‘Patriots Day,’ ‘Hidden Figures’ to Lead Tight MLK Weekend Box Office

“La La Land” receives Golden Globes boost to challenge “Rogue One” and front-runners

Patriots Day Trailer
CBS

“Patriots Day” and “Hidden Figures” are expected to lead the pack of movies over the upcoming four-day holiday weekend, including Martin Luther King Jr. Day, with “Rogue One” and “La La Land” trailing closely behind.

All four films are expected to gross somewhere in the mid-teen million to low $20 million range, according to box office experts. It should be another incredibly close weekend for the number one spot, after last weekend’s battle between “Hidden Figures” and “Rogue One.” However, analysts say anything can happen this weekend and estimates may change.

After having a limited run in just seven theaters, “Patriots Day” is expanding wide this four-day weekend. So far, the drama has grossed $870,217 since its debut on Dec. 21. With a $45 million budget, “Patriots Day” is certified “fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes and has received an A CinemaScore.

The drama centers on the Boston Marathon bombing and stars Mark Wahlberg, Kevin Bacon, John Goodman, J.K. Simmons, Michelle Monaghan and Alex Wolff. The film is directed by Peter Berg.

Fox’s “Hidden Figures,” starring Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monae, is expected to have another strong weekend after it opened in wide release to $22.8 million last weekend, finally dethroning “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.” In fact, some box office experts say “Hidden Figures” could gross another $21 million to $22 million its second weekend, getting an extra boost from Martin Luther King Jr. Day while expanding to 3,285 locations.

Movies like “Rogue One” typically experience a bounce-back on holiday weekends, with many who haven’t seen the movie in the four weeks since its release flocking to the theaters to catch up. So far, the “Star Wars” prequel has earned $479 million at the domestic box office.

“La La Land’s” recent record-breaking win at the Golden Globes has propelled the film starring Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling into a close race with three other films at the box office this holiday weekend. However, the studio is being a little more conservative with an estimated $12 million to $13 million over the four-day weekend, taking its domestic cumulative past $70 million. The film is expanding into 1,843 North American locations from the current 1,515, including 145 IMAX locations.

Apart from the four-way race, “Monster Trucks,” “The Bye Bye Man” and “Sleepless” are opening, with “Live By Night” and “Silence” expanding following their respective qualifying runs.

Paramount’s “Monster Trucks” is looking at a $15 million four-day weekend, easily a disappointment given it’s production cost of a reported $125 million. In September, the studio’s parent company Viacom reported a $115-million writedown for a movie believed to be “Monster Trucks.” The studio is being a little more conservative with an $8 million to $10 million opening weekend estimate.

“Monster Trucks” stars the voices of Lucas Till, Rob Lowe, Danny Glover and Jane Levy. Directed by Chris Wedge, the movie will also play in 3D and has a score of 26 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.

Ben Affleck’s “Live By Night” is expanding wide in 2,700 plus locations this weekend. Warner Bros. is expecting around $10 million for the four-day weekend.

The film, which also stars Elle Fanning, Sienna Miller and Zoe Saldana, had a budget of $65 million and is opening in 26 territories this weekend, including the United Kingdom, Russia and Mexico. The crime thriller opened in limited release on Christmas Day, and has since earned $168,412. It has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 33 percent.

STX Entertainment will also release the horror thriller “The Bye Bye Man” on 2,200 to 2,300 screens this weekend. The production company expects the film to open in the $10 million range this weekend, although box office experts put the film in the $14 million to $16 million range. Its budget was a reported $7.4 million.

The film, co-financed by Los Angeles Media Fund, was directed by Stacy Title while Jonathan Penner adapted the script from the short story “The Bridge to Body Island” by Robert Damon Schneck.

Paramount’s “Silence” is opening in approximately 750 locations beginning this weekend. So far, the film has earned $913,000 in limited release. With the film’s budget being in the mid-$40 million range, box office experts anticipate the film opening to less than $10 million. It stars Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver and Liam Neeson and has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 86 percent.

Lastly, Open Road Films is releasing their new film “Sleepless,” starring Jamie Foxx, Michelle Monaghan and Gabrielle Union. With the budget around $30 million, the production company is expecting around $7 million to $8 million this weekend from 1,800 screens.

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