Thursday night box office previews were buzzing with activity as several titles drew strong early turnout, led by Minecraft, which officially crossed the $200 million mark. Meanwhile, Amateur and King of Kings each made a solid impact with $2 million in preview earnings, thanks in part to early fan screenings and strong word-of-mouth.
Also Read: The White Lotus season 3 deleted sex scene draws a $500K offer from an NSFW platform
Thursday preview: A Minecraft Movie, The Amateur and more
A Minecraft Movie
Warner Bros/Legendary’s A Minecraft Movie crossed $200 million after earning $7.1 million on Thursday. It took Minecraft one week to reach that milestone, while The Super Mario Bros. Movie hit the same figure in just five days last year, thanks to its early release on Wednesday and the weekend falling during Easter. The movie is expected to drop by around 60% this weekend, bringing in about $65 million and holding onto the No. 1 spot, as reported by Deadline.
The King of Kings
In the preview earnings for the biblical animation movie The King of Kings, Angel Studios is reporting $2 million as the shows open from 11 am on Thursday morning. The film has built anticipation about its sales crossing that of 20th Century Studios’ The Amateur, a PG-13 spy film starring Rami Malek, which has already sold $14.6 million in presales. It is, however, yet to be seen if the money translates into a big weekend.
The Amateur
The Amateur reported $2 million in preview earnings but this figure also includes early screening and the show opening at 2 pm yesterday. The preview earnings are in line with other recent films, like Amazon MGM Studios/Miramax’s The Beekeeper, which made $2.4 million in previews and earned $16.6 million over its opening weekend last year, and 20th Century’s The Creator, which had $1.6 million in previews and opened with $14 million in 2023. The movie is releasing today in 3,400 theatres with the three-day total expectation to be $12 million.
Drop
Drop, released in 2,600 theaters starting at 1:50 p.m. earned $750K in the previews. It increases to $1.4 million if screenings from Monday and Wednesday are also included. The three-day expectation for Meghann Fahy and Brandon Sklenar is expected to be between $6M-$7M. Aimed at women 17-34, Drop was produced for $11 million, thanks in part to a strong tax credit from Ireland.
Warfare
A24’s Warfare reported $1.6 million from the early access as the showtimes starting at 4 p.m. at 2,670 locations. Directed by Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza, the R-rated movie is expected to earn between $7 million and $9 million over the weekend. The film was made for $20 million before marketing and distribution costs.
