# Theatrical releases same time as streaming (WW84 opening weekend manages to deliver)



## techguy88 (Mar 19, 2015)

'Wonder Woman 1984' Opening Boosts Movie Theater Stocks As 2021 Hopes Rise

Looks like WarnerMedia's same day-and-date experiment during the pandemic is paying off. WW84 managed to outdo _Tenet_'s opening weekend. 
_
WW84_ had $16.7 million domestically and was in less theaters domestically than _Tenet_ due to recent closures because of the pandemic. _Tenet _made $9.3 million during its opening weekend domestically. So far _WW84_ is the best domestic opening of any film released during the pandemic since some theaters opened at 50% compacity.

WarnerMedia is saying HBO Max had record viewership meanwhile the theater's stocks increased which is rare during the pandemic since they have been dropping.

Updated subscriber numbers for HBO Max activations, retail/DTC subscribers & wholesale subscribers (MVPD/vMVPD, Internet, Mobile) should be available on AT&T's Q4 2020 Earnings Call that starts @ 8:30 AM ET on January 27, 2021 (based on past quarters).

Q1 2020 will be an interesting one as WB continues on with the hybrid model and Disney dips its toes into this as well.

Here are the films for Q1 2021 that will have a simultaneous theatrical/HBO Max release at no extra cost to subscribers:

_The Little Things_ - January 29, 2021 (Trailer)

_Judas and the Black Messiah_ - February 12, 2021 (Trailer)

_Tom & Jerry_ - February 26, 2021 (Trailer)
_The Many Saints of Newark _- March 12, 2021 (Teaser trailer)
So far here is what Disney has in store with their simultaneous theatrical/Disney+ with Premier Access release:

_Raya and the Last Dragon_ - March 5, 2021 (Trailer) 
I have a feeling if _Raya_ works out for Disney then in 2021 there maybe more films from them with this model instead of sending them straight to Disney+.


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

techguy88 said:


> 'Wonder Woman 1984' Opening Boosts Movie Theater Stocks As 2021 Hopes Rise
> 
> Looks like WarnerMedia's same day-and-date experiment during the pandemic is paying off. WW84 managed to outdo _Tenet_'s opening weekend.
> _
> ...


I've seen and been terribly disappointed by the new Wonder Woman movie. To waste Gadot on such a film is almost criminal. In my opinion. Of course, YMMV.

Rich


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## techguy88 (Mar 19, 2015)

Rich said:


> I've seen and been terribly disappointed by the new Wonder Woman movie. To waste Gadot on such a film is almost criminal. In my opinion. Of course, YMMV.
> 
> Rich


I thought it was a good movie on its own but being part of a superhero franchise like DCEU I can see where the disappointment came from. I didn't think it was bad or "the worst" nor did I think it was the best or "great". Overall I liked the message it was trying to convey. For WW84's runtime they could have put in a little more action lol. Hopefully the third one is better that WB just announced with Jenkins & Gadot.

I think the theatrical cut of _Justice League_ was one of the worst movies I've seen. You can tell it was a product of two different directors with two varying different styles and the way they edited out the mustache Cavill had to keep during the reshoots is the worst CGI I've ever seen. I don't think the 4-hour Snyder Cut will "wow" me but it has to be at least better/watchable than the theatrical cut since it won't feature the CGI upper lip on Superman.

I did go my local theater to see WW84 and visually it looks good on the big screen (especially the fireworks scene). Although I think the fact of actually leaving my house to do something "non-essential" may have clouded my judgement a bit rofl. I plan on re-watching it later on HBO Max so my view on the film may change slightly now that I'm at home with microwave popcorn ahahaha.

Although considering 1 trip only cost a total of $19.12 which included the ticket and a large soda + large popcorn if there are any Universal films under their PVOD rental model or any future theatrical & Disney+ Premier Access releases I may want to see I'll just go to the theater. No way I'm paying $19.99 to $29.99 to watch a film and not get fresh theater popcorn and a soda.


