411 Box Office Report: Night School Scores Top Spot, Smallfoot Opens at #2

Two new films reigned atop the box office this weekend in comedy Night School and animated flick Smallfoot, with the former of those two coming out ahead. Night School opened to $28 million for #1, right around where analysts were expecting it to open this weekend. The Kevin Hart film represents the best comedy opening of the year, topping Crazy Rich Asians’ $26.5 million start from August. (As a caveat, it is also worth noting that Asians actually opened on a Wednesday and had $35.3 million by its first Sunday.)

Night School got by on the strength of its star power — namely, the always-reliable Kevin Hart and the the breakout star wattage of Tiffany Hadish. The duo outshined the negatives associated with the film — namely, the bad reviews. Rotten Tomatoes aggregrates the critical reaction at 30% positive, which could have been bad for the movie as comedy is more susceptible to influence from reviews. But positive word of mouth helped, with an A- CinemaScore. That allowed the film to see a 12% bump from Friday to Saturday that kept the expectations strong.

Kevin Hart is pretty consistent on delivering comedies with at least a certain level of box office staying power, with most of his films legging out to about three times their opening. That seems pretty likely here, too. There isn’t a huge amount of direct comedy competition for the month, and the good word of mouth will probably offset any increase to the drops provided by critical buzz. That would put the film on course for about $75 million to $80 million in the US. Overseas it has $5.5 million to start with in nineteen territories, with more to open in successive weeks. On a budget of just $29 million, this should bring in a tidy profit for Universal Studios.

Meanwhile, family-friendly animation took the runner-up spot with Smallfoot. The comedy opened at $23 million, which like Night School matched expectations coming into the weekend, where it was expected to do $20 million or so. Unlike Night School, it didn’t get there on star power. There are a lot of names in the cast, but like most animated films the voice talent wasn’t the draw here. Instead, Smallfoot is the critics’ pick among the new releases this weekend at 69% on RT, and audiences liked it with an A- CinemaScore.

Will this one make it to a profit margin? Probably, though not a big one. The budget on this Warner Bros. kids’ film was a moderately hefty $80 million, and it should reach $75 million to $80 million in the US and Canada. That will leave overseas to make up the difference, and it’s off to a mildish start with $15.6 million in forty-nine territories. Odds are that Smallfoot won’t lose WB any cash, but don’t expect a sequel.

The House With A Clock In Its Walls was down two spots to #3 in its second week, making way for the newcomers. The Jack Black/Cate Blanchett-starring film roped in another $12.5 million, down 53% from last weekend. That brings the film’s totals to $44.8 million domestically and $65.8 million worldwide. The budget on this fantasy adventure was a moderate $42 million, so it could well make a little money for Universal. The final domestic tally looks to be around $70 million to $75 million.

Paul Feig’s A Simple Favor continues to show staying power, as it was down just 36% in its third weekend with $6.6 million. The Anna Kendrick/Blake Lively-starring mystery film is up to an impressive $43.1 million domestically and $62.9 million worldwide against a $20 million budget. It seems likely to finish off with at least $60 million and perhaps as much as $70 million, making it a nice winner for Lionsgate.

The Nun slipped 46% in its fourth weekend to bring in $5.4 million. The Conjuring universe film has scratched its way to $109 million domestically and a great $330 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing film in the Conjuring universe worldwide and the second-best domestically. The Nun is starting to slow down and there’s a lot of question whether it can get above The Conjuring’s $137.4 million in the US, but either way it is a huge hit against its $22 million budget.

One of The Nun’s biggest problems this weekend is that it had direct competition from Hell Fest. The horror film about a slasher stalking victims through a Halloween theme park met expectations with a $5.1 million three-day opening. That’s not a great start, but fits with what most were anticipating and should be sufficient for this inexpensive film. Hell Fest got predictably mediocre reviews (37% on RT) and hit the horror average of a C for CinemaScore, but CBS and Lionsgate only shelled out $5.5 million on production costs, and marketed it fairly inexpensively. Those should help as this film likely makes it to around $15 million to $20 million in the US, with any foreign grosses pushing it into profit.

Crazy Rich Asians was down just 35% in its seventh weekend with $4.2 million. The romantic comedy brought its totals to $165.7 million domestically and $218.9 million worldwide on a $30 million budget. The movie is will end its run at around $175 million domestically in the US, obviously a huge hit.

The Predator continued to nose dive from week to week, down 60% in its third weekend with $3.7 million. The Shane Black-directed sci-fi action film is up to $47.6 million, a lackluster total to say the least. The worldwide total for the film now sits at a somewhat-better $115.8 million, as overseas audiences are taking to the film more warmly than domestic crowds. There’s still not a great chance at this one making a profit before it leaves theaters thanks to a lofty $88 million budget plus marketing. A final domestic total of $55 million seems to be the endgame.

White Boy Rick was down 51% in its third weekend, adding $2.4 million to its coffers. The Matthew McConaughey-starring drama is now up to $21.7 million, with a final domestic total around $30 million. With no real international numbers expected here, the film is going to be a money loser for Studio 8 off it its $29 million budget.

Peppermint closed out the top ten with $1.8 million. That’s a 52% drop in the film’s fourth weekend. The Jennifer Garner-starring action-thriller now sits at $33.5 million domestically and $39.5 million worldwide, and is still aiming for a domestic final of $40 million. The budget was $25 million.

The box office comes alive in a big way next weekend, as Venom and A Star is Born go head-to-head. The Spider-Man spinoff is expected to take the weekend with a $60 million to $65 million start, while the Bradley Cooper/Lady Gaga drama is looking at $40 million.

BOX OFFICE TOP TEN (Three-Day Domestic Numbers)
1. Night School – $28 million ($28 million total)
2. Smallfoot – $23 million ($23 million total)
3. The House With a Clock in Its Walls – $12.5 million ($44.8 million total)
4. A Simple Favor – $6.6 million ($43.1 million total)
5. The Nun – $5.4 million ($109 million total)
6. Hell Fest – $5.1 million ($5.1 million total)
7. Crazy Rich Asians – $4.2 million ($165.7 million total)
8. The Predator – $3.7 million ($47.6 million total)
9. White Boy Rick – $2.4 million ($21.7 million total)
10. Peppermint – $1.8 million ($33.5 million total)