LOS ANGELES, Aug 31 — Superhero thriller The New Mutants, one of the first major movies to open since coronavirus caused theatres to close in March, launched to US$7 million (RM29.15 million) over the weekend. Though ticket sales were on the lower end of expectations, the Disney and 20th Century Studios release marks the biggest debut yet for a new release during the pandemic.
Around 60-70 per cent of theatres have reopened across the US and Canada, according to Disney. However, some of the biggest moviegoing markets, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington, New Jersey and New York, still remain closed. In parts of the country where theatres have resumed business, venues are capping capacity and keeping space between seats to comply with social distancing measures.
Even before the pandemic hit, The New Mutants was facing headwinds. The X-Men spinoff, about young mutants discovering their powers, had a particularly arduous journey to the big screen since it was initially scheduled to release in 2018. It reportedly went through extensive reshoots and has been delayed numerous times.
Analyst David A. Gross, who runs movie consultancy FranchiseRe, estimates The New Mutants would have generated roughly US$14 million if all 6,000 movie theatres in the country were open.
“The figure is below superhero and horror spinoff averages,” Gross said. “Still, it's a positive step for the business following last weekend.”
The New Mutants bowed this weekend alongside a number of fresh offerings, including Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter's Bill and Ted Face the Music and The Personal History of David Copperfield starring Dev Patel.
Bill and Ted Face the Music, the third instalment in the sci-fi comedy franchise, simultaneously debuted on digital rental services. Theatrically, the film picked up US$1.06 million from 1,007 screens — with drive-in theatres in Salt Lake City, Dallas and Houston accounting for a bulk of receipts.
Though it's unclear how much money Bill and Ted made on premium video-on-demand platforms, Orion Films reported that it was the No. 1 title on iTunes, while the series bundle had the No. 2 slot. Bill and Ted 3, directed by Dean Parisot, received mostly positive reviews.
The Personal History David Copperfield made US$520,000 from 1,360 theatres, a slow start for the PG-rated comedy. Based on the Charles Dickens novel, the movie was directed by Veep creator Armando Iannucci. Searchlight, the specialty studio distributing the film, plans to expand David Copperfield to nearly 100 additional theatres in time for Labour Day weekend.
“The results, while modest, signals a return to the cinema for moviegoers who are yearning for the majesty of the big screen,” said Searchlight's head of distribution Frank Rodriguez.
Among holdovers, Russell Crowe's road-rage thriller Unhinged pulled in US$2.6 million during its second weekend of release, bringing its total bounty to US$8.8 million. — Variety/Reuters
