At the start of 2017, Universal and Jason Blum’s Blumhouse took over headlines throughout Hollywood with the success of “Split” and “Get Out,” which combined to gross $531 million worldwide against a combined budget of $13.5 million.
Now, the studio and production duo are back with “Happy Death Day,” another low-budget horror film that will serve as Blumhouse’s entry to this year’s Halloween season.
While it’s expected to be the No. 1 film this weekend, “Happy Death Day” is tracking well behind Blumhouse’s other recent releases, with independent projections estimating an $18-20 million opening this weekend from 3,130 screens. Universal projects a mid-teens opening.
By comparison, “Get Out” grossed $33 million in its opening, while “Split” debuted to $40 million.
That’s not a good sign for a box office that has seen September’s “It”-fueled boom wear off. But for Blumhouse, there’s still a chance that this film could overperform, particularly among moviegoers under 25.
Teens played a critical role in the success of “It,” with 15 percent of opening weekend audiences coming from the under-18 crowd despite the film’s R rating. “Happy Death Day” has a PG-13 rating, making it more accessible to high schoolers. And early reviews have been good so far, with a 71 percent Rotten Tomatoes rating.
“Happy Death Day” stars Jessica Rothe as a college student forced to relive the day of her murder over and over until she discovers who the killer is. Christopher B. Landon directed the film from a script by Scott Lobdell. .
Also opening this weekend is STX’s “The Foreigner,” a revenge thriller starring Jackie Chan as a London businessman who hunts the terrorists who killed his daughter. Martin Campbell’s film, which also stars Pierce Brosnan, is projected for a $10-12 million opening from 2,515 screens.
Finally, there is Open Road’s “Marshall,” a biopic starring Chadwick Boseman as Thurgood Marshall in one of the future Supreme Court Justice’s first legal cases.
Reginald Hudlin’s film — which also stars Josh Gad, Kate Hudson, Dan Stevens, Sterling K. Brown, and James Cromwell — is projected to open at $3-4 million from 821 screens against a $12 million budget.
7 Biggest Fall Box Office Showdowns, Including 'Ninjago' vs 'Kingsman' (Photos)
"Thor: Ragnarok," "Justice League" and "Star Wars" will surely dominate the box office in the remaining months of 2017. But along with those would-be blockbusters are several smaller films competing for moviegoers' attention. Here are the seven head-to-head box office showdowns to look out for this fall.
Sept. 15: “mother!” vs. “American Assassin”: If its trailer and NSFW poster are any indication, Darren Aronofsky’s horror show looks like its going to be as terrifying and unforgiving a movie as one can expect. While critical acclaim could give it a boost, “American Assassin” has more crowd pleasing elements with “Teen Wolf” star Dylan O’Brien in the lead, and a story based on Vince Flynn’s best-selling Mitch Rapp novels.
Sept. 22: "The Lego Ninjago Movie" vs. "Kingsman the Golden Circle": Like its "Lego Movie" predecessors, "Ninjago" should be a big draw for family audiences who haven't had a major film for them since "Despicable Me 3" and "The Emoji Movie." Facing it is the R-rated "Kingsman" sequel, which will aim to turn the cult following its predecessor earned into a strong opening.
Sept. 29:"Flatliners" vs. "American Made": After starring in the critically maligned "Mummy" remake this summer, Tom Cruise will star in "American Made," which tells the true story of an an airline pilot who becomes a drug smuggler and later a DEA informant. Facing it will be Columbia's "Flatliners," a sequel to the 1990 cult hit about experiments that induce near-death experiences.
Oct. 20: "Only the Brave" vs. "Geostorm" vs. "The Snowman" vs. "Boo! 2": A quartet of wild card releases hit theaters in the third weekend of October. The one that has the best shot of a strong opening is "Boo! 2," the latest film in Tyler Perry's popular "Madea" series. The first "Boo!" made $28.5 million in its opening weekend.
Oct. 27: "Jigsaw" vs. "Suburbicon": It was only a matter of time before the "Saw" franchise came back to play another game, but after "It," "mother!" and "Happy Death Day" hit theaters, will audiences come back for a fourth helping from an old franchise on Halloween weekend? Against it is Oscar contender "Suburbicon," which features -- get ready -- George Clooney directing Matt Damon, Julianne Moore and Oscar Isaac from a script co-written by the Coen Brothers.
Nov. 10: "Daddy's Home 2" vs. "Murder on Orient Express" vs. "Thor: Ragnarok": After posting the worst box office performance of his career with "The House," Will Ferrell will try to do better with a sequel to his 2015 collab with Mark Wahlberg. Kenneth Branagh's star-studded adaptation of Agatha Christie's famous murder mystery novel will also release this weekend, but both could fall to "Thor: Ragnarok," which will be in its second weekend.
Dec. 22: Christmas Releases: Let's be real. All of these holiday weekend releases will be fighting for whatever scraps of moviegoers "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" leaves behind. But "Pitch Perfect 3," the final installment in Kay Cannon's hit musical comedy, has a real shot at a solid opening. Other movies in this group include an adaptation of the TV series "The Six Billion Dollar Man" and Oscar contender "Downsizing," which stars Matt Damon as a man who joins a growing group of people who shrink themselves and join miniature communities.
We know ”Thor: Ragnarok“ will dominate when it opens in November, but here are the most competitive weekends to watch
"Thor: Ragnarok," "Justice League" and "Star Wars" will surely dominate the box office in the remaining months of 2017. But along with those would-be blockbusters are several smaller films competing for moviegoers' attention. Here are the seven head-to-head box office showdowns to look out for this fall.
