Despite strong audience reception, Paramount’s “IF” isn’t pulling the early summer box office out of its streak of underperforming weekends, taking No. 1 with just a $35 million opening from 4,041 theaters and launching to $55 million worldwide.
Compared to past family films not based on a pre-existing IP, “IF” is opening above the $29.6 million of last year’s Pixar film “Elemental,” but behind the unadjusted $37.5 million start for the 2011 live-action/CGI Universal release “Hop.” It is also opening behind pre-release projections of a $40 million start.
Without a strong Marvel film supporting the market, overall grosses for the third weekend of May are estimated to take a 20% year-over-year drop to $99 million.