Warner Bros./MRC/LuckyChap’s “Wuthering Heights” is leading the box office heading into what theaters hope will be a fruitful Valentine’s Day, earning $11 million from 3,682 locations on Friday.
This is the first time that the box office has had a Saturday Valentine’s Day since 2015, when “Fifty Shades of Grey” had business booming with the help of “Kingsman: The Secret Service.” Overall totals for that weekend reached $247 million, a figure that’s nowhere near being on the table in a diminished post-COVID/strike market.
Still, for this weekend’s new releases, the majority of which have production budgets in the $80 million to $90 million range, theatrical success is still possible. But strong walk-up ticket sales, especially from Valentine’s Day couples and families, is essential.
For “Wuthering Heights,” a 4-day weekend of $38-40 million is now being projected for opening day, the higher end matching Warner Bros.’ pre-release projections. Independent trackers projected a higher start closer to $50 million, but it will take exceptional walk-ups to reach that mark.
Audience reception has been good, albeit not excellent, for “Wuthering Heights” earning opening night scores of 85% on Rotten Tomatoes, 3.5/5 and 59% “definite recommend” scores on PostTrak and a B on CinemaScore.
For director Emerald Fennell, the CinemaScore grade is better than the B- for her previous film, “Saltburn,” but below the B+ for her Oscar-winning debut “Promising Young Woman.” Saturday’s numbers will provide a better idea of how the movie’s social media buzz is equating to audience turnout, both with couples and with women in general.
In second is Sony Pictures Animation’s “Goat,” which earned $7.1 million from 3,863 locations and is now projected for a $25 million 4-day opening. Again, walk-ups will be key as this original film is counting on family matinee turnout not just this weekend but over the next two weeks.
Audience reception for “Goat” has been very strong with an A on CinemaScore and a 5/5 from families on PostTrak. Strong early reception hasn’t always led to box office success for recent family films — Pixar’s “Elio” is a recent example — but “Goat” will have the advantage of having no competition aside from a three-month old “Zootopia 2” until Pixar’s “Hoppers” comes out in early March, giving it room to try for the long legs that original animation needs to truly succeed in a market where families have been favoring known IP.
Taking third is Amazon MGM’s “Crime 101” with $3.9 million from 3,161 theaters, with projections for a $13-14 million 4-day opening. Starring Chris Hemsworth and Halle Berry, the crime thriller is an action-packed alternative for primarily male audiences, especially those over the age of 45 who will appreciate the film’s homage to Michael Mann’s “Heat.”
But like “Wuthering Heights,” reception for “Crime 101” is good but not great with a B on CinemaScore, 84% on Rotten Tomatoes and 59% “definite recommend” on PostTrak. Gen X and Boomer males are giving the film its highest scores, but the film isn’t performing as well with the under 25 crowd.
With a $90 million budget, “Crime 101” will have to keep legging out with that older male cohort to avoid plummeting out of theaters like Amazon’s previous crime thriller “Mercy,” which has a domestic total of just $24 million after an anemic fourth weekend of $536,000.
20th Century’s “Send Help” and Angel’s “Solo Mio” complete the top 5, with both holding very well. “Send Help” is looking at a third weekend of $9.5 million over four days, bringing the Sam Raimi thriller’s domestic total to $48.4 million. “Solo Mio,” which is serving as a Valentine’s Day alternative for couples uninterested in the pulp of “Wuthering Heights,” is projected for a $7.8 million second weekend and a two-weekend total of $18.3 million.
Finally, indie distributor Briarcliff is set to have its biggest opening since its founding in 2018 with Gore Verbinski’s “Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die,” which is estimated for a $4 million 4-day opening from 1,610 locations. The sci-fi satire is getting similar marks to “Heights” and “Crime 101” with a B on CinemaScore and Rotten Tomatoes scores of 84% critics and 87% audience.
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