‘Infinity War’ Is Now Second-Fastest To Half Billion; ‘Life Of The Party’ No Pizzazz With $18M+

UPDATED, Monday, 2 PM: Deadpool 2 will be releasing into theaters this weekend as Disney/Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War starts to lose Imax screens to the next superhero in this summer’s theatrical bunch. In the meantime, the MCU film enjoyed $62M in its third time at bat. The other two newcomers, New Line/Warner Bros.’ Life of the Party, starring Melissa McCarthy, came up a bit short from Sunday’s estimate to land with $17.8M while Breaking In was a nice little breakout for Will Packer/Universal coming in better than estimated with a total of $17.6M. Here’s the final Monday chart:

1). Avengers: Infinity War (DIS), 4,474 theaters / 3-day: $62M / Per screen average: $13,875 / Total: $548M / Wk 3

2). Life of the Party (NL/WB), 3,656 theaters / Per screen: $4,892 / 3-day: $17.8M / Wk 1

3). Breaking In (Uni), 2,537 theaters / Per screen: $6,949 / 3-day: $17.6M / Wk 1

4). Overboard (MGM/LG), 2,006 theaters (+383)  / 3-day: $9.8M (-33%) / Per screen: $4,917 / Total: $29.3M / Wk 2

5). A Quiet Place (PAR), 3,144 theaters (-269)  / 3-day: $6.4M / Per screen: $2,053 / Total: $169.6M / Wk 6

6). I Feel Pretty (STX), 2,858 theaters (-374)  / 3-day: $3.8M / Per screen: $1,332 / Total: $43.9M / Wk 4

7). Rampage (NL/WB), 2,548 theaters (-603) / 3-day: $3.4M / Per screen: $1,359 / Total: $89.8M / Wk 5

8). Tully (FOC), 1,356 theaters (+3) / 3-day: $2.2M (-31%) / Per screen: $1,659 / Total: $6.9M / Wk 2

9). Black Panther (DIS), 1,370 theaters (-271) / 3-day: $2M / Per screen: $1,516 / Total: $696.3M / Wk 13

10). RBG (MAG), 179 theaters (+145) / 3-day: $1.18M (+105%) / Per screen: $6,638 / Total: $2M / Wk 6

UPDATED, Write-thru Sunday, 7:45 AM: The big news this weekend continues to be Infinity War. Next weekend, summer will be in full swing with 20th Century Fox/Marvel’s Deadpool 2 expected to reignite the box office with a $130 million-$150 million debut. But until then, Disney/Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War is enjoying its third weekend at No. 1 with a three-day total of an estimated $61.8M — not to mention it’s the second-fastest title to $500M at the domestic B.O. in 15 days. That’s a day earlier than Star Wars: The Last Jedi and five days later than Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

There were also two newcomers bowing this weekend which took the next two slots in the Box Office Top 10. Both are expected to have strong Mother’s Day Sundays. In the No. 1 spot was New Line/Warner Bros.’ Melissa McCarthy starring comedy Life of the Party which will end this weekend with an estimated $18.2M, the lowest solo major studio release starring the actress. Universal and Will Packer’s thriller Breaking In, which only cost estimated $6M before P&A, will enjoy a three-day of $16.5M.

However, all eyes are on Infinity War which dominated the weekend yet again and is taking China by storm in its debut there with a $200M gross (read more in Nancy Tartaglione’s full international Box Office report). The film which gathers together the Marvel Comics Universe superheroes into one action-packed adventure sped well over $1B globally (which it crossed that mark last Thursday) and now totals an estimated $1.606.8M. It now ranks as the highest grossing MCU/super-hero release of all-time and four of the all-time global Top 10 titles are MCU releases.

With an estimated $547.8M gross stateside for its three-day, Infinity War is about 26% behind Force Awakens ($742.2M at that time) and 5.9% ahead of Last Jedi ($517.2M), the film now stands as the No. 8 domestic release of all-time and has grossed more than any other super-hero genre film outside of the MCU.

Due to these comps, many analysts see Infinity War‘s end game, especially with all the blockbusters coming up, somewhere around $650M; we reported earlier this week how Infinity War is headed to near $600M in profit.

