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Warner Bros. ‘ Family-friendly animated film “Tom and Jerry” debuted at $ 13.7 million at the domestic box office, one of the biggest opening weekend tournaments in the coronavirus era and a signal that cinema could be on the mend.
To be sure, it will take some time for ticket sales to reach pre-pandemic levels. But after “Wonder Woman 1984,” which launched in December with $ 16.7 million, “Tom and Jerry” had the strongest three-day total since theaters reopened in the middle of last year. . Nothing else that has been released in the past 10 months has made it past the $ 10 million mark; “The Croods: A New Age” ($ 9.7 million) and “Tenet” ($ 9.35 million) were the only others to come close to this goal.
“Tom and Jerry” – directed by Tim Story and starring Chloë Grace Moretz, Michael Peña and Colin Jost – has performed in 2,475 theaters across North America. Overall, 42% of cinemas nationwide have reopened, according to Comscore.
Notably, “Tom and Jerry” also premiered on the HBO Max streaming service, where it will be available to subscribers for 31 days. Starting with the sequel to “Wonder Woman,” Warner Bros. took 18 films to bow simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max due to the pandemic.
Abroad, the cartoonish adventure of the iconic cat and mouse rivalry grossed 33 countries $ 25 million for a worldwide total of $ 38.8 million. Considering the current conditions, this is a good start for “Tom and Jerry”, which has a budget of $ 79 million.
Box office analysts seem optimistic about these numbers. “With half of the theaters still closed, the pandemic still a threat and ‘Tom & Jerry’ available at home, it’s a very good opening,” said David A. Gross, who heads cinema consulting firm Franchise. Entertainment Research. “[It’s] a positive sign for the company and for the attraction of cinema to home entertainment. “
Of the films released during the pandemic (a fraction of the amount that would typically be shown on the big screen under normal circumstances), those aimed at younger audiences reaped the greatest rewards. Warner Bros. said ticket sales for “Tom and Jerry” were fueled by family crowds buying private theater rentals.
“There is definitely an element of cabin fever in parents and kids playing with these blockbuster family movies during the pandemic, but I also think we’re watching the beginnings of a larger trend,” he said. said Shawn Robbins, chief analyst at Box Office Pro. “As the cases of the virus decrease, vaccines are rolled out and more mainstream films start to come out, families are increasingly comfortable with the idea of returning to the cinema while practicing safe health measures such as wearing masks and social distancing. ”
Looking ahead, Robbins notes, that should bode well for Disney’s “Raya and the Last Dragon,” which hits theaters and Disney Plus (for a fee) simultaneously next weekend.
“With all due caution, however,” said Robbins, “the ability of ‘Tom and Jerry’ to exceed expectations despite a day-to-date streaming release, and without the largest open markets, signals another step forward. positive for the industry as a whole. “
In other encouraging box office news, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has cleared theaters in all five boroughs to reopen to limited capacity from March 5. It’s been almost a year since New York City cinemas have been able to accommodate customers, which is part of the reason studios have chosen to delay almost all of their biggest movies. Theaters in the region will have to operate at 25% capacity, making it difficult to profitability, but film exhibitors believe this is a positive step in fixing the struggling film industry.
“Open theaters, along with new films, are the formula that will bring the cinema market to life,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore. “It is very encouraging given the formidable and unprecedented challenges of the past year.”
With the opening of “Tom and Jerry”, box office mainstay “The Croods: A New Age”, playing in 1912 theaters, slipped to second place and raked in $ 1.2 million. The animated sequel from Universal Pictures and DreamWorks has become an unlikely hit in the coronavirus era, generating $ 52 million to date.
Otherwise, none of the top five films made it to $ 1 million in ticket sales. “The Little Things,” in its fifth weekend release, came closest and grabbed $ 925,000 in 1,853 locations. The Warner Bros. thriller, starring Denzel Washington, Jared Leto and Rami Malek, grossed $ 12.9 million in the US and Canada and $ 10.3 million internationally for a worldwide total of 23 , $ 2 million.
“Wonder Woman 1984” came in fourth, collecting $ 710,000 from 1,538 locations. The superhero sequel has grossed $ 43.6 million since its debut over two months ago. It did significantly better business overseas, where it generated $ 117.4 million. Liam Neeson’s action thriller “The Marksman” topped the top five with $ 700,000, bringing its total to $ 12.345 million.
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