With North American moviegoing slowly coming back, Disney’s “The New Mutants” delivered a respectable $750,000 in Thursday night previews domestically.
The “X-Men” spinoff has been tracking for an opening weekend of $7 million to $10 million at 2,412 locations. The preview number matches “Stuber,” which went on to open with a $8.2 million weekend in July 2019. It’s better than 2018’s “Strangers: Prey at Night,” which generated $610,000 in previews and a $10.4 million launch weekend, and 2019’s “Bad Times at the El Royale,” which took in $575,000 in previews and $7.1 million for its first weekend.
“The New Mutants” was directed by Josh Boone, and stars Maisie Williams, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Heaton, Alice Braga, Blu Hunt and Henry Zaga as young mutants held in a secret facility fighting to save themselves. It was originally intended for release in 2018 from 20th Century Fox, but has been delayed several times since then.
UA-Orion’s comedy sequel “Bill & Ted Face the Music,” with Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter, is launching at 1,007 venues while being simultaneously released on video on demand; Searchlight’s comedy-drama “The Personal History of David Copperfield” will open at 1,360 screens; and Picturehouse’s faith-based “Fatima” will debut at 215 sites.
The openings will be a test of moviegoers’ desire to return to theaters, which have imposed social-distance requirements. State governments in California and New York — two of the biggest movie markets — have not yet allowed movie theaters to reopen. The damage caused by Hurricane Laura will limit patronage in Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas.
Approximately 62% of the domestic market is open. New Jersey, North Carolina, Michigan, Maryland, and New Mexico also remain closed.
Solstice Studios’ “Unhinged,” a thriller starring Russell Crowe, took in $4 million last weekend in the first major theatrical release since March and played in 1,823 venues in North America, marking the widest release yet since the pandemic hit. As of Wednesday, its domestic total was nearing $6 million.