Meanwhile, after Sunday, Disney/Marvel’s Black Panther is $3.7M away from $700M, and it’s quite conceivable that Disney and theater owners will push the Ryan Coogler-directed movie to that round number.

Of its total three-day gross, $5.1M of Infinity War‘s total came 409 Imax screens to total $48.1M to date, making the film the biggest from the MCU domestically. In fact, it just passed Black Panther‘s $45.8M Imax record.

Here’s the Sunday AM chart with more analysis after that on the two newcomers:

1) Avengers: Infinity War (DIS), 4,474 theaters / $15.99M Fri. (-50%) / $26.95M Sat. (+69%) / $18.86 Sun. (-20%) / 3-day: $61.8M (-43%) / Total: $547.8M / Wk 3

2) Life of the Party (NL/WB), 3,656 theaters / $4.95M Fri. (includes $700K previews) / $6M Sat. +23%) / $7.26M Sun. (+20%) / 3-day: $18.2M / Wk 1

3) Breaking In (Uni), 2,537 theaters / $4.5M Fri. (includes $615K previews) / $5.7M Sat. (+24%) / $6.2M Sun. (+9%) / 3-day: $16.5M /Wk 1

4) Overboard (MGM/LG), 2,006 theaters (+383)  / $2.1M Fri. (-58%) / $3.5M Sat. (+62%) / $4.35M Sun. (+25%) / 3-day: $10.1M (-31%) / Total: $29.5M / Wk 2

5) A Quiet Place (PAR), 3,144 theaters (-269)  / $1.8M Fri. (-22%) / $2.7M Sat. (+53%) / $1.7M Sun. (-35%) / 3-day: $6.35M (-18%) / Total: $169.4M / Wk 6

6) I Feel Pretty (STX), 2,858 theaters (-374)  / $960K Fri. (-44%) / $1.4M Sat. (+47%) / $1.3M Sun. (-10%) / 3-day: $3.6M / Total: $43.8M / Wk 4

7) Rampage (NL/WB), 2,548 theaters (-603) / $800K Fri. (-35%) / $1.4M Sat. (+80%) / $1.09M Sun. (-20%) / 3-day: $3.45M (-27%) / Total: $89.7M / Wk 5

8) Tully (FOC), 1,356 theaters (+3) / $569K Fri. (-51%) / $878K (+55%) / $790K Sun. (-10%) / 3-day: $2.2M (-32%) / Total: $6.9M / Wk 2

9) Black Panther (DIS), 1,370 theaters (-271) / $540K Fri. (-41%) / $878K Sat. (+62%) / $515K Sun. (-25%) / 3-day: $1.9M (-34%) / Total: $696.18M / Wk 13

10) Blockers (UNI), 1,111 theaters (-561) / $320K Fri. (-42%) / $475K Sat. (+46%) / $330K Sun. (-33%) / 3-day: $1.1M (-36%) / Total: $58.1M / Wk 6

With Mother’s Day, we expect moviegoing to be strong for the two newcomers today. However, Life ofU the Party is not exactly that. An opening at this level doesn’t do any favors for comedies at the box office, a genre that has largely been struggling for quite some time. Our sources warned us two years ago that McCarthy’s creative collaborations with husband Ben Falcone weren’t the ideal critically or commercially, and here we are seeing depreciating results from Tammy‘s $33.3M five-day opening to The Boss’ $23.6M, to this.

The argument still stands: McCarthy, in order to keep her star shining, needs to go back to working with great directors like Paul Feig or Seth Gordon, or continue with more high-concept action-comedies (like The Heat or Spy) which play more broadly. Should McCarthy and Falcone wish to strut their own brand of laughs, then perhaps it should be at even lower production costs, especially if this is the box office yield.

We’ve been told that comedies could never be made in the same fashion as the Blumhouse titles due to the marquee nature of the genre with stars. But if the star system has collapsed, and if comedic actors want their fare to live on the big screen, then perhaps making these titles on a true shoestring budget with more back-end is the way to go. Another challenge frequently heard about comedies: By the time a film is greenlit and opens, much has changed in regards to moviegoers’ sense of humor. The solution? Make comedies faster, or else they’re destined to get lost on a Netflix menu.

