‘Mercy’ Eyes $12M+, However Massive Winter Storm Slows Enterprise

SATURDAY AFTERNOON UPDATE: With energy outages galore and 80k-plus prospects sans electrical energy in Arkansas, New Mexico, Texas and Louisiana, we’re now getting stories about myriad circuits closing for Saturday and/or Sunday enterprise. AMC will shut down 59 areas in Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, North Carolina, Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas Metropolis, KS and MO. Cinemark counts 24 theaters shuttering as a result of climate in Louisville, KY; Plano, TX, Huntsville, AL; Little Rock, ARK and extra. Regal will see 22 websites shut with 53 non-top three circuits dimming the lights. As we instructed you beforehand, up to now in 2026, it’s sure to be the bottom grossing weekend of the yr with $58.4M, -9% from the identical interval a yr in the past. Whereas mega winter storms are par for the course at the moment of yr and poised to dent ticket gross sales, usually we are able to see an excellent decrease weekend on the field workplace at different intervals, i.e. final yr the bottom weekend on the B.O. was March 14-16 with $52.1M (when Novocaine was No. 1) whereas Feb. 7-9 was the second lowest grossing weekend of the yr with $54.2M (Canine Man‘s second weekend at No. 1).

SATURDAY AM: Distributors are nonetheless awaiting extra knowledge on what circuits will likely be closing at the moment and the way that can sideline weekend numbers as we at present see them in a 2,000 stretch from Texas to New England that’s lined in ice and snow. All the weekend for all films appears to gross $58.4M, the bottom YTD, and down -9% from the identical body a yr in the past.

Amazon MGM Studios‘ Mercy continues to be heading in the right direction for $12.6M after a close to $5M previews/Friday. The beginning right here is inside the vary of authentic sci-fi (i.e. The Creator at $14M), and meat and potato motion man films, i.e. final January’s Flight Danger at $11.5M, and better than Gerard Butler’s dystopian future sequel Greenland 2: Migration which debuted to $8.5M.

Viewers scores aren’t nice with a B- CinemaScore, 2 1/2 stars on Display Engine/Comscore’s PostTrak and a low particular suggest of 45%. Solely 31% mentioned they have been going to see it due to star Chris Pratt whereas 44% cited that the film appeared enjoyable. Observe when it comes to Pratt’s theatrical releases, that is his first authentic film as a number one man to be launched on the B.O. The Skydance film he starred in throughout Covid, The Tomorrow Conflict, was unloaded by Paramount to Amazon for a Prime debut which on the time in July 2021 racked up report film viewership. Of these attending, 53% have been Prime members, versus 68% who have been Netflix subs and 50% who have been Disney+ subs. Mercy will likely be making an final vacation spot for Prime down the street, however could have a PVOD window previous to its streaming debut.

Per iSpot, Amazon MGM Studios spent $14.4M in linear advertisements for Mercy, greater than Sony’s $9.4M for 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, with advertisements airing throughout NFL, School Soccer, SportsCenter, the In the present day present and Gold Rush. Whole home impressions have been 455M for Mercy versus 385M for Bone Temple throughout its marketing campaign.

PLF screens and Imax are repping round half of the weekend with 22% coming from 3D. Pic is enjoying evenly throughout the nation, although greatest in South and South Central. The AMC Burbank in California is the pic’s prime grossing venue with round $19K via Friday.

Range demos are 48% Caucasian, 21% Hispanic and Latino, 17% Black and eight% Asian American. Males over 25 a forty five% are main, adopted by girls over 25 at 31% with males beneath 25 at 15% and girls beneath 25 at 9% trailing. The 18-34 set are repping near half of the viewers.

Cineverse’s Return to Silent Hill is wanting like $1.6M yesterday for a $3.2M weekend. No CinemaScore or PostTrak however Rotten Tomatoes audiences are having fun with Mercy extra at 80% than this horror threequel at 30%. Pic is enjoying greatest within the South and the West with the AMC Empire the very best grossing theater at near $12K.

Right here’s how the remainder of the weekend is settling:

2. Avatar: Fireplace and Ash (twentieth) 3,150 (-150) theaters, Fri $1.7M (-46% from final Friday) 3-day $7M (-51%) Whole $378.4M/Wk 6

FRIDAY PM: With states of emergencies issued in 15 states, we’re getting phrase of circuit closures, learn all of the AMCs in Oklahoma, and several other B&B Theaters within the Midwest. This places Amazon MGM Studios’ Mercy at $12.6M for the weekend after a $5M Friday/previews at 3,468 theaters.

States of emergencies have been declared in Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, New York, Kentucky, Maryland, New Jersey and Kansas per CNN. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott introduced a catastrophe declaration protecting 134 counties. Washington D.C. can also be beneath a state of emergency. In the meantime at Sundance in Park Metropolis, UT, there have been some gentle flurries at the moment.

twentieth Century Studios’ Avatar: Fireplace and Ash notches $8M in weekend 6 at 3,150 theaters, -44%, at near $380M, nevertheless, Disney’s Zootopia 2 with $6M at 2,930 areas crosses the four-century home threshold.

