"The Visit" finishes second with an estimated $25.7M
By Lindsey Bahr, Film Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) --"The Perfect Guy" and "The Visit" sailed past modest opening weekend expectations — and budgets — locking in debuts in the mid-$20 million 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 micro-budget 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.
"We're not breaking any records, but this is the perfect weekend for these films," said Paul Dergarabedian, the Senior Media Analyst for Rentrak. "Studios are finding a land of opportunity in weekends that were heretofore 'slow weekends' at the box office and proving that audiences are always looking for new content."
Female audiences helped "The Perfect Guy" shoot to the No. 1 spot. An estimated 69 percent were women and 58 percent over the age of 25.
"It bodes well for the longevity of the film. Not only is it a date movie, but it's a film that girlfriends are going to go to together as well," said Rory Bruer, Sony's President of Worldwide Distribution. Audiences also gave the film a promising A- CinemaScore.
"The Visit" also saw a majority female audience (60 percent) 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 specializes in micro-budget horror films including the "Insidious" and "Paranormal Activity" series.
"Jason Blum is really continuing to develop his brand name. People look to those films as having something special about them. It's magical when that combines with M. Night Shyamalan, who has absolutely built his reputation on mining the unexpected. It's a great combination," said Nick Carpou, Universal's President of Domestic Distribution.
In third place, "War Room" continues to prove mightily powerful with $7.4 million in its third weekend in theaters, but the faith-based categorization 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.
This weekend was in some ways the last gasp before the fall movie season starts in earnest with a number of high profile releases.
"Both 'The Perfect Guy' and 'The Visit' took full advantage of a perfect release date before 'Sicario,' 'Everest,' 'Black Mass,' and 'The Scorch Trials' all open," said Dergarabedian. "It's going to be a veritable traffic jam at the box office next weekend."
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Rentrak. Where available, the latest international numbers for Friday through Sunday are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
1."The Perfect Guy," $26.7 million.
2."The Visit," $25.7 million ($3.8 million international).
3."War Room," $7.4 million ($300,000 international).
4."A Walk in the Woods," $4.7 million ($300,000 international).
5."Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation," $4.2 million ($91.3 million international).
6."Straight Outta Compton," $4.1 million ($4.3 million international).
7."No Escape," $2.9 million ($1.5 million international).
8."Transporter Refueled," $2.7 million ($5.2 million international).
9."90 Minutes in Heaven," $2.2 million.
10."Un Gallo con Muchos Huevos," $1.9 million.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at international theaters (excluding the U.S. and Canada), according to Rentrak:
1. "Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation," $91.3 million.
2. "Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials," $26.8 million.
3. "Minions," $26.1 million.
4. "Fack ju Gohte 2," $20 million.
5. "Legend," ''Inside Out," $5.3 million.
6. "Pixels," ''The Transporter Refueled," $5.2 million.
7. "Ant-Man," $5.1 million.
8. "Hitman: Agent 47," $5 million.
9. "Straight Outta Compton," $4.3 million.
10. "The Visit," $3.8 million.
Juliette Welfling Takes On A Musical, A Crime Thriller, Comedy and Drama In “Emelia Pérez”
Editor Juliette Welfling has a track record of close-knit, heartfelt collaboration with writer-director Jacques Audiard, a four-time BAFTA Award nominee for Best Film not in the English Language--starting with The Beat That My Heart Skipped in 2006, then A Prophet in 2010, Rust and Bone in 2013, and Dheepan in 2017. He won for The Beat That My Heart Skipped and A Prophet.
Welfling cut three of those features: A Prophet, Rust and Bone, and Dheepan. And that shared filmography has since grown to most recently include Emelia Pérez, the Oscar buzz-worthy film from Netflix. Welfling herself is not stranger to Academy Award banter. In fact, she earned a Best Achievement in Film Editing Oscar nomination in 2008 for director Julian Schnabel’s The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.
Emelia Pérez is a hybrid musical/drama/thriller which introduces us to a talented but undervalued lawyer named Rita (portrayed by Zoe Saldana) who receives a lucrative offer out of the blue from a feared drug cartel boss who’s looking to retire from his sordid business and disappear forever by becoming the woman he’s always dreamt of being (Karla SofÃa Gascón in a dual role as Manitas Del Monte/Emilia Pérez). Rita helps pull this off, orchestrating the faked death of Del Monte who leaves behind a widow (Jessi, played by Selena Gomez) and kids. While living comfortably and contently in her/their new identity, Pérez misses the children. Pérez once again enlists Rita--this time to return to family life, reuniting with the kids by pretending to be their aunt, the sister of Del Monte. Now as an aunt, Pérez winds up adopting a more altruistic bent professionally,... Read More