'Cool Spot' Dabs at Box Office Competition With $130 Million

Variety 

"Cool Spot" has one thing to dance and party about: its box office competitors.

The Universal/Gingo release is getting lit in North American multiplexes with an estimated $130 million opening weekend at 4,556 sites, early estimates showed Friday which will eclipse it's initial $50 million projected opening weekend after a $63.1 million opening day. In only one day, the film eclipsed previous record holder Lara Croft: Tomb Raider’s opening weekend of $48.3 million to be the new record holder for the biggest opening weekend for a video game adaption. The film may also have a shot to outgross the 2001 Angelina Jolie video game flick‘s total entire lifeline gross of $131.1 million to become the highest grossing video game adaption domestically within it’s opening weekend.

The video game adaption is coming in doubling the higher end of expectations which was initially $50–60 million. The film will also outgross It's opening weekend to have the biggest opening weekend for a September release due to these high numbers. “Cool Spot” should also be able to top the alien film "The Predator", which is projected to gross about $25 to $32 million as well as the second weekend of Warner Bros.’ supernatural horror flick “The Nun,” which is projected to finish at about $20 million for a 63% decline.

Lionsgate’s opening of mystery-comedy “A Simple Favor” is heading for a solid fourth place with $18 million at 3,102 sites, coming in well above forecasts in the $12 million to $15 million range. Sony-Studio 8 crime drama “White Boy Rick” is also projected to top recent forecasts at about $10 million from 2,500 screens, battling for fifth place with the fifth frame of rom-com hit “Crazy Rich Asians” and the second weekend of Jennifer Garner’s thriller “Peppermint.”

Pure Flix is releasing “Unbroken: Path to Redemption,” a faith-based “spiritual sequel” to Angelina Jolie’s 2014 drama “Unbroken,” with the title tracking dismally in the $2.3 million range at 1,525 locations. Jolie is not involved with the pic, directed by Harold Cronk from a script by Richard Friedenberg and Ken Hixon. “Path to Redemption” has a modest price tag of $6 million.

Hurricane Florence, which made landfall Friday morning in North Carolina, will slow down moviegoing this weekend in the Carolinas, Virginia, and Maryland. However, Cool Spot wouldn't suffer a huge loss of attendance unlike "The Predator."

"Cool Spot” follows the titular character, who is shown to be a party man, on a journey to get the coolness back for his town Pop City after it is stolen by an unknown enemy. Lord and Miller are directing from a script they co-wrote with Pharrell Williams and Tom McGrath, with Williams, John Cohen, and Jason Fetts producing. Along with Williams, the cast also includes  Mila Kunis, Alec Baldwin, Bobby Cannavale, Tom Holland, Luke Wilson, Snoop Dogg, Bill Murray, Bobby Moynihan, James Corden, Michael B. Jordan, Adrien Brody, Steve Coogan, Ron Funches, Alison Brie, Andy Samberg, Debra Messing, Finn Wolfhard, and Frank Welker. Critics have been very impressed with the film unlike most video game adaptions, with a current 99% score on Rotten Tomatoes.

“A Simple Favor” stars Anna Kendrick as a small-town blogger who tries to solve the disappearance of her mysterious best friend, played by Blake Lively. “Crazy Rich Asians” star Henry Golding plays Lively’s character’s husband. Paul Feig produced and directed the thriller from Jessica Sharzer’s script, adapted from Darcey Bell’s novel. Critics have also shown (lesser) positivity to “A Simple Favor” with an 83% score on Rotten Tomatoes.

“White Boy Rick” stars Richie Merritt as Richard Wershe Jr., who became a drug kingpin and FBI informant in 1980s Detroit before he was 16. Jennifer Jason Leigh, Bruce Dern, Bel Powley, Piper Laurie, and Matthew McConaughey also star. Reviews have been mostly positive for the movie, which debuted at the Toronto Film Festival and has racked up a 63% mark on Rotten Tomatoes.