Universal and Amblin Entertainment’s “The House with a Clock in Its Walls” grossed $840,000 in previews on Thursday.
To compare, “Goosebumps” grossed $600,000 in previews in 2015, while “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children” earned $1.2 million in 2016 before grossing $28 million its opening weekend. “Goosebumps” made $23 million.
Universal is projecting an opening in the mid-teens for “Clock,” while independent trackers see the film’s opening weekend slightly higher at $20 million.
Based on John Bellairs 1973 YA novel of the same name, “The House With a Clock in Its Walls” stars Jack Black as Jonathan Barnavelt, the owner of the titular house filled with monsters and a clock trying to pull the Earth towards oblivion. When his nephew Lewis (Owen Vacarro) moves in, the discovery of magic makes adjusting to life in a new town even weirder. And when Lewis accidentally resurrects the evil warlock who built the house, it’s up to the two, along with their powerful neighbor Florence (Cate Blanchett) to set things right.
Dan Fogelman’s feature film “Life Itself” is expected to open between $4-$6 million this weekend. It stars Oscar Isaac, Olivia Wilde and Mandy Patinkin, and currently holds a Rotten Tomatoes score of 13 percent.
Michael Moore’s polemical documentary against Donald Trump, “Fahrenheit 11/9,” is also hitting theaters this weekend. Briarcliff Entertainment is releasing the doc, which is projected for a $5-8 million start. “Fahrenheit 11/9” has an 89 percent RT score.
Neon is releasing the satirical teen thriller “Assassination Nation,” which stars Odessa Young as a high school senior who must band together with her friends to survive after a data hack reveals all the secrets in her small town and sends everyone on a deadly search for the culprit. Written and directed by Sam Levinson, the film is projected for a $4 million opening. It holds an RT score of 65 percent.