SATURDAY AM: The 50th weekend of the year is set to ring up close to $80M, off -15% from a year ago which did $94.2M per Box Office Mojo; but that’s only because last year there were two wide-entries, ironically failed fanboy titles, in Sony’s dud Kraven the Hunter ($11M) and New Line’s misfire Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim ($4.5M). If you subtract those two movies, you essentially had the potency of carryovers (Moana 2 was No. 1 with $26.4M and Wicked No. 2 with $22.6M), and this weekend those are Disney’s third frame of Zootopia 2 with an estimated $26M, -40%, and Universal/Blumhouse’s Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 with $20M, -69%. In general, this weekend before the big Christmas tentpole, excels with a wide family entry (Jumanji, Wonka, Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse). We already have Zootopia 2 and Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 doing well, so, none needed. But Disney decided to go wide with James L. Brooks’ seventh directorial, Ella McCCay, at 2,500 theaters, which is sadly not finding an audience with an estimated $2.2M. It’s also the octogenarian’s worst reviewed movie ever at 24% on Rotten Tomatoes and his lowest wide release opening as director (his Terms of Endearment back in 1984 debuted to $3.5M at 260 theaters). The opening here is even lower than Oscar winner Robert Zemeckis’ Tom Hanks-Robin Wright re-team last year, Here, which really pressed on moviegoers’ nerves with its fixed camera shtick, opening at $4.8M. Disney selected this date as Brooks’ canon historically has gone in the mid-to-late December corridor (Broadcast News, How Do You Know, Spanglish, etc). If reviews were good, the hope was that an older female audience would show up. While you could say that the director shouldn’t have gambled entirely on a fresh face to star in the movie in the sublime Emma Mackey, even if this movie starred a more bankable name, i.e. Anne Hathaway, it would still have an uphill battle ala Brooks’ failed $120M Reese Witherspoon-Owen Wilson romcom, How Do You Know which opened to $7.4M, topped off at $30.2M domestic and north of $48M global. And that movie came out at a time when Witherspoon and Wilson could open movies. What remains true then, remains true now and that is prestige drama/dramedies, which audiences use to find in theaters thanks to Brooks, are too prevalent on TV at home. Why leave the house to watch them? In 2010, it was HBO, and nowadays it’s streaming. Brooks is one of the most lucrative content creators for Disney in The Simpsons. It stands to reason that they’d fully support the guy’s passion projects, especially, if it’s a new Simpsons movie they crave. Ella McCay is very 1980s in its sensibility and set-up: a newly christened state lieutenant governor who has to contend with the off-kilter men in her life including her father, her little brother, her husband and her boss. It’s really not a bad movie; it’s just the sign of the times in regards to what transcends and doesn’t on the big screen. Once upon a time, Ella McCay, would have clicked. Ella McCay gets a B- Cinemascore, which is better than How Do You Know‘s C- and the same as Brooks’ 1994 I’ll Do Anything. Screen Engine/Comscore PostTrak audiences were hard on the film with 2 stars, 62% and a 39% definite recommend. Female leaning movie at 57% with 59% over 45. The under 25 are non-existent in 12%. Though an even play across the country, it’s very light. Highest grossing venue was AMC Lincoln Square with $5K. Not a diverse turnout in 68% Caucasian, 15% Hispanic and Latino, 6% Asian American and 4% Black. Social media analytics firm RelishMix counts a reach of 65 million across TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, X and Instagram which is -59% other drama/comedies before opening, i.e. Ticket to Paradise, Marry Me and Fly Me to the Moon. Reports RelishMix, “Mixed-negative leaning chatter for Ella McCay zeroes in on script, tone, and casting logic. Others critique the aesthetics and character logic, from ‘Too many cliches’ to ‘a 29-year-old British French actress playing a 34-year-old state Governor of Rhode Island, yep sounds about right.’ The screaming-therapy hook creates friction: ‘Screamers. Nope’ pairs with ‘I was kind ok with it… but then they started screaming.’ Some viewers target Jamie Lee Curtis with ‘Jamie Lee Curtis? Hard pass sadly’ and ‘Can’t say I’m looking forward to that one, despite the great cast’ underline the skepticism toward Ella McCay.” 1.Zootopia 2 (Dis) 3,835 (-165) theaters, Fri $6.2M (-39%), 3-day $26M (-40%), Total $258.6M/Wk 3 2. Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 (Uni) 3,579 (+167) theaters, Fri $5.6M (-81%), 3-day $20M (-69%), Total $95.9M/Wk 2 3. Wicked: For Good (Uni) 3,480 (-505) theaters, Fri $2.26M (-50%), 3-day $8.3M (-52%), Total $311.8M/Wk 4 4. Dhurandhar (Moviegoer) 377 (-13) theaters, Fri $939K (=81%), 3-day $3.5M (+78%), Total $7.9M/Wk 2The Aditya Dhar directed movie, starring Ranveer Singh is putting up impressive numbers in NYC, Toronto, Austin, DC, Seattle, Vancouver, San Francisco and Dallas to name a few. The movie is inspired by true events set in the gritty criminal vein of underworld with a backdrop of Indian patriotism, featuring action sequences, Shakespearean betrayals, and tradecrafts of espionage. 5.Now You See Me: Now You Don’t (LG) 2,411 (-218) theatres, Fri $725K (-30%), 3-day $2.47M (-29%) Total $59.4M/Wk 5 6. Ella McCay (20th) 2,500 theaters, Fri $850K, 3-day $2.2M/Wk 1 7. Jujutsu Kasen: Execution (Gkids) 1,700 (-133) theaters Fri $615K (-88%) 3-day $2.1M (-79%), Total $14.5M/Wk 2 8. The Shining (1980) (re) 400 theaters, Fri $580K, 3-day $1.75M, Lifetime total $49.6M/Wk 1 (re) 9. Eternity (A24) 2,067 (-319) theaters, Fri $551K (-38%) 3-day $1.65M (-37%), Total $12.8M /Wk 3 10. Hamnet (Foc) 749 (+3) theaters Fri $450K (-47%) 3-day $1.5M (-35%), Total $7M/Wk 3 Notable: Silent Night, Deadly Night (Cineverse) 1,640 theaters, Fri $474K, 3-day $968K/Wk 1Soft results but 81% fresh with critics off 62 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes and an 81% audience score for this Mike P. Nelson directed redo of the 1984 cult horror movie which originally grossed $2.5M. FRIDAY PM: A quiet pre-Christmas weekend at the box office, though still commendable as two movies could clear $20M+; Disney’s Zootopia 2 in its third weekend definitely is with $25M at 3,835 sites, -40%, for a running cume of $257.6M. Nancy already reported that the Disney threequel is the third movie of YTD after Ne Zha 2 ($1.9M) and Lilo & Stitch to clear $1B. The sequel’s Friday is around $6M. Blumhouse/Universal’s Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 is No. 2 with $19.6M at 3,579 theaters, -69% for a running cume of $95.7M. As we told you, ala anime, it’s a front-loaded type of crowd, even though this sequel was pure theatrical unlike the first chapter’s day-and-date on Peacock and multiplexes. Friday is $5.5M. Five Nights at Freddy’s fell -76% in its second frame, and that was after massive views on Peacock. Hence, a better hold this weekend for part 2. At the time that movie opened in late October 2023, it posted the best five-day viewership for Peacock for a movie or TV series at the time. Universal’s also has No. 3 with the fourth frame of Wicked: For Good with $2.1M today at 3,480 theaters, $8M for the weekend, -54%, and a running total of $311.6M. Wicked 2 crossed the three-century mark on Tuesday, becoming the fifth title to do so YTD after A Minecraft Movie, Lilo & Stitch, Superman, and Jurassic World: Rebirth. However, next Wicked through its fourth weekend, Wicked: For Good is pacing -13% behind that’s pic’s cume at the same point in time. Final B.O. on Wicked was $474.9M. Fourth is 20th Century Studios’ James L. Brooks directed dramedy Ella McCay which is no good at $800K today, $3M opening at 2,500 theaters. We heard previews which began at 2PM yesterday were around $200K. We’ll assess more as the weekend goes for this latest title from the 3x Oscar winner of Terms of Endearment. Seventy-six reviews just don’t get it at 21% Rotten (I, however, did get it; and enjoyed it).Let the record show that the latest from the 85-year old filmmaker is cheaper with a $30M production cost before P&A than his previous movies, 2010’s How Do You Know ($120M), 2004’s Spanglish ($80M), 1992’s As Good As It Gets ($50M uninflated), and his 1994 initially shot musical turned dramedy, I’ll Do Anything ($40M unadjusted for inflation). Fifth goes to Gkids’ second weekend of Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution with $600K today, $2.1M for the 3-day, -79%, and a ten-day total by Sunday EOD of $14.5M. Coming up solid is Uni’s re-release of the Jim Carrey starring, Ron Howard directed, Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas at 2,250 sites with $600K today and $1.8M for the weekend for a running cume of $264.2M. Get our Breaking News Alerts and Keep your inbox happy. Comments On Deadline Hollywood are monitored. So don't go off topic, don't impersonate anyone, and don't get your facts wrong. Comment Name Email Website Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Silent Night, Deadly Night should’ve stayed a one and done in 1984. Every sequel and now two remakes can’t come close to the original at all. At least this remake was better than the previous films but still doesn’t hold a candle to the original Wicked 1 didn’t have a weekend this low until weekend 8. Shocking how quickly the WICKED sequel has died. It’s getting nowhere near the final domestic total of part one. Seventy-six reviewers didn’t get their checks from Disney on time Ah, the old “critics get paid off by the studios” fallacy. It’s hilarious how many people actually seem to believe that one. you’d believe it too if you worked in games media. Only 4 bil WW to beat last year! He’s 85??? Whattt