Sony’s 28 Years Later: Bone Temple is seeing a -70% tumble per sources with $3.8M at 3,506 websites with the storms partially responsible. Ten-day will likely be round $20.9M.

Lionsgate’s Housemaid in weekend 6 is seeing an estimated $4.7M, -44%, at 3,007 theaters with a working cume of $115.9M. We’ve gotten phrase that the manufacturing value for this film is means larger than the online $35M given to us (extra like web $60M), however nonetheless — it’s a hit for Lionsgate, so Amen.

Outdoors of the highest 5 there’s Cineverse’s Return to Silent Hill booked at 1,850 areas posted a Friday/previews of $1.6M on its option to a 3-day of $3.2M.

Focus Options’ Hamnet in its vast break at 1,996 is on its option to round $600K at the moment and $1.8M for the weekend rising to $17.4M stateside.

Extra because it comes.

FRIDAY AM: There’s one main studio vast entry this weekend, Amazon MGM Studios’ $60M dystopian-future thriller Mercy starring Chris Pratt, and whereas it did $1.5M in previews on Thursday, your complete three-day outlook might be impacted by the looming winter storm that’s hitting from Texas to New England. At the moment, the Timur Bekmambetov-directed film that additionally stars Rebecca Ferguson is $12M-$15M home for a No. 1 win in opposition to the sixth weekend of twentieth Century Studios’ Avatar: Fireplace and Ash, which is eying a 50% decline to round $7M. Replace: we hear that Disney and Amazon are splitting Imax and PLFs between Avatar 3 and Mercy.

These preview figures for Mercy are larger than Greenland 2: Migration, which did $900K this month, and Jason Statham’s A Working Man, which did $1.1M final yr.

Marco van Belle’s screenplay follows a detective (Pratt) who stands trial accused of murdering his spouse. He has 90 minutes to show his innocence to the superior AI choose (Ferguson) he as soon as championed, earlier than it determines his destiny.

RELATED: ‘Mercy’ Trailer: Chris Pratt Sees A Scary Close to Future The place AI Is Choose, Jury & Executioner

Mercy has an 83% offshore footprint this weekend, which started Wednesday in Belgium and Indonesia, with Australia, Brazil, Mexico, Germany and the Center East opening Thursday. Friday brings the UK, Spain, Japan and China, with 80 territories total. Comps for the Pratt film are on par with different meat-and-potatoes motion films, i.e. A Working Man and Gerard Butler’s Den of Thieves: Pantera. A Working Man opened to $15.5M home and finaled at $37M stateside and $89.2M international off 47% Rotten Tomatoes critics and 87% audiences. Phrase from sources is that the No. 2-global-ranking pic is between Zootopia 2 and Mercy. These motion films are inclined to excel in Germany, Saudi Arabia, UAE, UK, Spain and Mexico.

RELATED: Oscar–Nominated ‘Arco’, ‘Mr. No one Towards Putin’ Debut, Contenders Crowd Theaters, Awards Warmth Meets U.S. Deep Freeze – Specialty Preview

Additionally opening vast is Cineverse’s Return to Silent Hill, which is low- to mid-single digits at 1,830 theaters. Critics on Rotten Tomatoes aren’t followers of both Mercy at 23% or Return to Silent Hill at 15%. The Christopher Gans-directed film follows a person (Jeremy Irvine) who receives a mysterious letter from his misplaced love. He’s drawn to Silent Hill, a as soon as acquainted city now consumed by darkness. The pic is loosely primarily based on the 2001 Konami online game Silent Hill 2 and is the third installment within the Silent Hill movie collection. Sony opened the unique Silent Hill to $20.1M in 2006. Open Street had the 2012 sequel, Silent Hill: Revelation, which debuted to $8M.

Focus Options Hamnet, within the wake of eight Oscar nominations together with Finest Image, is leaping from 718 theaters to 1,983. The Chloé  Zhao-directed interval pic is as much as $15.6M home and effectively north of $13M overseas. Sources expect this Jesse Buckley-Paul Mescal film to take off on the international field workplace.

RELATED: Oscars Evaluation: ‘Sinners’ Raises The Stakes However Is It Up To The ‘Battle’ In A 12 months Of Few Surprises?

This weekend’s doubtlessly historic storm within the U.S. is ramping up at the moment in areas together with Dallas and Oklahoma Metropolis. It’s anticipated to increase eastward by Saturday morning, with ice and freezing rain hitting Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas and Louisiana. By later Saturday and into Sunday, the storm is forecast to have an effect on the Mid-Atlantic states and hit the Northeast exhausting on Sunday afternoon and night. Some 8-18 inches of snow is predicted in such main metropolitan areas as New York Metropolis, Boston, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Columbus, Ohio, and Washington, D.C. In the meantime, in Park Metropolis, Utah, the place the Sundance Movie Pageant is within the city’s ultimate swing, the mountains are fully dry.