‘Angry Birds 2’ Flies Into Soft Box Office as Summer Winds Down
Naughty kid flick “Good Boys” and “47 Meters Down” come to theaters this weekend
Jeremy Fuster | August 13, 2019 @ 4:01 PM
Last Updated: August 13, 2019 @ 4:22 PM
Sony Pictures
Sony’s “The Angry Birds Movie 2” is hitting theaters nationwide today ahead of a late summer slate that includes Universal’s R-rated kid comedy “Good Boys” and a sequel to the shark-infested “47 Meters Down.”
Originally set for a Wednesday release, Sony moved “Angry Birds 2” to a Tuesday opening last week in an effort to bring in families in the last week before the majority of schools are back in session. Through six days, independent projections predict an opening of $22-25 million, while Sony is projecting a 6-day opening in the mid-teens from 3,800 screens.
Either result would be a big step down from the $38 million 3-day opening earned by the first “Angry Birds Movie” in May 2016, going on to make $107 million domestic and $357 million worldwide against a $73 million budget. The sequel has an only slightly smaller budget at $65 million and will face tough competition from family audiences with “The Lion King” and “Dora and the Lost City of Gold” in theaters. The good news is that critics have so far given “Angry Birds 2” more positive reviews with a 73% Rotten Tomatoes score compared to 44% for the original.
Of the films opening on Friday, Universal’s “Good Boys” and Entertainment Studios’ “47 Meters Down: Uncaged” are projected to have the highest openings with “Good Boys” set at $10-12 million while “Uncaged” is projected for $13-15 million. The first “47 Meters Down” remains the highest grossing film ever for Entertainment Studios with $44.7 million and an $11.2 million opening. Since then, only one other release from the studio, TIFF acquisition “Hostiles,” has grossed more than $15 million.
“Good Boys” is the second release this summer from Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s production banner Point Grey Films, following the romantic comedy “Long Shot.” Released by Lionsgate in the shadow of “Avengers: Endgame,” “Long Shot” opened to $9.7 million and grossed $30 million domestically.
Early reviews for “Good Boys” have been mostly positive, with a current Rotten Tomatoes score of 83%. But reviews were even stronger for “Booksmart,” and that comedy got caught in the undertow of larger blockbusters like “Aladdin” and only grossed $22 million.
Universal, which will cross $1 billion in domestic grosses this weekend, has been able to release several well-performing comedies in recent years like “Girls Trip,” “Neighbors,” and “Trainwreck.” But overall, the increasing reliance on a strong opening weekend to create word of mouth has led to a decrease of hit comedies ever since “The Hangover” legged out to a $277 million domestic run from a $44 million opening in 2009.
Two other comedies, Annapurna’s “Where Did You Go Bernadette?” and WB/New Line’s “Blinded By The Light” are projected to launch even lower with openings of $4-9 million. “Bernadette,” the latest film from “Boyhood” director Richard Linklater, will be released on 2,300 screens while “Blinded By The Light,” which comes from “Bend It Like Beckham” filmmaker Gurinder Chadha, rolls out on 2,000 screens.
Top 10 Box Office Predictions for 2019 (Photos)
2019 has just gotten started, and it's already looking like it could very well bring a box office as big as 2018. That's thanks in large part to Disney, which is sporting six -- yes, SIX -- films that could make a bid to earn over $1 billion worldwide this year. That's why the company dominates our predictions for the top 10 highest global grossing films of 2019, including the top five slots.
Marvel Studios
10.) "Spider-Man: Far From Home" (July 5) -- Sony will get in on the Marvel Studios money train with this sequel to "Spider-Man: Homecoming," which made $880 million worldwide in 2017. With "The Lion King" hitting theaters two weeks after this film, it's possible that "Far From Home" could see a smaller total figure due to the competition. What could counter that is if "Avengers: Endgame" leaves an intriguing narrative thread for the (currently dead) Peter Parker to pick up, creating more interest among fans to see the first post-Thanos chapter of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Marvel Studios
9.) "Captain Marvel" (March 8) -- Again, the connection to "Avengers" will play a factor here. Of the potential billion-dollar Disney releases, "Captain Marvel" seems the least likely simply because recent MCU films that introduce new heroes like "Doctor Strange" don't perform as well as the "Captain Americas" and "Avengers" of the franchise. "Black Panther" was the exception, but "Captain Marvel" isn't showing signs of the same cultural momentum. On the other hand, Carol Danvers is supposed to play a major role in "Endgame," so that might make this essential viewing for even casual MCU fans.
