‘A Quiet Place.’
The Australian opening of A Quiet Place did not match its thunderous US debut but the silent horror/thriller achieved the Oz market’s biggest per-screen average last weekend.
The Paramount release starring John Krasinski and Emily Blunt entered at No. 3 behind the third weekend of Peter Rabbit and the second turn of Ready Player One, which are both playing on far more screens.
The top 20 titles harvested $15 million, a reasonable 19 per cent decline on the Easter weekend according to Numero.
Meanwhile Transmission Films’ prayers that word-of-mouth would extend the life of Mary Magdalene fell on deaf ears as the Biblical saga directed by Garth Davis took just $27,000 in its third weekend, now playing on more than 60 locations. That brings the total to a disappointing $487,000.
Director Eddie Martin’s feature documentary Have You Seen the Listers?, which profiles the often troubled life and career of street artist Anthony Lister, drew a modest $6,300 on eight screens for Transmission including limited previews. That does not include the proceeds from its Melbourne International Film Festival premiere last year.
Sony/Animal Logic Entertainment’s Peter Rabbit ascended to $14.9 million after whistling up $2.9 million at 314 locations, falling by a moderate 26 per cent. The live-action/CGI animated family film directed by Will Gluck has amassed $US273.8 million worldwide, with Australia ranking as the third biggest international market behind the UK’s $44.8 million and China’s $26 million.
Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One rang up $2.5 million on 292, down 35 per cent, banking $8.7 million for Roadshow. The sci-fi action adventure starring Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn, Lena Waithe, Simon Pegg, and Mark Rylance has scored $391.3 million worldwide, including $96.9 million in the US.
Directed by Krasinski, A Quiet Place scared up $2.4 million at 216 cinemas, a location average of $11,000, and $2.6 million with previews. The saga of a family under siege from violent creatures who have extremely acute hearing, which cost a mere $17 million, hauled in an estimated $50 million in the US, outperforming expectations.
That was the second biggest opening weekend of the year behind Black Panther and a welcome boost for Paramount under chairman/CEO Jim Gianopulos, marking the studio’s highest debut since 2016’s Star Trek Beyond and its best non-franchise opening since 2013’s World War Z.
Director Kay Cannon’s ribald comedy Blockers, which stars Leslie Mann, John Cena and Ike Barinholtz as parents who launch a covert mission on prom night to stop their teenage kids from having sex, wooed $1.7 million in its second weekend, down 34 per cent, fetching $6.8 million for Universal.
Fox’s Love, Simon, a gay coming-of-age romance directed by Greg Berlanti, mustered $915,000 in its second outing, easing by just 24 per cent, advancing to $3.5 million.
Paramount’s CGI animated film Sherlock Gnomes rolled out nationally after opening in Queensland and Victoria on March 29, drawing $783,000, which brings the total to a lacklustre $1.8 million. That’s no surprise given the sequel to 2011’s Gnomeo & Juliet bombed in the US, taking $33.8 million in 17 days.
Disney’s misfire A Wrinkle in Time pocketed $685,000 in its second weekend, falling by 19 per cent. Director Ava Du Vernay’s adventure fantasy has collected $2.4 million.
Steven S. DeKnight’s Pacific Rim: Uprising has the wobbles, tumbling by 54 per cent to $486,000 in its third lap. The Universal release has made a mediocre $5.4 million.
Marvel Studios/Disney’s Black Panther reached $39.6 million after drumming up $441,000 in its eighth weekend. The Ryan Coogler-directed superhero adventure has amassed $1.3 billion worldwide, the 10th biggest blockbuster of all time. In the US the film has grossed $665.4 million, racing past Titanic to become the third-biggest title in history behind only Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Avatar.
Writer-director Armando Iannucci’s political satire The Death of Stalin, which stars Steve Buscemi, Simon Russell Beale, Paddy Considine, Rupert Friend, Jason Isaacs, Michael Palin and Andrea Risborough, generated $303,000 in its second weekend on 59 screens, making $1.2 million for Madman Entertainment.