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## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

I think the tale of the tape will come on successive weekends to see how many decide they need to see the movie (or perhaps again) in a theater.

I was surprised at the absence of Diana Prince at several points. She seemed to pop in and right back out again as other characters took center stage.


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## James Long (Apr 17, 2003)

"Fresh" is not a description I would use for theater popcorn and fountain soda ... but I assume you find better theaters than me. 

I am amazed that any film can do well when it is being streamed at no extra cost to an existing service's subscribers.


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## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

James Long said:


> I am amazed that any film can do well when it is being streamed at no extra cost to an existing service's subscribers.


If you think about what the average home viewing environment is (55" or so non-HDR TV with a sound bar?), it really isn't all that amazing. In theory, a movie of this type begs for a big screen with big sound.


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## WestDC (Feb 9, 2008)

I didn't waste my bandwidth cap on any of it ----it will show up on HBO and many other channels in 6 months


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## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

WestDC said:


> I didn't waste my bandwidth cap on any of it ----it will show up on HBO and many other channels in 6 months


The likely difference being that you'll get HD video and DD5.1 audio versus 4K HDR and Dolby Atmos sound on the linear channels. For those with the requisite equipment, I'm betting that's a big deal.


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

WestDC said:


> I didn't waste my bandwidth cap on any of it ----it will show up on HBO and many other channels in 6 months


I didn't think it was worth the time we spent watching it. Normally, I would blame myself, the mood I was in. And I'd watch it again. Normally. No way will I watch that thing again. But, YMMV.

Rich


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

harsh said:


> The likely difference being that you'll get HD video and DD5.1 audio versus 4K HDR and Dolby Atmos sound on the linear channels. For those with the requisite equipment, I'm betting that's a big deal.


4K, HDR, and Dolby Atmos sound aren't gonna make that stinker a better picture.

Rich


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

harsh said:


> If you think about what the average home viewing environment is (55" or so non-HDR TV with a soundbar?), it really isn't all that amazing. In theory, a movie of this type begs for a big screen with big sound.


It wasn't good on a 65" set with a full sound system. Have you been to a movie house recently? We get better PQ on our 4K sets than what I've seen in the theaters. Having to pay for this garbage would make it hurt more. I am really disappointed. I like Gadot; I wanted to see a lot more of her.

Rich


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## lparsons21 (Mar 4, 2006)

Rich said:


> It wasn't good on a 65" set with a full sound system. Have you been to a movie house recently? We get better PQ on our 4K sets than what I've seen in the theaters. Having to pay for this garbage would make it hurt more. I am really disappointed. I like Gadot; I wanted to see a lot more of her.
> 
> Rich


Well you should have watched it on a 75" like I did!! 

The movie wasn't horrible IMO, but certainly didn't live up to all the hype around it. As it was, I enjoyed it.


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## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

Rich said:


> 4K, HDR, and Dolby Atmos sound aren't gonna make that stinker a better picture.


Not on the whole, but then again, you don't have to watch the whole movie to catch the two or three scenes that were pretty cool (the stuff surrounding the race was cool if you can ignore the CGI malfeasance).


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## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

Rich said:


> It wasn't good on a 65" set with a full sound system.


And without the razzle dazzle of UHD and 5.1 or better sound, it surely would have been less sufferable.


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## WestDC (Feb 9, 2008)

harsh said:


> The likely difference being that you'll get HD video and DD5.1 audio versus 4K HDR and Dolby Atmos sound on the linear channels. For those with the requisite equipment, I'm betting that's a big deal.


LOL--I have all that ---sequels are just what they are --a quick buck --without much thought


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## techguy88 (Mar 19, 2015)

James Long said:


> "Fresh" is not a description I would use for theater popcorn and fountain soda ... but I assume you find better theaters than me.
> 
> I am amazed that any film can do well when it is being streamed at no extra cost to an existing service's subscribers.


Well when I got there they had just finished popping popcorn wasn't really calling the soda fresh. Although to me fountain soda tastes better than bottled & canned soda.

There are a lot of reasons someone would want to see a film in theaters even if their streaming service has it available at no extra cost. Some just like movies on giant screen, some want to support their local theater, some just want a reason to leave the house if possible while there are some that don't realize they have HBO Max included in one of their services.



lparsons21 said:


> Well you should have watched it on a 75" like I did!!
> 
> The movie wasn't horrible IMO, but certainly didn't live up to all the hype around it. As it was, I enjoyed it.


That was my thoughts on it as well.


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

WestDC said:


> LOL--I have all that ---sequels are just what they are --a quick buck --without much thought


Yeah, that's what I saw, a movie made without much thought.

Rich


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## compnurd (Apr 23, 2007)

i thought it was ok the DV PQ and Atmos were awesome the PQ and sound was amazing


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

compnurd said:


> i thought it was ok the DV PQ and Atmos were awesome the PQ and sound was amazing


I had no problem with the picture or the sound. All the "Wonder" Woman movie did was make me "wonder" why I was wasting my time watching it.

Rich


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## techguy88 (Mar 19, 2015)

*Reminder:* _Wonder Woman 1984_ leaves HBO Max and will become an exclusive theatrical release on January 24, 2021. Stream while you can.

Warner Bros. 2021 films that will premiere on HBO Max same day as theaters in 4K HDR. (Release dates subject to change, dates as of 1/15/21)

The Little Things -January 29
Judas and the Black Messiah - February 12
Tom and Jerry - February 26
Godzilla vs. Kong - March 26 [Previous date: May 21]
Mortal Kombat - April 16
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It - June 4
In the Heights - June 18
Space Jam: A New Legacy - July 16
The Suicide Squad - August 6
The Many Saints of Newark - September 24
Dune - October 1
Elvis - November 5
King Richard - November 19
Matrix 4 - December 22
Cry Macho - TBA
Malignant - TBA
Reminiscence - TBA
Those Who Wish Me Dead - TBA


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## techguy88 (Mar 19, 2015)

Today (1/24) is the last day to stream _Wonder Woman 1984_ before it heads to theaters exclusively.

New trailer for _Godzilla vs Kong_ in theaters & streaming on HBO Max on March 26





Trailer for _The Little Things_ which is the next film to head to theaters & HBO Max on January 29


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## techguy88 (Mar 19, 2015)

_Godzilla vs Kong_ moved to March 31, 2020 for its United States theatrical/HBO Max release. International markets will keep the March 26, 2020 release date.
There has been some speculation the domestic release date was changed due in order to make room for Snyder's Cut of _Justice League_.

_Malignant _(a New Line Cinema release distributed by sibling Warner Bros.) is now dated for September 10, 2021 (previously was an undated release). This film is part of the hybrid theatrical/HBO Max release strategy WB is employing for its 2021 films.
_The Little Things_ review embargo has lifted and the film has been hovering around 50% to 55% on Rotten Tomatoes (as of this post it is at 52%).
Current Warner Bros. hybrid theatrical/HBO Max release schedule as of 1/26/21:

The Little Things - January 29
Judas and the Black Messiah - February 12
Tom and Jerry - February 26
Godzilla vs. Kong - March 31 [Previous 2021 date(s): May 21, March 26 (domestic)]
Still scheduled to premiere in theaters internationally on March 26.

Mortal Kombat - April 16
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It - June 4
In the Heights - June 18
Space Jam: A New Legacy - July 16
The Suicide Squad - August 6
Malignant - September 10 [Previous 2021 date(s): Undated]

The Many Saints of Newark - September 24 [Previous 2021 date(s): March 12]
Dune - October 1
Elvis - November 5
King Richard - November 19
Matrix 4 - December 22
Cry Macho - TBA
Reminiscence - TBA
Those Who Wish Me Dead - TBA


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## techguy88 (Mar 19, 2015)

Other 2021 release information:

MGM, Universal, Sony & Disney delays their January - April 2021 release slate for the second half of 2021 and first part of 2022. The earliest blockbuster now scheduled exclusively for theaters is Marvel's _Black Widow _currently keeping its May 7th window. (I suspect this date is highly likely to change if things don't keep improving.)
Searchlight Pictures (a subsidiary of Disney) will premiere _Nomadland_ in IMAX theaters domestically on January 29, 2021 followed by a hybrid theatrical/Hulu release on February 19, 2021. 
Disney's _Raya and the Last Dragon_ new trailer dropped today. This film is scheduled for a hybrid release via theatrical/Disney+ with Premier Access on March 5.
_Raya and the Last Dragon _- Official Trailer





_Nomadland _- Official Trailer


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## techguy88 (Mar 19, 2015)

Nielsen has updated their streaming chart for the week of December 21-27 to include _Wonder Woman 1984_ on HBO Max. WW84 knocked Disney+'s _Soul_ out of the top spot down to #2. From Deadline



> Nielsen has not officially begun measuring WarnerMedia's streaming service, but it provided a revision of last week's regular rankings, saying WW84 racked up 2.252 billion minutes of streaming. That was 35% better than Pixar's Soul, which drew almost 1.7 billion minutes on Disney+. It was also 85% ahead of red-hot Bridgerton, which Netflix this week anointed as its most-streamed original show.


Nielsen currently tracks Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+ & Hulu on a regular basis. Nielsen said it would soon add HBO Max & Peacock to its regular rotation which will be interesting to see as _The Office_ ended 2020 as being the most streamed show of the year when it was on Netflix.


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## techguy88 (Mar 19, 2015)

_*Raya and the Last Dragon*_ -- Release Information:
Release Date: March 5, 2021 in theaters and on Disney+ with Premier Access

Premier Access information:

*Price*: $29.99 one-time
You can pre-order _Raya _now and start watching it on release day. Requires a base Disney+ subscription to order Premier Access.
Theaters that are open are starting to sell advance tickets to this movie as well. 

Premier Access offer ends on May 4, 2021 at 11:59 PT.
_Raya and the Last Dragon_ will be available to all Disney+ subscribers on June 4, 2021 at no additional cost. 

*Warner Bros. theatrical films premiering same day & date on HBO Max (January - March)*
*Available at no extra cost to HBO Max subscribers. Available for 31 days from theatrical release. 

_The Little Things_ - Available Now - Leaves HBO Max on March 1, 2021
_Judas and the Black Messiah_ - February 12 - Theaters that are open are selling tickets in advance.
_Tom and Jerry_ - February 26 - Theaters that are open are selling tickets in advance.
_Godzilla vs. Kong _- March 31
I'm expecting the industry websites that follow the box office to see _Tom and Jerry_ & _Raya and the Last Dragon_ as the first big head to head box office battle of 2021 since they are both targeting families. Up until 2/26 & 3/5 _The Croods: A New Age_ has been the only major family film released.


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## techguy88 (Mar 19, 2015)

_Judas and the Black Messiah_ reviews from critics are now live on Rotten Tomatoes. As of this post the film has a 98% certified fresh rating based on 104 reviews. I'm just hoping this doesn't turn into a repeat of _Wonder Woman 1984_'s ratings where it was certified fresh early on but then once released dropped to a 59%. (All RT scores are as of this post.)


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## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

_Little Things_ still doesn't appear to be doing very well and isn't even getting a top level spot in the list.


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## techguy88 (Mar 19, 2015)

harsh said:


> _Little Things_ still doesn't appear to be doing very well and isn't even getting a top level spot in the list.


Based on the pandemic box office standards _The Little Things_ is doing as expected. It has been the #1 film for the past two weekends. For its first weekend it grossed $4.8 million at the domestic box office which Deadline noted was the best for a R-rated film during the pandemic. For its second weekend it grossed $2.1 million which Deadline noted its second weekend gross is in line with Liam Neelson's action flicks released during the pandemic.

Warners said it was the most streamed film on HBO Max when it premiered. If you are looking for streaming numbers from the likes of Nielson those are not available since HBO Max and Peacock are currently not regularly monitored.

So my guess is the film is performing as expected during the pandemic but it isn't going above the expectations.

The next real test of these different pandemic release strategies will be Warners _Tom & Jerry_ and Disney's _Raya_. I expect both films will be heavily compared to _Croods_' theatrical performance since that film has generated over $1 million for 11 weeks straight despite being available as a PVOD rental since its 4th week.

Starting this week will be interesting for _Croods_ since it is still in a wide theatrical release and it is now available for digital purchase for $19.99. _Croods_ is scheduled for a home media + digital copy release on Feb. 23.


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## techguy88 (Mar 19, 2015)

After 18 days exclusively in theaters (January 25 - February 11) -- _Wonder Woman 1984_ is now available on Premium Video On Demand in the United States. It costs $19.99 for a 2 day rental.


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## techguy88 (Mar 19, 2015)

President's Day weekend Box Office results - Deadline

*Highlights:*

_The Croods: A New Age_ manages to top the pandemic box office in its 12th week of release. This weekend is the first week the film is available for digital purchase after moving out of the Premium VOD window.
Deadline notes a No.1 resurgence this late into a release is "unheard-of in recent box office history for any wide entry" and notes you have to go back to the 80's when this last happened.

Warner Bros. new film _Judas and The Black Messiah_ is tied with _The Little Things_ for the 2nd & 3rd spots.
Both films are expected to gross $2 million within the traditional 3-day weekend (Feb 12-14) and are expected to gross $2.4 million during the 4-day holiday window (Feb 12-15)

Open Road's _The Marksman_ and Warner Bros. _Wonder Woman 1984_ tie for the 4th & 5th spots.
_Land_ directed by Robin Wright is the only other new film this weekend placing at #6 with a 3 day gross at $940K and a 4 day projected gross of $1.07 million
This is the last week Screen Gem's _Monster Hunter_ is a theatrical exclusive as it moves into its digital purchase window on February 16 and will be available for digital rental and physical purchase on March 2.
*Warner Bros. specific highlights:*

Despite the controversial move by Warners to have their 2021 theatrical slate premiere on HBO Max at the same time, Warners currently has 3 films in the top 5. Deadline notes:


> Again, what remains impressive here with Warners, even with its day and date controversial theatrical-HBO Max titles, is that their movies are making millions of dollars, even weeks later (granted, _WW1984 _is no longer on the streamer, it's just in theaters). This is hardly the case for Netflix titles, which solely devote their marketing campaigns to pushing eyeballs on their service. For Warners, the theatrical campaign doubles as their streaming campaign. The m.o. for WarnerMedia is to grow the revenue pie on these titles, which is especially crucial at a time when both box office capitals, New York and Los Angeles, remain closed because of Covid.



_The Little Things_ had a drop of 5% in its 3rd week. This is the first Warner Bros. pandemic release not to have a double digit drop going from Wk 2 to Wk 3. In comparison _Tenet_ which was released back in Summer 2020 experienced a 30% drop from Wk 2 to Wk 3 despite being in more theaters than _The Little Things_. _Wonder Woman 1984_ had a 45% drop going from Wk 2 to Wk 3.
_Wonder Woman 1984_ increased its gross by 22% going from Wk 7 to Wk 8 most likely due to the holiday.
_Wonder Woman 1984_ is now on Premium VOD and will be available for digital purchase on March 16 with a 4K Blu-Ray, Blu-Ray & DVD release to follow on March 30. This is different from _Tenet_'s release where there was no PVOD window and the digital & physical release was on the same day (December 15, 2020).










Upcoming Highlights:

Searchlight's _Nomadland_ will have a wider theatrical release on February 19, 2021 and premiere on Hulu at the same time.
Warner Bros. next theatrical/HBO Max release will be _Tom & Jerry_ on February 26
Disney will finally get back into the theatrical box office game with _Raya and the Last Dragon_ releasing in theaters and on Disney+ with Premier Access on March 5


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## techguy88 (Mar 19, 2015)

Not much excitement at the pitiful pandemic box office this week. 
_
Croods_ still claims the #1 spot and _The Little Things _moved back into #2. These were the only two films to gross over $1 million this week with $1.7 million for _Croods_ and $1.2 million for _The Little Things._ Warners also took the #3 and #4 spots with _Judas and the Black Messiah_ ($905K) and _Wonder Woman 1984_ ($805K). _Croods _is roughly about $7 million away from betting _Tenet_ as the highest grossing domestic film at the pandemic box office.

_Nomadland_ was given a wide release this weekend on February 19th along with a same day release on Hulu. Searchlight Pictures (now owned by Disney) did not report any official figures but it is estimated the film has made $503K this weekend plus $170K from the prior two weeks during its IMAX run bringing its estimated total to $673K. Since Neilson tracks Hulu in its SVOD charts we should see if this film managed to crack Neilson's Top 10 streaming movies in about 2-3 weeks when the report for this week comes out. In addition to Hulu, Neilson also tracks Netflix, Disney+ and Prime Video.

Starting February 26th _Croods_ will finally have some competition in the kids & family space when Warners releases _Tom & Jerry_ in theaters & HBO Max. The following week Disney will unleash _Raya and the Last Dragon_ on March 5 in theaters & Disney+ with Premier Access.
_
Raya _will be the first film from Walt Disney Pictures to have any kind of domestic theatrical release since theaters initially closed shortly after _Onward_ was released to theaters in March 2020. During the pandemic all theatrical releases from Disney up to this point have been through a former 20th Century Fox studio (_The New Mutants_, _The Personal History of David Copperfield_, _The Empty Man_ and _Nomadland_.)

The next two weekends will be interesting to see if _Tom & Jerry_ and _Raya and the Last Dragon_ can make any big impact and dethrone _Croods_ at the box office and which theatrical/streaming title comes out on top in their respective opening weekends.

Mortal Kombat's "Restricted" trailer premiered this week. This film is due to be released in theaters and HBO Max on April 16.


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## techguy88 (Mar 19, 2015)

*FYI: *Tom & Jerry will premiere on HBO Max at 12:01 AM PT / 3:01 AM ET and will be available through March 28th. 
*Last Chance:* The Little Things will leave HBO Max soon. The film will be available through February 28th.


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## techguy88 (Mar 19, 2015)

Warner Bros' 'Tom & Jerry' Serving Up $12.5M Opening, Second-Best Opening During Pandemic - Deadline

_Tom & Jerry_ generated $4 million at the box office on Friday alone. In comparison Warner Bros. R-rated _The Little Things_ generated $4.5 million in its opening weekend. _Tom & Jerry_ is on track to finish its opening weekend with a projected $12.5 million. This would put the film in 2nd place for best opening for a film during a pandemic after _Wonder Woman's 1984_ $16.4 million opening. Roughly 50% of theaters are still closed in the United States. New York City is set to have its theaters re-open next week.

For comparison Universal's _The Croods: A New Age_'s 3-day weekend opening grossed $9.7 million. Since _The Croods 2_ has had legs in theaters for 14 weeks (being the #1 film for five of those weeks) and made $52.5 million domestically at the box office Deadline thinks the film could have legs in theaters.

Despite a low RT critic score (currently at 24%), audiences seem to like the film. It got a A- on CinemaScore and an 81%/4 stars from PostTrak. Currently RT's audience score is at 81%.

So far Warners hybrid strategy seems to be working.


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