Unlike The Boss, which was originally PG-13 and changed up to be an R, keeping the laughs for a general audience here with Life of the Party isn’t making that much of a difference. Maybe this comedy, budgeted in the low $30Ms, sees a pop tomorrow on Mother’s Day and gets to an OK result of $20M. But still then, what are we talking about? A 3x multiple? Life of the Party is summer counter-programming, and studios build these titles to sleep to greater numbers. It’s not like women don’t go to the movies, but if they smell shtick (and this one looks like a retread of Rodney Dangerfield’s Back to School), they’re not going to waste their time.

Audiences enjoyed Life of the Party a bit more than Tammy and The Boss‘ C+, with a B CinemaScore. Seventy percent females turned out, with 80% over 25. Age-wise, that’s the same split as The Boss, though that pic skewed slightly more male at 38%.

When it comes to spending the right amount of money for a genre and its expectations at the B.O., producer Will Packer knows what he’s doing: Universal’s home invasion thriller Breaking In‘s production cost is less than the near-$13M shelled out for Packer’s No Good Deed and keeps this B-rated pic in a potential position for some upside or break-even. Females turned out at 68% giving the pic a B+ CinemaScore, with 73% over 25.

The campaign for Breaking In began in January with the launch of the first trailer that grew to 99M views in organic shares. Star Gabrielle Union, who also produced the pic, participated in custom spots for VH1, LMN, Oxygen and BET geared towards mothers. Other campaign highlights included two spots in the series finale of Scandal, an Essence Snapchat takeover, and live tweeting of Scandal’s series finale from the film’s Twitter account that Union also took part in.

Below is how the top 10 pics and notables are looking this weekend for SAT. AM:

1) Avengers: Infinity War (DIS), 4,474 theaters  / $15.5M Fri (-50%)/3-day: $60M+ (-48%)/Total: $546M/ Wk 3

2) Life of the Party (NL/WB), 3,656 theaters  / $4.95M Fri (includes $700k previews) /3-day: $17.9M to $18M+ / Wk 1

3) Breaking In (Uni), 2,537 theaters  / $4.3M Fri (includes $615K previews) /3-day: $14.4M /Wk 1

4) Overboard (MGM/LG), 2,006 theaters (+383)  / $2M Fri (-58%)/3-day: $8.8M (-40%) /Total: $28.3M/Wk 2

5) A Quiet Place (PAR), 3,144 theaters (-269)  / $1.8M Fri (-22%) /3-day: $6.1M (-21%) /Total: $169.2M/Wk 6

6) I Feel Pretty (STX), 2,858 theaters (-374)  / $915K Fri (-44%)/3-day: $3.5M /Total: $43.6M/ Wk 4

7) Rampage (NL/WB), 2,548 theaters (-603)  / $750K Fri (-35%)/3-day: $3.1M (-34%) /Total: $89.4M/Wk 5

8) Tully (FOC), 1,356 theaters (+3) / $569k Fri (-51%)/3-day: $2.35M (-28%) /Total: $7.1M/ Wk 2

9) Black Panther (DIS), 1,370 theaters (-271)  / $547K Fri (-41%) / 3-day: $2.1M (-33%)/Total: $696.3M/Wk 13

10) Blockers (UNI), 1,111 theaters (-561) / $319K Fri (-42%) /3-day: $1.05M (-40%)/Total: $58.1M/Wk 6

Notables:

Mahanti (UN), 180 theaters  / $275k Fri /3-day: $1M /Wk 1

Raazi (UN), 160 theaters  / $275k Fri /3-day: $976K /Wk 1

Bad Samaritan… (EL) 1,546 theaters (-461) / $161K Fri (-75%) /3-day: $558K (-68%)/Total: $3.1M /Wk 2

The Seagull (SPC), 6 theaters  / $28k Fri /$16K PTA/3-day: $97K /Wk 1

Beast (RSA), 4 theaters  / $15k Fri /$12,2K PTA/3-day: $49K /Wk 1

UPDATE, Friday 1:16 PM: Disney/Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War may end up with $55 million-$57 million after the Mother’s Day holiday this weekend, according to matinee grosses that are starting to roll in. Although it is early, the two box office newcomers are not setting their worlds on fire in what appears to be an overall soft Friday.

