Universal and Blumhouse Black phone 2 compound $2.6 million previews yesterday in 2,900 cinemas from 2 p.m. That’s just below the $3 million in previews that the first 2021 film raked in before bowing to $23.6 million.
Black phone 2 previews are consistent with those of Paramount Smile 2 which opened on the same weekend a year ago with $2.5 million in previews and a $23 million three-day run.
The hope is that Blumhouse, after having a lackluster stretch during a box office horror-heavy year for the industry, can actually catch a break and release a robust opening, this Scott Derrickson-directed sequel priced in the $20-$30 million range. Reviews are a solid 74% Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. The first Black phone was 81% with RT reviews and a B+ CinemaScore.
The establishment for Black phone 2 is that Ethan Hawke’s The Grabber is in the real world, not locked in a neighborhood house in a 1970s suburb. Be careful.
After Disney’s mediocre opening Tron: Ares, and sophisticated adult films in free fall (I’m sorry, except for One battle after another), it’s a slump at the fall box office, even though, according to ComScore from Labor Day through last Sunday, the season is on par with a year ago at $770.7 million. It would be nice to finally see a film live up to its follow-up predictions.
Lionsgate directs Aziz Ansari; Comedy from Keanu Reeves and Seth Rogen, in which the multi-hyphenate also stars, Chance. It is expected to gross less than $10 million from 2,985 locations. The film took $30 million net, in line with Lionsgate’s other films; the photo you will remember was impacted by the start and stop of the writers’ and actors’ strike. Coming out of its world premiere at TIFF, Chance is 79% fresh. Last night’s previews were $725,000 on 2,990 sites.
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