“The Northman,” Focus Features’ Viking revenge epic from acclaimed director Robert Eggers, made $1.35 million in its Thursday preview screenings at the box office across 2,700 theaters with previews that began at 7 p.m. “The Northman” opens on 3,214 screens this weekend.
Universal’s animated family film “The Bad Guys,” which is expected to lead the box office, made $1.15 million Thursday from preview screenings beginning at 5:00 p.m. at 3,000 theaters. It opens on approximately 4,000 screens this weekend.
And finally, “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent,” Lionsgate’s meta comedy starring Nicolas Cage as Nicolas Cage, brought in $835K in its preview screenings Thursday. It will open Friday in 3,036 North American locations.
All three films have been very well reviewed, yet early projections are low for all three, with “The Bad Guys” tracking for a start in the mid-teens, “The Northman” at $10-12 million and “Massive Talent” at a disappointing $6-7 million.
“The Northman” is directed by “The Witch” and “The Lighthouse” director Robert Eggers and stars Alexander Skarsgård, Nicole Kidman, Claes Bang, Anya Taylor-Joy, Ethan Hawke, Björk, and Willem Dafoe. The film follows a young Viking prince on his quest to avenge his father’s murder.
“The Bad Guys” is a DreamWorks Animation film based on the book series by Aaron Blabey. The film follows a crackerjack criminal crew of animal outlaws who are about to attempt their most challenging con yet — becoming model citizens. The film features the voice talents of Sam Rockwell, Marc Maron, Craig Robinson, Anthony Ramos, Awkwafina, Zazie Beetz, Lilly Singh and Alex Borstein, and it is directed by Pierre Perifel, an animator on the “Kung Fu Panda” films making his directorial debut.
“The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent” is a comedy that stars Nicolas Cage as a version of himself, playing a world famous actor strapped for cash who takes a job with a wealthy superfan (Pedro Pascal) and finds himself caught up in the cross hairs of a CIA agent (Tiffany Haddish). The film is directed and co-written by Tom Gornican based on a script that once landed on the Black List.
