Warner Bros. an animated family film “Tom and Jerry” debuts to $ 13.7 million at the domestic box office, one of the biggest opening weekends of the coronavirus era, and a signal that the movie will recover.
To be sure, it will take a while before ticket sales reach pre-pandemic levels. But second only to “Wonder Woman 1984,” which launched with $ 16.7 million in December, “Tom and Jerry” had the strongest three-day total since opening theaters in the middle of last year. Nothing else released in the last ten months could crack the $ 10 million mark; “The Croods: A New Age” ($ 9.7 million) and “Tenet” ($ 9.35 million) were the only others that came close to the benchmark.
“Tom and Jerry” – directed by Tim Story and starring Chloë Grace Moretz, Michael Peña and Colin Jost – has been performed in 2,475 theaters in North America. According to Comscore, 42% of the cinemas in the country have reopened.
‘Tom and Jerry’ also premieres on the HBO Max streaming service, where it will be available to subscribers for 31 days. Starting with the ‘Wonder Woman’ sequel, Warner Bros. 18 films set to air in theaters and on HBO Max simultaneously due to the pandemic.
Overseas, the cartoon adventure about the iconic rivalry between cat and mouse earned $ 25 million from 33 countries for a global score of $ 38.8 million. Given the current circumstances, this is considered a strong start for the $ Tomion and Jerry-budgeted $ 79 million.
Cash analysts appear to be optimistic about the numbers. “With half the theaters still closed, the pandemic still a threat and ‘Tom & Jerry’ available at home, it’s a very good opening,” said David A. Gross, who runs film consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research management. ‘[It’s] a positive sign for the business and for the theater’s home entertainment. “
Of the films released during the pandemic (a fraction of the amount that would normally hit the big screen during normal times), those aimed at younger audiences reaped the greatest rewards. Warner Bros. said ticket sales for ‘Tom and Jerry’ are fueled by family attendees buying private theater rentals.
“There is undoubtedly an element of cabin fever among parents and children playing with these successful family films during the pandemic, but I also think we are looking at the beginning of a bigger trend,” said Shawn Robbins, chief analyst at Box Office Pro, said. . “As virus cases decrease, vaccines begin to be released and more mainstream movies begin to be released, families become more comfortable with the idea of going back to the movies while taking safe health measures such as wearing masks and social distancing.”
Looking ahead, Robbins notes, it should be good for Disney’s “Raya and the Last Dragon,” which premieres next weekend in theaters and on Disney Plus (for a premium).
‘But with all due diligence,’ said Robbins, ‘the ability of’ Tom and Jerry ‘to exceed expectations despite a day-and-date release, and without the biggest markets being open, is still a positive step forward for the industry as a whole. “
In other encouraging news for the box office, the New York government, Andrew Cuomo, has given permission for cinemas in the five districts to reopen with limited capacity from March 5. It’s almost a year ago that the movie theaters in New York were able to welcome customers, which is why studios chose to postpone almost all of their biggest movies. Theaters in the area will have to operate at 25%, which will make it difficult to achieve profitability, but film exhibitors believe that this is a positive step in the recovery of the battered film industry.
“Open theaters, plus new movies, are the formula that will bring the theater market back to life,” said Paul Dergarabedian, a senior media analyst at Comscore. “This is very encouraging given the challenging and unprecedented challenges of the past year.”
With the opening of ‘Tom and Jerry’, the box office backing ‘The Croods: A New Age’ slipped to second place in 1912 venues, raising $ 1.2 million. The animated sequel to Universal Pictures and DreamWorks has become an unlikely hit from the coronavirus era, raising $ 52 million so far.
Otherwise, none of the top five films could fetch $ 1 million in ticket sales. ‘The Little Things’, in its fifth weekend of release, came closest and grossed $ 925,000 from 1,853 seats. The Warner Bros. thriller, starring Denzel Washington, Jared Leto and Rami Malek, grossed $ 12.9 million in the US and Canada and $ 10.3 million internationally for a worldwide total of $ 23.2 million. .
‘Wonder Woman 1984’ took fourth place and grossed $ 1,510,000 in 1,538 places. The sequel to The Superhero has earned $ 43.6 million since its debut more than two months ago. It did significantly better in foreign affairs, raising $ 117.4 million. Liam Neeson’s action thriller “The Marksman” rounded out the top five with $ 700,000, raising the total to $ 12.345 million.