With no new wide releases until at least August, catalog titles have been gaining traction at the box office due to drive-in theaters and hardtop theaters that have decided to re-open in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. We had a weekend where JURASSIC PARK topped the box office 23 years after its release and now, in another bizarre turn of events, Disney's ZOOTOPIA was the box office champion last weekend, beating the superheroes of THE AVENGERS.
ZOOTOPIA, originally released nearly four years ago, took in $280,000 last weekend from 393 theaters. Its closest competition was 2012's THE AVENGERS, which grossed $260,000 from 417 locations. In recent weeks, the number of operating theaters has increased but most of the business continues to come from drive-ins which continue their resurgence that began with chains like AMC, Regal, and Cinemark all went dark back in mid-March. If not for drive-ins, the box office would be truly dead and while these numbers are far from the glory days, it does show a desire for moviegoers to get out see films, even if they are a blast from the past.
The only new release to crack the top ten of the box office last weekend was the politically charged comedy IRRESISTIBLE, starring Steve Carell and Rose Byrne. The film grossed $100,000 from 238 theaters and this is also with the film being made available on PVOD on the same weekend of its limited theatrical run. For Focus Features, the real money to be made on the film is from PVOD but the extra box office change doesn't hurt either. PVOD has been kind to films like TROLLS WORLD TOUR, THE INVISIBLE MAN, and THE HUNT which continue to do well on the format while also earning money from the theaters they're playing at. All three films, which happen to be Universal releases, also cracked the box office top ten last week.
During its original run in 2016, ZOOTOPIA proved to be a massive hit for Disney. Directed by Byron Howard and Rich Moore, the film earned $1.02 billion worldwide. $280,000 won't have it breaking anymore box office records but it is interesting that it became the top choice for moviegoers over the weekend. Other catalog titles to crack the top ten last weekend was JURASSIC PARK ($190,000), THE GREATEST SHOWMAN ($170,000) and JAWS ($124,000).
Have YOU checked out any classic films at your local drive-in as YOU await new releases?