Warner Bros. ‘ The family animated film “Tom and Jerry” debuted with $ 13.7 million at the national box office, one of the biggest opening weekend bids of the coronavirus era and a sign that the trip to the cinema may be recovering.
To be sure, it will take time for ticket sales to reach pre-pandemic levels. But after “Wonder Woman 1984”, which was released in December for $ 16.7 million, “Tom and Jerry” had the most robust three-day total since cinemas reopened in the middle of last year. Nothing else that has been released in the past 10 months has been able to break 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 this reference.
“Tom and Jerry” – directed by Tim Story and starring Chloë Grace Moretz, Michael Peña and Colin Jost – was shown in 2,475 theaters in North America. Overall, 42% of the country’s cinemas have reopened, according to Comscore.
Notably, “Tom and Jerry” also debuted on the streaming service HBO Max, where it will be available to subscribers for 31 days. Starting with the “Wonder Woman” sequel, Warner Bros. set 18 films to premiere simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max due to the pandemic.
Abroad, the comic adventure about the iconic cat-and-mouse rivalry raised $ 25 million in 33 countries, totaling $ 38.8 million. Given the current conditions, it is considered a good start for the $ 79 million “Tom and Jerry”.
Box office analysts seem optimistic about these numbers. “With half of the cinemas still closed, the pandemic still a threat and ‘Tom & Jerry’ available at home, this is a very good opening,” said David A. Gross, who runs the film consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research. “[It’s] a positive sign for business and the attraction of cinema in relation to home entertainment. “
Of the films that were released during the pandemic (a fraction of the amount that would normally adorn the big screen in normal times), those aimed at the younger audience reaped the greatest rewards. Warner Bros. He said ticket sales for “Tom and Jerry” were driven by crowds of families buying private theater rentals.
“There is certainly an element of cabin fever between 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. “As the number of virus cases decreases, vaccines are launched and more popular films are being launched, families are becoming more comfortable with the idea of returning to the cinema while practicing safe health measures, such as wearing masks and distance. Social”.
Looking ahead, Robbins notes, it must bode well for Disney’s “Raya and the Last Dragon”, which will premiere simultaneously in theaters and Disney Plus (for a special fee) next weekend.
“Carefully, however,” Robbins said, “’Tom and Jerry’s’ ability to exceed expectations, despite a streaming launch on the day and date, and without the biggest open markets, signals yet another positive step. for the industry as a whole. “
In another encouraging box office news, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo gave permission for cinemas in the five districts to reopen with limited capacity from March 5. It has been almost a year since New York cinemas were able to receive customers, which is partly why the studios have chosen to delay almost all of their biggest films. Theaters in the area will have to operate at 25% capacity, hampering profitability, but exhibitors believe it is a positive step in repairing the run-down film industry.
“Open cinemas, in addition to new films, are the formula that will bring the theater market back to life,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore. “This is very encouraging, given the frightening and unprecedented challenges of the past year.”
With the premiere of “Tom and Jerry”, the mainstay at the box office “The Croods: A New Age”, in performances in 1912, fell to second place and raised $ 1.2 million. The animated sequence from Universal Pictures and DreamWorks has become an unlikely success of the coronavirus era, generating $ 52 million so far.
Other than that, none of the films in the top five were able to reach $ 1 million in ticket sales. “The Little Things”, on its fifth weekend of release, was the closest and raised $ 925,000 in 1,853 locations. 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” came in fourth, raising $ 710,000 from 1,538 locations. The superhero sequel has grossed $ 43.6 million since his debut more than two months ago. It did significantly better business abroad, where it generated US $ 117.4 million. Liam Neeson’s action thriller, “The Marksman”, closed the top five with $ 700,000, bringing its total to $ 12.345 million.