411 Box Office Report: Street Fighter Takes #1 Spot, Whalefall Falls Short

Street Fighter lead the box office on a crowded weekend, claiming the top spot with $31 million. The Paramount-distributed video game adaptation came in right about where expectations had it coming into the weekend. That is the best start for a film based on the Capcom fighting franchise to date, albeit by a low bar. By comparison, 1994’s Street Fighter opened to $6.9 million while 2009’s Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li started with just $4.7 million.

In fact, the new film’s opening is almost four times the $8.7 million total domestic gross of The Legend of Chun-Li and close to the $33.4 million total domestic of the Jean-Claude Van Damme-led entry. It is somewhat below the $38.5 million start of Mortal Kombat II from May.

The bottom line is, Street Fighter has never been the most lucrative film franchise. So Paramount is likely breathing a bit of a sigh of relief for this start, when tracking just a week ago had it closer to a $25 million to $30 million start. That’s not to say that the film is a hit, but it’s off to a better start than it could have been — especially considering that the critical buzz was meh (a 41% aggregate score on Rotten Tomatoes) and audiences are rather mild on it with a 79% RT audience rating and a B- CinemaScore.

The film does have a hefty budget to make up, with a reported $82 million production cost. It’s not yet clear if it will be able to get close to that; it added just $20.1 million in its overseas start for a $51.1 million worldwide launch. But as of now, it seems likely to make it to at least $80 million or so. If the foreign grosses can do well, it might (key word: might) end up positioned to be profitable by the time digital revenue is factored in.

More explicitly positive news came for A24, who scored with You Can See Everything. Nathan Fielder’s documentary on Elizabeth Holmes tallied up $15 million at just 855 screens. That is the second-best opening weekend for a documentary ever, behind only Fahrenheit 9/11 in 2004 with $23.9 million.

You Can See Everything became a hit based on the power of its trailer and surprise release strategy. The film, which documents the infamous Theranos founder who was sentenced to over 11 years in prison on charges of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud, premiered at the Telluride Film Festival in September before anyone even knew it existed. The trailer became an internet sensation, with a particular exchange between Holmes and Fielding launching a thousand memes.

It also doesn’t hurt that everyone seems to love the documentary. Critics are effervescent over it with a 99% RT critic rating, while it has a 98% RT audience rating. The $7 million budgeted film is already a success and while its legs will depend on how A24 continues to platform the film, it’s likely going to end up with at least $30 million in the US.

Other Mommy took a very predictable fall, with the Universal horror film off 70% in its second weekend to $8.4 million. This was always expected considering the poor buzz and word of mouth around the film. But the studio isn’t worried, as the Jessica Chastain movie is already well into profit with $44.9 million domestically and $78.8 million worldwide against a $19 million budget. It still seems likely to finish in the US with around $60 million, which is perfectly acceptable.

20th Century Studios’ Whalefall didn’t open well, finishing the weekend at $8 million. That’s below the low double digits that the survival thriller hoped to launch with. The Austin Abrams-led film just couldn’t break through to the public consciousness despite solid reviews (75% on RT) and decent if not spectacular word of mouth (81% RT audience rating, B CinemaScore).

Whalefall added $9.5 million overseas for a $17.5 million worldwide opening. Out of context that seems fine, but it also had a $60 million budget that it’s not going to make back. This one can be chalked up to losing its audience to both Street Fighter and You Can See Everything. It will probably close out in the $25 million range and will be a money loser when all is said and done.

Sense and Sensibility also flew under the radar, but in a more acceptable context. The Georgia Oakley-directed adaptation of the famed Jane Austen novel tallied $7.3 million in the US and $11.3 million overseas for $18.5 million worldwide (rounding accounts for the math seeming slightly off).

Much like Whalefall, Sense took a backseat to the two bigger releases. But unlike that film, it only cost $25 million and thus is on the road to likely profit for Focus Features. Critics like it at a 79% RT score, as do audiences who give it a 90% RT audience rating and A- CinemaScore. The film will also likely hit around $25 million in the US and will be carried to profit by the overseas numbers.

Verity was down an okay 48% in its third weekend. The Colleen Hoover adaptation brought in $6.2 million, pushing its totals to $66.1 million in the US and $145.3 million worldwide against a budget of $40 million. It is now setting a course for $75 million stateside, making it profitable for Amazon-MGM Studios.

Resident Evil slipped a mere 36% to bring in $5.5 million in its fifth frame. The horror film has grossed $148.5 million domestically and $361.2 million worldwide, a massive hit against its $75 million budget. $160 million is well within sight for its stateside total.

Heart of the Beast continues to have solid legs, down 35% in its fourth weekend with $4.8 million. The Brad Pitt-led film has grossed $58.3 million stateside and $155.5 million worldwide and is looking like it will likely break even with an $83 million production budget. The domestic total is probably about $65 million to $68 million.

Coming in at #9 was Jailer 2. The Indian action-comedy grossed $3.3 million for the frame, adding to its $2 million on Thursday for a total of $5.3 million in the US over four days. The Tamil-language movie has received great reviews (91% on RT) and great word of mouth with a 93% audience rating. It has $34.1 million worldwide thus far and will be gone quickly from US theaters but is going to be profitable.

Forgotten Island closed out the top 10, slipping 52% in its fourth weekend with $2.3 million. Universal’s animated flick now has $35.1 million in the US and $60.3 million worldwide, losing money against its $80 million budget. It will finish close to $40 million in the US.

DC Studios’ Clayface should take the top spot next weekend. The comic book horror film is targeting around $25 million to $30 million to start in the US. Also opening are Fathom Entertainment’s Wildwood, Black Bear’s Wicker, Sony Pictures’ Kiara & The Sun, and Amazon-MGM’s Ali G.: Who Iz I?. They’re all targeting low single digit starts.

Box Office Top Ten (Three-Day Domestic Numbers)

1. Street Fighter – $31 million ($31 million total, $51.1 million WW)
2. You Can See Everything – $15 million ($15 million total, $15 million WW)
3. Other Mommy – $8.4 million ($44.8 million total, $78.8 million WW)
4. Whalefall – $8 million ($8 million total, $17.5 million WW)
5. Sense and Sensibility – $7.3 million ($7.3 million total, $18.5 million WW)
6. Verity – $6.2 million ($66.1 million total, $145.3 million WW)
7. Resident Evil – $5.5 million ($148.5 million total, $361.2 million WW)
8. Heart Of the Beast – $4.8 million ($58.3 million total, $155.5 million WW)
9. Jailer 2 – $3.3 million ($5.3 million total, $34.1 million WW)
10. Forgotten Island – $2.3 million ($35.1 million total, $60.3 million WW)