Thursday Night Previews: Hours is Merely Fine
January 29, 2016
Kids movies rarely have "midnight" shows and that was the case with Kung Fu Panda 3. This left The Finest Hours with the perfect opportunity to grab some of the spotlight. It only managed $375,000 during its previews, which is $200,000 less than In the Heart of the Sea managed late last year. It is closer to the $400,000 Selma earned before its wide expansion. The two films do have similar release dates and are based on real life events, but an action film should do better than a drama when it comes to previews. Even if we are being generous, $12 million looks like the high end for the weekend and that's terrible compared to its $85 million production budget. Less then $10 million is just as likely and that could result in someone losing their job.
Fifty Shades of Black pulled in $275,000 during its previews. That's about as much as Burnt did last fall. Ouch. Additionally, its early reviews are 0% positive, so word-of-mouth won't help it at the box office. On the positive side, it only cost $5 million to make.
- Kung Fu Panda 3 Comparisons
The Finest Hours Comparisons
Fifty Shades of Black Comparisons
Filed under: Midnight Previews, In the Heart of the Sea, Kung Fu Panda 3, The Finest Hours, Fifty Shades of Black