Perfect Guy, The Visit bigger hits than expected
The Perfect Guy and The Visit sailed past modest opening weekend expectations — and budgets — locking in debuts in the mid-US$20 million (721 million baht) range thanks in part to good timing and robust female turnout.
The Perfect Guy, a PG-13 rated thriller starring Sanaa Lathan and Michael Ealy, secured the first place spot with $26.7 million, according to Rentrak estimates on Sunday. The Sony/Screen Gems film cost only $12 million to produce.
M. Night Shyamalan’s nail-biter The Visit, a $5 million production from microbudget horror-makers Blumhouse, took a close second with an estimated $25.7 million for distributor Universal. With numbers this close, the places might shift when Monday actuals roll in, but both films are resounding successes on a weekend that often doesn’t go noticed on the release calendar.
Female audiences helped The Perfect Guy shoot to the No.1 spot. An estimated 69% were women and 58% over the age of 25.
The Visit also saw a majority female audience (60%) on opening weekend, although existing crowds gave this one a B- CinemaScore. This is the eighth successful $20-plus million opening for producer Jason Blum’s Blumhouse Productions, which specialises in micro-budget horror films including the Insidious and Paranormal Activity series.
In third place, War Room continues to prove mightily powerful with $7.4 million in its third weekend in cinemas, but the faith-based categorisation isn’t always a sure revelation. 90 Minutes In Heaven, a Christian film starring Kate Bosworth, opened in ninth place to only $2.2 million from 878 locations.
It’s a fine result for the film, but pales in comparison to War Room which now boasts a $39.2 million domestic total. A Walk In The Woods and Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation rounded out the top five with $4.7 million and $4.2 million, respectively. Mission: Impossible also earned a gigantic $91.3 million internationally this weekend, with China accounting for $86 million of the total.