EXCLUSIVE: Warner Bros/MRC theatrical release of Oscar winner Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights smooched $3M from Thursday previews at 3,000 locations.
Before you comp the movie to the $7M previews for It Ends With Us (which opened to $50M), calm your jets. First that was a summer release. Second, distributione sources are seeing a big pop for moviegoing on Saturday, Valentine’s Day with a natural shift of foot traffic from last night to today, and into tomorrow. Let’s not forget the Monday Presidents Day holiday. The last time Valentine’s Day fell on a Saturday was 11 years ago; that’s when Fifty Shades of Grey opened to $93M over 4-days with Kingsman: Secret Service in second place with $41M. I hear that there’s $14M in presales already for Wuthering Heights which is eyeing $40M-$50M over the 4-day holiday in North America. Reviews are fresh for Wuthering Heights, but at 65% on Rotten Tomatoes. It Ends With Us was 55% Rotten with critics, but 87% with moviegoers. As we told you, Warner Bros on the Jacob Elordi-Margot Robbie starring feature take of the Emily Brontë novel for $80M, over Netflix’s $150M.
Sony Pictures Animation’s Goat did $1M in Thursday previews starting at 2 p.m. from 3030 locations. The film has earned PostTrak ratings of 5-stars for kids under 12, 4.5-stars from both parents and general. Sony sees $20M for Goat over 4-days, but the town believes that the lack of family product in the marketplace could push the start of the Stephen Curry production higher. Goat is 80% fresh with critics. Goat before P&A cost between $80M-$90M+.
Meanwhile, Amazon MGM Studios’ Chris Hemsworth-Halle Berry-Mark Ruffalo-Barry Keoghan noir Crime 101 made $1M from overall previews, not just last night. The movie is hoping for a $15M 4-day start. The Bart Layton directed movie is 86% certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. The production cost $90M before P&A we understand. Remember, Amazon MGM Studios doesn’t go theatrical unless they can make back their marketing costs. That’s their rule of thumb on their productions. Comps are Den of Thieves: Pantera ($1.35M previews, $15M opening), A Working Man ($1.1M previews, $15.5M opening), and The Beekeeper ($2.4M previews, $16.5M 3-day).
No Rotten Tomatoes audience scores for all three films.
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