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Universal’s R-rated Good Boys nabbed $2.1M in Thursday night previews at 2,600 theaters which began at 7PM.
In regards to other R-rated comedies aimed at the 18-34 set, Good Boys’ Thursday is higher than Universal’s 2018 Blockers ($1.5M) and just under the R-rated Point Grey August 2016 pic Sausage Party ($3.25M). Good Boys take is also higher than Tag‘s $1.3M last summer and 2018’s Game Night ($1M). Directed by Gene Stupnitsky, and co-written with Lee Eisenberg, Good Boys follows a trio of 6th grade friends who ditch school and embark on an epic journey while carrying accidentally stolen drugs, being hunted by teenage girls, and trying to make their way home in time for a long-awaited party. Good Boys is produced by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s Point Grey Pictures, the same guys who were behind Sausage Party. Good Boys cost $20M net before P&A.
It’s been a while since any R-rated comedy has opened at the box office. You could say that the last one was Deadpool 2, because people now get their comedy fixes in a superhero film. However, in regards to pure comedies, it’s Universal who is largely making the genre work on the big screen in this Netflix era with pics such as Blockers ($20.55M, $60.3M), last September’s Night School (PG-13 but a $27.2M opening, $77.3M) and of course 2017’s R-rated Girls Trip ($31.2M, $115.1M).
Meanwhile, Entertainment Studios’ 47 Meters Down: Uncaged starring Sistine Stallone and Nia Long bit off $516K at 2,015 locations, also from showtimes that began at 7PM. The Johannes Roberts-directed sequel we hear cost $12M net. It’s Entertainment Studios fully financed and owned feature, with foreign sales covering some of the cost.
Heading into the weekend, it’s expected that Universal’s Hobbs & Shaw would three-peat No. 1 with a high teens result. R-rated movies typically land most of their bread during the late night hours, so if Good Boys is going to surge at its 3,204 theaters, it’s during that time frame. Good Boys is projected to come in the $11M-$12M range alongside 47 Meters Down: Uncaged, the second weekend of the Guillermo del Toro-produced and co-storied Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, and Lion King‘s 5th weekend.
Annapurna’s Cate Blanchett drama Where’d You Go, Bernadette and New Line’s $15M Sundance acquisition are expected to be the misfires of a back-to-back five wide-release weekend with results in the $4M-$5M range, both aimed at adults. The irony is that Bernadette was thumbdowned by critics at 45% Rotten, while Light has the best reviews of the weekend out of the five wide entries at 90% certified fresh.
Sony is hoping for $16M-$17M from Angry Birds Movie 2 for the Friday-Sunday stretch. Since Tuesday, the animated pic has made $5.7M, with $1.4M yesterday (-17% from Wednesday), ranked 4th for the day behind Hobbs & Shaw ($2M, $119.6M running cume), Lion King ($1.95M, $484.2M cume), and Scary Stories ($1.69M, $30.1M first week). Sony’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood was 5th with $1.3M, and a running total in week 3 of $106.7M, while Paramount’s Dora and the Lost City of Gold in 6th pulled in an estimated $1.22M ending its first week with $25.4M.
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