NEW YORK (AP) – A not-so-distant recovery for movie theaters can be seen Sunday, as Warner Bros. ‘live-action-animated hybrid’ Tom & Jerry ‘starts with $ 13.7 million in ticket sales, the best domestic opening of the year.
The better-than-expected opening was despite only 42% of U.S. theaters, according to data firm Comscore. “Tom & Jerry” also played simultaneously in 2,475 North American cinemas as in the house, where it streamed on HBO Max for a month.
Yet ‘Tom & Jerry’ still managed the second best opening of the pandemic after Warner Bros. ‘Wonder Woman 1984’, which launched with $ 16.7 million in December while also landing on HBO Max. The next debut – ‘Tenet’, ‘The Croods: A New Age’ – won about $ 10 million this weekend.
“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 the film consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research “Under normal circumstances, this weekend will comfortably be more than $ 35 million – a positive sign for the business and the theater’s entertainment for home entertainment.”
“Tom & Jerry” also earned $ 25.1 million internationally, bringing studio total to $ 38.8 million worldwide. The film, directed by Tim Story and based on the characters created by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, stars Chloë Grace Moretz.
Theaters in some major markets are also about to get underway. On Friday, New York theaters will be allowed to open at 25% capacity for the first time since they closed last March. Next week, Disney will release the animated “Raya and the Last Dragon” in theaters and on Disney + for $ 30, with no entry fee.
Although Warner Bros. has been criticized by some people for leaving cinemas when they announced plans to send all 2021 films to both HBO Max and cinemas, the studio is currently a lifeline for theaters. The studio’s films – including “The Little Things”, “Judas and the Black Messiah” and “Wonder Woman 1984” – accounted for about 80% of domestic ticket sales over the weekend.
Private rental bookings help with the modest return of movie screenings. Family, friends and ‘pods’ discussed an entire theater. Warner Bros. said “Tom & Jerry” had seen more than 10,000 such discussions.
___
Follow AP Filmmaker Jake Coyle on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP