Latest news with #Cinemascore
Forbes
09-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
‘Weapons' Has A Cinemascore On Par With ‘Get Out,' ‘Silence Of The Lambs'
Weapons is about to dominate this weekend at the box office, bringing in nearly $40 million, a huge haul for most horror films. Now, as reviews and audience ratings roll in, Weapons not only has some of the best scores of the decade somewhere like Rotten Tomatoes, but a new metric has come in, its Cinemascore. Cinemascore is a direct measurement of audience sentiment that many studios take very seriously. A movie can be beloved by critics, but lead to far less enthused fans, which leads to a potentially depressed box office. It is very, very difficult to land a high Cinemascore for a horror film. But Weapons is now in rarified air with an A-, which is rare enough to only have been given to classics like Get Out and Silence of the Lambs. The decently well-received Barbarian, Zach Cregger's last film before Weapons, only got a C+, for instance. Companion, one of this year's best horror films, has a B+. The only recent film to surpass this A- metric for a horror movie was Sinners, with a full-on A rating, the first in almost 40 years for a horror movie, the last one being Aliens in 1986. Sinners has gone on to make $365 million worldwide this year. Weapons will go down as one of the biggest success stories of this year, both critically, through audience metrics and at the box office. It raises questions about what director Zach Cregger will do next. And we know what he'll do, at least to some extent. This is a sort of 'blank check' situation for Cregger, who after a huge success like Weapons, can have his choice of project from here. It's similar to Ryan Coogler after Sinners, who is making his third Black Panther movie and an X-Files reboot, of all things. Weapons is in theaters now, and we'll see what the final numbers are for both its review scores and its box office soon enough. Follow me on Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram. Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.
Forbes
12-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
‘Superman' Bulletproof With A- Cinemascore, Big Domestic Debut Weekend
Superman is proving bulletproof at the weekend box office, with an A- Cinemascore from audiences and big first-day numbers for an opening weekend headed toward $125-135 million in North America. David Corenswet stars in "Superman." Superman's Super-Numbers Superman entered Friday with nearly $25 million from early domestic fan/preview screenings during the week. That brings the estimated Friday cume to roughly $57 million in North America, plus or minus around a million. Friday's figures include about $34 million from Friday proper, on top of the early showings. International numbers were at around $18 million entering the weekend, with more markets entering the picture through the weekend. This all bodes well for Superman, if trends continue upward as seems logical to assume at this point. Generating family turnout is the main ingredient to a true blockbuster opening, and the holds across the weekend will tell us whether the film's strong marketing campaign did the trick. The Cinemascore of A- and 82% 'Fresh' rating from critics via Rotten Tomatoes already tells us it's pretty safe to assume Superman is popular across demographics, and those families will keep showing up. Which is why I expect Superman to beat current forecasts of $115 million by a good margin, and finish with at least $125 million domestic and more likely $130-135 million. If I'm overly bullish on the film's chances, it's because I fully expect the family demographic to show up in huge numbers worldwide as word of mouth spreads. There are decent odds Superman could even beat my own lofty prediction, and wind up toward $140 million, as I've suggested before, if the positive buzz and swirling socio-political public debate around the film stirs additional sense of must-see status. But that's a very high-end outcome, and more likely is something between $125-135 million, with $130 million still feeling to me like the spot where Superman will land. I hasten to note, my own 'low-end' estimate is higher than most other people's 'high-end' estimate for Superman at this point, so don't think a $125 million opening isn't terrific and ahead of most expectations. I simply feel the film has more potential and expect audiences to respond to smart nuanced marketing that has a message targeted at every key demographic. Overseas, Superman looks headed for similar overachievement. Global totals should be somewhere in the vicinity of $25o million, but there is a lot of sway here until we see how Saturday is shaping up with more than 20 additional markets joining the party as international rollout continues. $250 million or something approaching it – let alone exceeding it – means Superman is destined for a bare minimum of $500 million, because there is zero chance a film with these numbers and this much broad support will do less than double its opening weekend. Notice where just a modest 2.7x final multiplier positions it, well north of $600 million, and a summer 3x would be 'they're dancing at WBD and DC Studios headquarters today' territory. We'll have a pretty good idea of precisely how much champaign to pop today, because Saturday's figures domestic and global will confirm at least the minimum weekend outcome, and how the holds are trending in the three-day multiplier, so the minimum final multiplier becomes easier to gauge. For now, I'll note I already expect a $750 million outcome is most likely for Superman, with the range being $700-800 million, low-end to high-end in my own expectations. The question to my mind, and that this weekend will help determine, is whether it's likely to finish at the higher end or lower end of that range.
Forbes
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
‘Superman' Eyes $130 Million Domestic Debut With 85% ‘Fresh' Reviews
Superman writer-director and DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn must have Bundaberg chilling on ice and waiting, as a sense of impending victory hovers in the air after tracking shows the superhero reboot eyeing a $130 million domestic debut. Early reviews are creating a must-see status, at 85% 'Certified Fresh' via Rotten Tomatoes. David Corenswet saves the day in "Superman." Is Superman Soaring? Although much of DC fandom went through a week or so of handwringing about early box office estimates suggesting $90-120 million, but the truth is the numbers were already trending higher for Superman, as I said at the time: In fairness, my precise guess at the time was $120 million, with a caveat that it was my 'moderate' guess – my 'bullish guess' would be $150 million. $130 million was the upward end of the range I expected, in other words, but that was before reviews or early ticket sales data. For now, this is still where the raw numbers tell us it's likely to finish the weekend. But it's not out of the question Superman will land at the highest end of potential, and my gut is starting to speak its mind – it tells me to expect $145 million, plus or minus a few million, because besides those early reviews we've also seen social media reactions from audiences attending early screenings, and it's all singing the same praises. Come Thursday night, we'll get a small glimpse ahead of Friday's important Cinemascore and opening day figures. An A- or A grade from audiences and high recommend scores, plus an opening day ahead of estimates, will convince me the film is likely to overperform against the $130 million tracking and my earlier estimates, as my gut suggests already. Dinos v Superman Helping Superman's box office potential this weekend is the fact that last weekend's giant-sized $322 million victor Jurassic World: Rebirth might struggle to remain relevant after the combo of a weak B grade from viewers via Cinemascore and middling reviews that were likely among the worst of the franchise. If indeed Jurassic World: Rebirth suffers a significant second weekend drop, summer audiences eager to get blockbuster bang for their box office buck will almost certainly turn to Superman to save the day. But a secret additional factor may be at play that I think will further boost Superman's box office powers. While there is still plenty of audience affection for Marvel, and while the right projects will deliver billion dollar bucks for the MCU, I also think audiences no longer feel the same sense of magic they once got from experiencing Marvel movies. No offense to Marvel Studios, there's a long list of factors involved and overall they're still doing well obviously, but I feel we have to be honest that of course after the Infinity Saga it was going to be hard to maintain the same level of intensity and achievement. But we need that. We need the magic. We need what these films, from the Biblical epics to the sword and sandal adventures to the modern superhero genre, keep alive for us: myths. So I strongly suspect audiences are so eager for Superman not merely because the trailers look great and the studio is going all-in on the marketing campaign (Gunn himself is everywhere, including doing videos to sell toys and collectables tied to the film), but also because on a deeper level audiences are seeking that feeling they got from the first MCU saga. The feeling that everything is possible, the excitement of waiting to see what comes next and knowing it will surprise us and exceed our expectations. Audiences are watching the trailers and interviews with the cast, reading the early reviews, and listening to the early social media reactions, and the sense is growing that maybe the DCU is about to deliver what the MCU used to (which isn't as bad as it sounds for Marvel, as I think if audiences aren't chasing that same high from Marvel then it gives Marvel room to gain more acceptance for what it does differently nowadays). Superman's $700 Million Question That's a helluva lot to carry, and like it or not Gunn signed up for it when he took over DC cinema and made a Superman movie. If he pulls it off, his DCU will launch with a spectacular result similar to Marvel's 2008 home run with Iron Man. It's true DC Studios is smartly doing what Marvel did in Phase One, which is treat all of the first few movies as one big shared investment to set up The Avengers. Which takes pressure off Superman (and Gunn) to some extent, as the film doesn't seem to have to do all of the lifting alone. It's setting up a new DCU with a clean slate (sort of, but anyway), and convincing audiences to give DC a chance again. That means it needs to best the previous results from the DCEU, which notoriously spent five years and nine movies in a row unable to break past the $450 million range. So yes, any new effort has to best that, or what's even the point? There's no version of events in which I think Superman will possibly fail to top $500 million, but just to entertain the hypothetical a moment (which requires the film to open with just $100 million domestic, the same internationally, and then fall off a cliff from bad audience word of mouth so it finishes with a mere 2x to 2.4x final multiplier) a box office failure of that degree would likely mean WBD intervention to insist on changes to in-production projects and some reevaluation of the rest of the plans for these properties. It might also mean a big push to merge The Batman franchise into the DCU. Lots of 'what if' and 'hypothetically' things we can say here, and it's all of course unlikely and pure speculation, but it's also realistic to admit that the failure of Superman to successfully launch a new DCU won't be shrugged off or treated as not that big of a deal. Studios tamp down expectations and provide themselves cover, but math is math. I do think that a $500-600 million outcome can be treated as a moral victory, especially if Jurassic World: Rebirth surges despite its B audience grade and holds well enough to still be the undisputed ruler of summer movie box office season. But the closer to the lower end of that range, the less happy and more note-sending WBD is likely to be; and the closer to the high end of that range, the more likely the suits will leave Gunn alone and let him build upon that success. The best argument in Gunn's favor in the event the film underperforms (and again, lest the high emotions of fandom at this moment cause anyone to react harshly here, let me remind you I in fact expect the film to overperform, we're just discussing all scenarios and why there are realistically certain lines and dollar amounts that need to be reached) is to point to Batman Begins. Christopher Nolan's and David Goyer's near-perfect reboot had to not just stand on its own merits, but also serve as a reset of the public's perception of the entire Batman character and franchise. It was also released during a time when there were still only a few superhero franchises, most all of them Marvel, and the MCU had yet to ignite a fire that turned comic books into the biggest genre at the box office. So there was no bat-mania or presumption of mainstream appeal guaranteed, and the film's box office was relatively modest but enough to show it wasn't being rejected. Batman had been tacitly welcomed back into the theatrical fold, and it was up to him to prove he should be allowed permanent membership again. WB bet on it, and the result was The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises. If Gunn's Superman achieves $500-550, that will be the low end of 'good enough, continue" territory, but Batman Begins teaches the same lesson in a DC context that we see in Marvel's Phase One approach, albeit differently-motivated in investment terms. But the outcomes speak for themselves, and to Gunn's benefit as long as Superman demonstrates an improvement over the DCEU's reception. Reviews and early audience reactions suggest that's going to be the case, and with both of those things a $600 million box office becomes much easier to trumpet as a victory, and a sign of great things to come for a revived DC cinematic brand. There is still, however, the fact of financial investments and WBD's attempts to restructure and position their biggest IP for maximum revenue streams, and nobody should believe they don't have a number in mind. Man of Steel grossed about $670 million back in 2013. Adjusting for tickets sold and ticket prices today, that's about $800-900 million. Of course, Man of Steel came with Nolan's and Goyer's pedigree and on the heels of their enormously successful billion dollar Batman movies. Likewise, the bag baggage around DC (specifically, around their biggest characters) had been shed at that time, and hadn't been as overarching as it was in the final years of the DCEU. So if we grant Superman some grace for its own position being a bit tougher than Man of Steel had it, and accounting for unpredictable audiences and Covid era and so on, then there's probably a range somewhere between $700-800 million that the studios are hoping to hit. They can qualify that in many ways, but at the end of the day the budget and marketing and desire to launch an entire IP-wide shared cinematic universe capable of sustaining major theatrical investments and generate billions in merchandising will require Superman's success at the box office. If $500-600 million can be justified, and if $600-700 million can contextually be seen as the all-good signal, then $700-800 million is where most folks probably hope and expect it to land – and where it probably should if it wants to avoid having to offer those explanations. And I have faith in my gut and in all of the math pointing toward Superman scoring a big enough opening and good enough audience word of mouth to land where it needs to, if not higher. Superman hits the big screen with Thursday night previews ahead of its opening day Friday July 11th, and I'll have updated box office estimates and audience reactions this weekend for you, as well as an assessment of the film's likely flight path into the future as it shares multiplexes with Fantastic Four: First Steps. It remains to be seen what role Jurassic World: Rebirth will continue to play, but that too will be on my radar in the weekend reports, so stay tuned and check back soon, because it's going to be an interesting summer at the box office.
Pink Villa
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
Box Office: How To Train Your Dragon's live-action movie takes a FANTASTIC Rs 90 crore start from Thursday previews in the domestic market
How To Train Your Dragon, directed by Dean DeBlois and starring Mason Thames in the lead, is a live-action adaptation of the animated movie How To Train Your Dragon (2010), which emerged a runaway hit at the time of its release. It was followed up by very well performing sequels and now it is the turn of the live-action version to blow all lids off. How To Train Your Dragon has hit the theatres now, across the world. The Thursday night premieres in the domestic market are terrific with early estimates of USD 10-10.50 million (Rs 86-91cr). The movie is well poised for a phenomenal Father's Day weekend in the vicinity of USD 90 million (Rs 774 crore), domestically. The movie's advance bookings in other traditional international markets are excellent too. If the momentum continues, a USD 200 million (Rs 1720 crore) global weekend will very easily happen. Going purely on the basis that the movie has cost USD 150 million to make and USD 75 million to market, it needs to gross around USD 375-400 million to breakeven theatrically. Reaching this number, at the moment, looks like a foregone conclusion. There will be absolutely no surprise if the movie reaches very close to this number in its home market itself. There was a slight worry that the live-action adaptation would not bode well with the fans of the franchise; but that has not happened. The fans are loving it and it is very likely that the movie will get an A or A+ Cinemascore, indicating universal acclaim. A bunch of social handles, and also critics, have been very vocal about not wanting live-action adaptations. But the theatre going audiences are enjoying them, every bit. Just a month back, Lilo And Stitch took the box office to cleaners and is gearing up to hit USD 1 billion in the next couple of weeks or so. The audience verdict is clear and it is that they wouldn't mind live-action flicks of relatively newer made IPs. It might be difficult for a Snow White to get the audiences. But a Brave or a Shrek? Not so much. Stay tuned to Pinkvilla for more updates on the box office collections of How To Train Your Dragon.
Daily Mail
08-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Ana de Armas' John Wick spin-off Ballerina underperforms at box office despite Tom Cruise's rave review
Ballerina: From the World of John Wick is the latest action adventure to be soundly defeated by Disney's Lilo and Stitch. The live-action adventure starring an adorable Maia Kealoha, along with Hannah Waddingham and Courtney B. Vance, continued to ride the wave to the top of the box office over the weekend, in spite of some tough new competition. Lilo & Stitch remained the champ for the third week in a row, earning and estimated $32.5 million, according to Box Office Mojo. Newcomer, Ballerina, starring Ana de Armas, made a soft landing in second place, in spite of good word of mouth, pulling in $25 million domestically and another $26 million internationally. Tom Cruise, who is rumored to be dating de Armas, even raved about the film, which he called 'outstanding' in an interview with AP. The film has earned an A- from Cinemascore, per Deadline, and a 94-percent rating from viewers on Rotten Tomatoes, although critics were less enthusiastic. Meanwhile. Lilo & Stitch continued to ride the wave to the top for the third week in a row, earning $32.5 million. So far the live action romp has pulled in $772 million globally The thriller is the first spin-off from the John Wick franchise and Keanu Reeves does put in an appearance in this story of a Russian assassin who goes on revenge-fueled killing spree after the murder of her father. The unexpected success of Lilo & Stitch over typical summer blockbusters may not be such a surprise. The film, a live-action version of the 2002 animated Disney adventure, debuted over the long Memorial Day weekend, beating the highly anticipated Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning by nearly double. As schools dismiss for summer across the US, more and more families are likely looking for ways to beat the heat for a couple of hours. So far, the movie has made more than $772 million globally, making it the third most lucrative film of 2025 so far, behind A Minecraft Movie, with $951,379,547 and the Chinese film Ne Zha 2, which has earned $1,898,972,049 worldwide so far. Final Reckoning, starring Tom Cruise, dropped from second place to third, earning $15 million domestically. The movie looks poise to surpass 2023's Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning which earned more than $571 million worldwide. Final Reckoning already has global totals of more than $450 million. Karate Kid: Legends starring the original 'Kid' Ralph Macchio along with martial arts master Jackie Chan dropped from third to fourth place, earning $8.7 million over the weekend. Another franchise project, Final Destination: Bloodlines, rounded out the top five, scaring up some $6.5 million. Lilo and Stitch will get some new competition in the family friendly category next week with the release of the live action How to Train Your Dragon. The reimagined film was a hit in April, where an unfinished version was screened at CinemaCon. 'How to Train Your Dragon' is spectacular,' wrote film critic Scott Menzel of X, calling it 'A visually stunning and emotionally engaging retelling of the animated classic.' The Life of Chuck, starring Tom Hiddleston and based on a Stephen King novella will enter the fray, along with the romantic comedy Materialists, starring Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal and Chris Evans.
