It looks like Universal’s long-gestating Last Voyage of the Demeter had a modest preview night, earning $750k at the box office, according to Deadline. That means the film is only on track for a single-digit opening, with the trade noting it opened similarly to last summer’s The Invitation, which only eked out a $6.8 million opening weekend. That’s not a great result for Universal’s movie, which has gotten mixed reviews but was well-liked by hardcore horror fans, including our own Jessica Dwyer (read her review). Our own Brad Hamerly pegged the film as opening around $9 million, which seems higher than the preview night figures suggest.
Indeed, the weekend is set to be dominated by Barbie, which should have a north of $30 million weekend, with Oppenheimer also expected to make a strong showing at around $17.5 million. It’ll be interesting to see if either of last week’s new releases, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem or Meg 2: The Trench, can hold on to enough of their audience to beat Nolan’s film in its fourth week. TMNT likely has the best chance.
Traditionally the second half of August is pretty dead for movies, and they don’t call it the dog days of summer for nothing. Last year Universal tried re-releasing a couple of Steven Spielberg movies, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial and Jaws, and they did well enough that the same studio is putting out a 3D version of Jurassic Park to celebrate its 30th anniversary on August 25th. Next week sees the release of D.C.’s Blue Beetle, which could prove to be a sleeper hit, while Neill Blomkamp’s Gran Turismo hits theatres a week later. Given the strike, neither film is getting the press push you would expect.
Will you be seeing Last Voyage of the Demeter this weekend? Let us know in the comments.