Box Office Report: Unhinged Reopens the U.S. Box Office
BY SCOTTIE KNOLLIN
As the first major wide release since the beginning of the pandemic, “Unhinged” opened at the top of the box office with a $4 million win.
From Solstice Studios, “Unhinged” is a road-rage thriller starring Russell Crowe. The film opened in 1,823 theaters across the country, including in North Dakota. Indoor theaters in markets like New York and Los Angeles have yet to reopen; “Unhinged” did play at drive-ins in California.
“Unhinged” will expand to over 2,300 locations next weekend as more theaters reopen.
$4 million is not a typical opening weekend haul worth celebrating, but for a floundering cinema industry, it’s a very small light at the end of the tunnel.
The Hollywood Reporter reports that, of those who ventured to cinemas for the first time this weekend to see “Unhinged,” 56% were male and 76% were over the age of 25. The film played best in the Midwest and the South, with Chicago, Atlanta, and Kansas City proving to be the top markets for moviegoers right now.
With a budget of $33 million, “Unhinged” is expected to reach $30 million by the end of its theatrical run. After that, Solstice Studio heads anticipate the film will exceed its budget when it releases digitally for audiences who are still staying home.
LD Entertainment and Roadside Attractions opened the weekend’s other wide release, “Words on Bathroom Walls.” The coming-of-age film opened in 925 theaters and earned about $462,000.
Other exclusively in-cinemas titles playing this weekend include IFC Films’ “Tesla,” which earned $42,000 from 108 theaters, and IFC Films’ “The Rental,” which picked up $108,000 from 105 theaters. “The Rental” is Dave Franco’s directorial debut. After playing for several weeks in drive-ins, it has earned over $1.5 million.
Internationally, “The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run” continued to collect decent numbers from theaters in Canada. Its total box office returns, so far, sit at $2 million. The film will release as a premium video-on-demand title in the U.S. in 2021.
In China, war epic “The Eight Hundred” earned the year’s highest-grossing opening weekend with $116.63 million. Part of that tally is from preview screenings on Monday-Thursday of last week. It’s the first movie to gross over $100 million in any country, worldwide, since “Sonic the Hedgehog” released in mid-February.
All eyes are on the next couple of weeks as cinemas plan for the opening of Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet.” The film has already welcomed audiences across the pond. This coming weekend, Disney will release the long-awaited “The New Mutants” and Warner Bros. will release anniversary prints of “Inception.” “The Personal History of David Copperfield” will also receive a limited run.
