Remember “Barbenheimer?”
Last year’s dual-film sensation spoke to women starved for a movie to call their own. They got it with Greta Gerwig’s pink-colored confection based on the beloved girls’ doll.
That same audience is back, and Hollywood might want to listen to what they have to say. And spend.
The biggest movie this summer remains “Inside Out 2,” the precocious tale of a tween girl balancing hockey, friendships and, gasp, puberty. The Pixar treat stands as the year’s top box office earner, assuming “Deadpool & Wolverine” doesn’t leg out a victory.
Last week, “It Ends with Us” shocked everyone by snagging $50 million at the U.S. box office. The film is based on the popular women’s novel about a florist (Blake Lively) floundering in an abusive relationship.
That tally is far bigger than franchise fare like “Alien: Romulus,” which earned roughly $10 million less. The figure also dwarfs “The Fall Guy’s” modest $27 million opening earlier this summer.
“Us” added $24 million to its resume over the weekend to sneak up on $100 million after just two weeks.
Now, another female-led tale has stormed the box office. Except this time the film in question is 15 years old.
“Coraline,” the 2009 cult favorite from LAIKA Studios, follows a girl’s journey through a secret door that leads to excitement … and danger. Fathom Events re-released “Coraline” to celebrate its 15-year anniversary in both remastered 2D and 3D.
The result? An $11.4 million box office haul in less than half the number of theaters (1,535) most blockbusters receive. That’s good for fifth place in a competitive summer frame.
The movie’s original opening weekend? Not much more – $16.8 million back in 2009.
“Coraline” hails from stop-motion guru Henry Selick (“The Nightmare Before Christmas”) and features the voices of Dakota Fanning, Ian McShane, Teri Hatcher, Keith David and British comedy duo Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders.
Theatrical re-releases are hardly new. Fathom Events is often to blame, pinning them on various anniversaries for maximum PR effect.
It works.
“Hocus Pocus” scored a tidy $1.5 million last year during its Halloween-themed re-release. That proved hefty enough to crack the box office Top 10.
The combined re-releases of all three “Lord of the Rings” films netted $8 million earlier this year.
“Coraline’s” numbers are eye-popping without 3D glasses. It speaks to nostalgia, the wisdom of carefully selected re-release titles and an audience often ignored in the boy-crazy summer months.
Women.
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