In a bit of a surprising development, the R-rated comedyGood Boysis performing well above expectations at the box office, pulling in an impressive $8.3 million on Friday. Projections have the Universal Pictures film topping over $20 million for the weekend, which is well above the $11 million to $12 million range most expected. That’s much higher than the $6 million opening for the critically acclaimedBooksmart, $8 million for theDave Bautista-Kumail NanjianicomedyStuber, and even higher than the $15 million opening forLittleearlier this year. 2019 has been plagued with underperforming comedies, but it appears that Universal has a genuine breakout withGood Boys.
The extremely R-rated film boastsSeth RogenandEvan Goldbergas producers, withThe OfficealumsLee EisenbergandGene Stupnitskyin the director’s chair and an ensemble of pre-teen boys led byJacob Tremblay. The trailers were funny, the marketing was solid, but as we’ve seen time and again this year that that doesn’t necessarily guarantee people will show up. So for whatever reason, something aboutGood Boys(and perhaps the lackluster offerings in August) sparked folks to turn out forGood Boys.
Elsewhere for new releases, however, the news is dismal.The Angry Birds Movie 2pulled in just $2.7 million on Friday and is projected to earn just $8 million for the weekend. Despite far better reviews this time around, that’s bad news for the animated sequel. The indie shark sequel47 Meters Down: Uncagedpulled in $3.1 million on Friday and is heading for a weekend debut near $7 million.
New Line’s terrific feel-good filmBlinded by the Light—which debuted to positive reviews at Sundance earlier this year—pulled in just $1.3 million on Friday and is heading for a weekend total near $4 million. Ditto toRichard Linklater’s long-delayedWhere’d You Go Bernadette, which pulled in just $1.2 million on Friday after receiving mostly negative or mixed reviews. I can’t speak forBernadette, but I wholeheartedly recommend seeingBlinded by the Lightin the theater. It’s pretty much guaranteed to make your day better.
Scary Stories to Tell in the Darkadded $3 million on Friday, and hopefully audiences find this one as theGuillermo del Toro-produced adaptation is a delightful fright fest and future Halloween classic.
Look for full weekend estimates tomorrow. For now, check out the Friday box office estimates below.
Domestic Total
$8,310,000
Hobbs & Shaw
$3,810,000
$123,411,600
The Lion King
$3,200,000
$487,407,985
47 Meters Down: Uncaged
$3,150,000
Scary Stories
$3,000,000
$33,166,784
