SATURDAY AM: Distributors are currently looking for more information on which circuits will close today and how this will affect weekend box office numbers. A significant area from Texas to New England is affected by ice and snow. The overall weekend box office for all films is projected to reach $58.4 million, marking the lowest total for the year so far and down 9% compared to the same period last year.
Amazon MGM Studios’ Mercy is on track for $12.6 million following nearly $5 million from previews and Friday sales. This opening falls within the expected range for original sci-fi films, such as The Creator at $14 million, and typical action flicks, like last January’s Flight Risk at $11.5 million, and surpasses Gerard Butler’s dystopian sequel, Greenland 2: Migration, which debuted at $8.5 million.
Audience reception isn’t stellar, with a B- CinemaScore, 2.5 stars on Screen Engine/Comscore’s PostTrak, and a low 45% definite recommend rate. Only 31% attended thanks to star Chris Pratt, while 44% thought the movie appeared entertaining. This marks Pratt’s first original role as a lead at the box office, following the Paramount-released The Tomorrow War, which shifted to Amazon and achieved record audience numbers in July 2021. Of those who attended, 53% were Prime members, compared to 68% being Netflix subscribers and 50% Disney+ subscribers. Mercy will have a PVOD window before moving to Prime in the future.
According to iSpot, Amazon MGM Studios invested $14.4 million in linear ads for Mercy, eclipsing Sony’s $9.4 million for 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple. Ads were placed across various platforms, including NFL games, College Football, SportsCenter, the Today Show, and Gold Rush. Total impressions for Mercy reached 455 million, compared to 385 million for Bone Temple during its advertising campaign.
PLF screens and IMAX are accounting for nearly half of the weekend’s revenue, with 22% sourced from 3D. The film is performing uniformly across the nation, particularly well in the South and South Central regions. The AMC Burbank in California has emerged as the top-grossing venue, earning around $19,000 through Friday.
Audience demographics show 48% Caucasian, 21% Hispanic and Latino, 17% Black, and 8% Asian American. Males over 25 lead with 45%, followed by women over 25 at 31%, men under 25 at 15%, and women under 25 at 9%. Participants aged 18-34 make up nearly half of the overall audience.
Cineverse’s Return to Silent Hill is looking at $1.6 million for Friday and a projected $3.2 million for the weekend. No CinemaScore or PostTrak data is available, but audience ratings on Rotten Tomatoes show Mercy receiving better reviews at 80% compared to this horror sequel’s disappointing 30%. It is performing best in the South and West, with the AMC Empire being the highest-grossing venue at nearly $12,000.
