reviews and no buzz, this film will likely leave theaters quickly.
Focus Features released David Cronenberg's Golden Globe nominee "Maps to the Stars" to dismal reception. The movie made $139,000 in 66 theaters. Mixed reviews and a lack of a marketing strategy definitely played into the performance at the box office. Additionally, the film also opened on VOD platforms.
Meanwhile, Roadside Attractions had a solid opening with the critically acclaimed feature "'71." The drama starring Jack O'Connell made an estimated $60,100 in four theaters, which is equivalent to $15,025.