Box office revenue in October begins to get caught up between rock and the fan base. Taylor Swift’s “Showgirl Official Release Party” wins the weekend after earning $15.8 million from 3,702 locations on Friday. Meanwhile, Dwayne Johnson’s drama The Smashing Machine is tired and pacing on its low prediction side for its third-place debut.
It’s been nearly two years since Swift dominated the box office with his concert documentary, “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour.” “Showgirl Official Release Party” is not the same blockbuster force, but it’s a more unique event. The release, handled by AMC Therters Distribution, was announced two weeks ago and had few promotions other than Swiftie Sphere. From Sunday, I plan to leave the screen after a limited three-day run. Swift was the numerology pusher of the carrier, pinning ticket prices at $12. This is higher than the national average, but lower than in the major markets. It’s not expanded into a premium, large format auditorium like Dolby, but the stubs come with an upcharge.
Beyond these distinctive factors, the “official release party” also broadens the definition of the film. With the timing to promote Swift’s newly released 12th studio album, the release packaged music videos, behind-the-scenes footage and blasphemous lyric videos for the new song at an 89-minute runtime. On social media, Swift said Dancing is “optional, but highly encouraged.” Her fans have put their strength in the theatrical experience, pacing opening weekend releases between $25 million and $30 million. Not surprising: Audience research firm Cinema Score voted for the finest “A+” grade among early viewers.
The A24’s “The Smashing Machine,” caught up in Swiftie Stampede, won previews from around $2.6 million on Friday, with 3,345 locations. The UFC biopic, headlined by Johnson and turning the new leaf in a dramatic role in R-Rate, was positioned as the major new release this weekend until “Showgirl Official Release Party” planted the flag in September and gained a significant share of the premium giant auditorium.
“Smashing Machine” wants to scratch pre-weekend tracking. It appears that Johnson will likely end up as the lead as the lowest opening ever. It’s the low mark that the 2010 thriller “Faster” ($8.5 million) currently holds. This is a limp kickoff from the drama. With a production budget of $50 million, “Smashing Machine” is tied to the A24’s most expensive film, matching the cost of last year’s dystopian road film, “Civil War.”
The muted opening of “Smashing Machine” follows a heartfelt promotional push from Johnson and co-star Emily Blunt, and also makes a flashy debut at the Venice Film Festival. There, he won the Best Director Award at the Venice Film Festival, one of the two brothers who led the 2019 hit “Uncut Gems.” The reviews are positive, but the touch has fallen since the strong festival unfolded. However, audiences do not seem to be too enthusiastic about the film, and Cinemascore votes for the lukewarm “B-” grade.
Meanwhile, Warner Bros. “One Battle Afterluse” won $3.3 million on Friday, down 43% from its opening day figure. This is the beginning of a good hold for the very contemporary comedic epics of Paul Thomas Anderson and Leonardo DiCaprio. “One Battle” maintained a large portion of the IMAX venue even after losing to the new release. But the $130 million North production budget requires more weekly maintenance to make money at the theatre. The domestic total appears to have reached $42 million through Sunday.
Universal release of “Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie” fell to fourth place. It adds $1.2 million on Friday, forecasting a two-week distance of $4.7 million, earning a sharp 66% of 66%. Family traits usually show stronger legs, but the production of DreamWorks animations doesn’t spin much of a theatrical drawing from the popularity of streaming in the Netflix series it is based on. “Gabby’s Dollhouse” is projected to reach a domestic total of $21 million by Sunday.
“The Conjuring: Last Rites” is still in the top five, and even appears in a month’s release. The Warner Bros. and Newline horror sequel added $1.2 million on Friday, down 41% from the daily total a week ago. Currently, the domestic total is $164.9 million.
Also this weekend, Disney’s Avatar: Water re-release paddled previews at $1.1 million and 2,140 locations on Friday. The reissue got several premium large auditoriums, sharing “Smashing Machine,” “One Battle After a Time,” with Taylor Swift. In 2022, the first “Avatar” landed a $10 million opening after a similar fall re-release prior to “The Way of Water.” “Water Path” may not even be a quarter. Of this, however, audiences may be less likely to revisit films from three years old than the 13-year-old film.
Further down, IFC Films has the horror indie “Good Boy” at 1,650 venues, coming from horror label Shudder after good reviews from the spring SXSW Festival premiere. The supernatural feature, fully photographed from a dog’s perspective, earned around $980,000 on the first day, about to debut near the bottom of the top 10. The film score has now been “B” grade.
Outside of the top 10, Focus’s feature “Anemone” will debut with 865 locations booked. This is the first drama in eight years in a misty drama starring Daniel Day Lewis. Directed by star’s son Ronan Day Lewis and co-star Sean Bean, the drama appears to earn $310,000 on Friday and opening day and $900,000 on its debut. There have been no reviews since the New York Film Festival premiere last week.