The Melissa McCarthy comedy Life of the Party from New Line/Warner Bros is on track to gross $4.2M-$4.5M today for a three-day total of $15.5M-$17M. In comparison, McCarthy’s The Boss grossed $8.1M on its Friday in 2015, and last year’s Mother’s Day comedy Snatched took in $5M.

The Will Packer-Universal thriller Breaking In is chasing about $4M today for a weekend tally of $13M+. One of its comps, No Good Deed, took in $8.8M on its opening day.

All of these grosses are off their estimates by about $3M. Mother’s Day Sunday is traditionally a strong moviegoing day and should be for both of the newbie films. Stay tuned.

PREVIOUSLY, Friday 7:43 AM: In this third outing for Melissa McCarthy and her husband Ben Falcone (after Tammy and The Boss), Life of the Party from New Line/Warner Bros. enjoyed some late night laughs to pull in $700K from its Thursday previews. Those screenings began at 7 PM in 2,900 locales and the film runs into 3,656 today. The PG-13 rated comedy’s marketing materials are all about mothers and their daughters going into this Mother’s Day weekend.

Breaking In, the Will Packer, Gabrielle Union PG-13 thriller from Universal, also began its previews last night at 7 PM to grab $615K from its 2,150 locations. It releases into 2,537 theaters today. The film, which is about a mother trying to protect her kids, should also have a stronger than usual Sunday.

Mother’s Day Sunday, depending on the film, can be equal to or greater than Saturday in moviegoing.  For instance, last year one of Life of the Party’s comps Snatched opened to $650K in Thursday night previews and went on to gross $19.5M for the weekend. The comedy took in $5M on its Friday (including its previews), $6.4M on Saturday and then $8M on its Sunday.

Tammy is not the best comp with Life of the Party as Tammy opened on a Tuesday going into the July 4th holiday with $1.3M in late nights and ended the five-day weekend grossing $21.5M; it also opened against Transformers: Age of Extinction. This weekend, Life of the Party opens against the third weekend of Avengers: Infinity War which will, not surprisingly, dominate the three-day once again.

The Boss, however, opened two years ago in April with $23.58M over its three-day after a late night showing of $985K and a Friday night of $8.1M (that included the preview) in a total of 3,495 theaters.

Packer’s previous thriller, No Good Deed starring Idris Elba and Taraji P. Henson, took hold of an $8.8M Friday opened to $24.2M at Sony, however, did not have previews for the film. As my colleague Anthony D’Alessandro noted in his box office preview, it also opened during an non-competitive time at the September 2014 box office. No Good Deed played in 2,175 theaters, about 400 fewer theaters than Breaking In.

In terms of social media, let’s look at what is happening first with box office monster Avengers: Infinity War. Iron Man star Robert Downey, Jr. is still fueling his social media feeds as a star should. Twitter hashtags for #InfinityWar and @Avengers are on the move again, humming along with of 100K per day (and this has been going on all week) and heading up to 158K as we head into its third weekend for with 6.2M over the month.

Remember, #InfinityWar and related hashtags broke the opening weekend hashtag record with 644K hashtags/tags in a day on April 27th — and over on Youtube where there’s the most activity adding over 231M views to both official owned videos and reported /fan videos combined since opening, which is exceptional, according to RelishMix which monitors social activity.

For this weekend’s new releases, McCarthy’s new comedy has a good Social Media Universe of 190.2M, comprised of 76.6M Facebook fans, 42.2M FB Views, 31.7M Twitter followers, over 13.4M, YouTube views, and 26.3M Instagram followers. According to RelishMix, overall, Life of the Party’s social metrics is well ahead of the typical comedy’s 115M.

However, Christina Aguilera has over 47M fans/followers of her own, which are not activated. Without her social footprint, Life of the Party’s SMU drops to 143M, which still exceeds the standard comedy, but wouldn’t it be nice for her to engage?

What has really helped in terms of marketing is that McCarthy and her co-stars, including the former Disney Channel star Debby Ryan, stopped by The Ellen DeGeneres Show for a recent interview and those materials have helped with the campaign. The social media star of this film is Ryan with 20.1M fans and followers and she is actively engaging with clips from The Ellen DeGeneres Show, the trailer and more.

One thing RelishMix noted is that the Ellen show re-posted some of the materials, which doesn’t always happen for movie talent who interview on the show.