{"id":84874,"date":"2022-10-02T17:47:09","date_gmt":"2022-10-02T17:47:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/box-office-smile-bests-bros-with-impressive-22-million-opening\/"},"modified":"2022-10-02T17:47:09","modified_gmt":"2022-10-02T17:47:09","slug":"box-office-smile-bests-bros-with-impressive-22-million-opening","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/box-office-smile-bests-bros-with-impressive-22-million-opening\/","title":{"rendered":"Box Office: ‘Smile’ Bests ‘Bros’ With Impressive $22 Million Opening"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\tParamount’s \u201cSmile\u201d debuted to a sizzling $22 million this weekend, easily topping the domestic box office. The horror movie beat out the weekend’s other new wide release, Universal’s LGBTQ romantic comedy \u201cBros,\u201d which landed in fourth place with a paltry $4.8 million bow.<\/p>\n

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\t\u201cSmile\u201d ranks as one of the better original horror openings of the year, beating out 20th Century Studios’ \u201cBarbarian\u201d ($10 million) and Sony’s \u201cThe Invitation\u201d ($7 million). As the box office enters October, the horror genre will continue to take center stage with Universal’s \u201cHalloween Ends\u201d releasing in two weeks and hoping to cash in on the seasonal thirst for thrills and chills.<\/p>\n

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\tThe box office result for \u201cSmile\u201d is a frighteningly good haul, seeing as it cost a measly $17 million to produce and had originally been seen as a streaming release. <\/p>\n

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\t\u201cIt’s honestly sensational,\u201d said Chris Aronson, Paramount’s distribution chief. \u201cI don’t like to use hyperbole, but this exceeded our wildest expectations.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\tBut \u201cSmile\u201d has been exceeding expectations throughout its production. Paramount opted to give the movie a full theatrical rollout after it scored with audiences during test screenings. The company used some clever marketing tactics this week by strategically placing paid actors, with huge, creepy smiles plastered on their faces, behind home plate during televised Major League Baseball games. Social media users quickly noticed the unsettling fans, who wore \u201cSmile\u201d t-shirts, when the cameras zoomed in on batters stepping up to the plate.<\/p>\n

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\tLast weekend’s champ, \u201cDon’t Worry Darling,\u201d fell sharply in its second weekend, dropping 62%. The Warner Bros. thriller earned $7.3 million for a second place finish, bringing its domestic total to $32.8 million. Sony’s \u201cThe Woman King\u201d finished third with $7 million, pushing its stateside haul to $46.7 million. Disney’s re-release of \u201cAvatar\u201d rounded out the top five, earning $4.7 million. By putting the James Cameron fantasy back in theaters, the studio is hoping to whet appetites for the December debut of the long-awaited return to Pandora, \u201cAvatar: The Way of Water.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\t\u201cSmile\u201d is the latest hit in what has been a sizzling run for Paramount. Six of the studio’s last seven films have now opened in first place, including such box office winners as \u201cTop Gun: Maverick,\u201d \u201cThe Lost City\u201d and \u201cSonic the Hedgehog 2.\u201d <\/p>\n

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\t\u201cWe’ve been very careful in our release dates and we’ve been very strong in our campaigns,\u201d said Aronson. <\/p>\n

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\tThe horror movie stars Sosie Bacon, (daughter of Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick) as a therapist who becomes haunted by horrifying, smiling hallucinations after witnessing one of her patients die by suicide. The cast also includes Kyle Gallner, Kal Penn, Jessie T. Usher, Caitlin Stasey, Rob Morgan and Robin Weigert. \u201cSmile\u201d attracted an audience that was 52% male, with the bulk of ticket buyers, some 68%, ranging in age from 18 to 34. <\/p>\n

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\t\u201cBros\u201d didn’t represent a major financial risk for Universal, carrying a modest production budget of $22 million. The film earned rave reviews, but clearly struggled to connect with audiences. Its opening is about half of the $8 million to $10 million that Universal projected \u201cBros\u201d would make. <\/p>\n

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\tWhile it may have fallen short commercially, the Billy Eichner film is already in the record books: It’s the first gay rom-com to be given a theatrical release by a major studio, the first with an all-openly LGBTQ cast and Eichner is the first open gay man to ever write and star in a Hollywood movie. Universal expressed optimism that the critical notices and the positive audience reaction (\u201cBros\u201d earned an \u201cA\u201d CinemaScore) will fuel word-of-mouth and help the movie stick around in theaters. <\/p>\n

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\t\u201cWe are incredibly proud of ‘Bros,’\u201d said Jim Orr, president of domestic distribution at Universal. \u201cEveryone who saw it, absolutely loved it. And given that response, I think the movie will continue to find an audience and have some legs.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\tIn \u201cBros,\u201d Eichner plays Bobby, a brainy executive down on his luck, who falls for Luke Macfarlane’s Aaron, a muscular lawyer who may change everything for him. The movie is directed by Nicholas Stoller with a cast including Guy Branum, Ts Madison, Dot-Marie Jones, Bowen Yang and Jim Rash. <\/p>\n

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\tRomantic comedies were once a reliable theatrical genre, but with the notable exception of \u201cThe Lost City,\u201d which boasted the combined star power of Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum, it’s rare for one to score at the box office. Universal will try again this month with the release of the George Clooney and Julia Roberts \u201cmeet cute,\u201d \u201cTicket to Paradise.\u201d We’ll see if that movie fares better when it opens on Oct. 21. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n