Disney/Marvel Studios
8.) "Jumanji 3" (December 13) -- "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle" ended with the titular magical game being destroyed. But then the film made $962 million, so get ready for a plot loophole and a third jungle adventure. There's little reason to doubt that "Jumanji 3" will perform well again against "Star Wars." The question is whether the incredible chemistry between Dwayne Johnson, Karen Gillan, Kevin Hart and Jack Black will be enough to push this threequel even further and give Sony its second billion-dollar hit in the studio's history.
Sony
7.) "The Secret Life of Pets 2" (June 7) -- Illumination may not yet have Pixar's pedigree, but it is now a box office force beyond just the Minions. The first "Secret Life" was one of the top 10 films of 2016 with $875 million, and even though "Toy Story 4" comes out two weeks later, this sequel should have strong enough name recognition to have a solid hold with family audiences in June.
Universal/Illumination
6.) "Hobbs & Shaw" (August 2) -- The full name of this film is "Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw," and it's probably going to be essential for Universal to put this spinoff's connection to its car franchise right in the title. The last "F&F" film, "The Fate of the Furious," made $1 billion in overseas grosses alone, and Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham have become as strong a draw as Vin Diesel and the franchise's original cast. Now it's time to see if Dominic Toretto and the Family can be removed from the equation without a drop in the numbers.
Universal
5.) "Star Wars: Episode IX" (December 20) -- This will be the most scrutinized release of the year. After "Solo" became one of the biggest disappointments of 2018, there will be many eyes on the final chapter of the Rey/Finn "Star Wars" trilogy and how it performs compared to the polarizing "Last Jedi." The popularity of both the old and new characters should push "Episode IX" back to $1 billion. But films like "Jumanji 3" show other studios aren't afraid of "Star Wars" anymore, and the standard of success for the godfather of movie franchises is higher than any other.
Disney/Lucasfilm
4.) "Toy Story 4" (June 21) -- Can you believe it's been nine years since "Toy Story 3" grossed $1 billion and earned a Best Picture nomination? Much like "Incredibles 2" last year, Buzz and Woody's fourth adventure should score a huge opening weekend. But word-of-mouth will determine how the film performs going into a July with "Far From Home" and "Lion King."
Disney/Pixar
3.) "Frozen 2" (November 22) -- Six years after its release, "Frozen" has become the Disney classic for Gen Z in much the same way the Disney Renaissance and Pixar formed the childhood memories of countless Gen Xers and Millennials. Released ahead of Thanksgiving weekend, the sequel should hit theaters with overwhelming hype and a chance to pass the original's $1.27 billion global total.
Disney
2.) "The Lion King" (July 19) -- Nostalgia for "Beauty and the Beast" pushed its 2017 remake to $1.26 billion worldwide. "The Lion King" arguably has an even bigger nostalgia factor...and this remake has Beyonce and Childish Gambino in it. With no major family-film competition from mid-July through the end of the summer, this film is going to make incredible amounts of money.
Disney
1.) "Avengers: Endgame" (April 26) -- Is there any real doubt? Marvel has left its fans babbling about the "snap" since "Infinity War" came out last April, and every single one of them will be back in theaters to see how Captain Marvel and the remaining Avengers warp time and space to undo Thanos' genocide. The question isn't whether "Endgame" will be the top box office hit of 2019, but whether it will beat the $2.04 billion global total made by "Infinity War" or its record $257.4 domestic opening.
Disney/Marvel Studios
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Just like 2018, Disney is going to be all over this year’s box office
2019 has just gotten started, and it's already looking like it could very well bring a box office as big as 2018. That's thanks in large part to Disney, which is sporting six -- yes, SIX -- films that could make a bid to earn over $1 billion worldwide this year. That's why the company dominates our predictions for the top 10 highest global grossing films of 2019, including the top five slots.
Marvel Studios
Marvel Studios
