I have no real idea why Home just had one of the biggest opening weekends for a DreamWorks Animation non-sequel behind Kung Fu Panda ($60m in 2008) and Monsters Vs. Aliens ($59m on the same weekend in 2009). Adapted from Adam Rex‘s 2007 children’s book The True Meaning of Smekday, Home is the latest riff on the E.T. story, depicting an alien named Oh (Jim Parsons) marooned on Earth and befriending a young girl (Rihanna). Critics were less than charmed by it. RottenTomatoes’ critical consensus currently reads: “Colorful, silly, and utterly benign, Home is a passable diversion, but there’s no shortage of superior animated alternatives.” It was originally ticketed for a November 2014 release before being switched with Penguins of Madagascar, a move which failed to pay off since Penguins ultimately bombed. In fact, DWA recently announced it lost $57.1 million on Penguins of Madagascar and Mr. Peabody and Sherman last year. It was assumed that parents had simply stopped trusting the DWA brand, unwilling to offer them a rubber stamp the same way they will with anything Disney Animation Studios or Pixar puts out. As a result, Home was expected to finish the weekend with a little over $30m.
As is now the tradition for every new DWA release, the stock market has lost its shit, except this time in a good way. DWA stock plunged after the opening weekends for Peabody, Dragon 2, and Penguins, but after Home it ticked up an impressive 7%.
Sure. That seems like the type of thing a stock market would do after something exceeds expectations. But why did Home exceed those expectations? Outside of How To Train Your Dragon 2, this is their biggest success since The Croods almost exactly 2 years ago, a stretch of time that also includes box office stinkers like Rise of the Guardians and Turbo. It didn’t seem to matter if the movie was a sequel, spin-off, or adaptation of little-known children’s book. Whatever DWA failed financially, or in the case of Dragon 2 failed to turn into a Pixar-level franchise the way over-zealous analysts had predicted. Not even their ever-present roster of celebrity voices made much of a difference. It turned out that Jude Law, Ryan Reynolds, Ty Burrell, and Benedict Cumberbatch couldn’t save Guardians, Turbo, Peabody, and Penguins, respectively. Are Jim Parsons, Rihanna, Jennifer Lopez, and Steve Martin really so superior that their combined forces could help propel Home forward?
However, it might not be as complicated as the ethnic make-up of the voices behind the characters. It could also owe a lot to the fact that this is a major animated feature starring a young black female as opposed to the standard young white male hero template. It joins a small club mostly filled by Princess and the Frog.
It might also have a lot to do with the extra work DreamWorks put into raising awareness for the film in the extra time it earned after its release date was pushed back in the switch with Penguins.
It might also have something to do with these being the first big animated film of the year, after SpongeBob’s mixture of live-action and animation. Plus, this late March release has been a successful platform for movies like Monsters Vs. Aliens and the first How to Train Your Dragon in the past.
Lastly, it might just be that little kids really thought the main alien in the film, Oh, looks really cute.
Good for everyone at DreamWorks Animation. They needed the win.
-How Did Get Hard Make over $30m?
That doesn’t mean people actually liked it, though, giving it just a B on CinemaScore.
-Should We Be Impressed By It Follows?
-How Far Insurgent Did Fall?
This Weekend’s Actual Box Office Top 10 Totals (3/27-3/29)
1. Home (First Domestic Weekend)
- Production Budget=$135m
- Weekend Gross (Domestic)=$52.1m
- Weekend Gross (International)=$24m
- Domestic/International/Worldwide=$52.1m/$47.5m/$99.6m
2. Get Hard (Opening Weekend)
- Production Budget=$40m
- Weekend Gross (Domestic)=$33.8m
- Weekend Gross (International)=$4.6m
- Worldwide Debut=$38.4m
3. Insurgent
- Production Budget=$110m
- Weekend Gross (Domestic)=$21.5m
- Weekend Gross (International)=$29.9m
- Domestic/International/Worldwide=$85.8m/$93.7m/$179.5m
4. Cinderella
- Production Budget=$95m
- Weekend Gross (Domestic)=$17m
- Weekend Gross (International)=$38.7m
- Domestic/International/Worldwide=$149.5m/$186.2m/$335.7m
And now comes word that Disney is moving forward with a live-action Mulan. No word yet if they’ll pick up the option on Dwane Johnson as the star of Bambi 2.
5. It Follows (Wide Expansion)
- Production Budget=$2m
- Weekend Gross (Domestic)=$3.8m
- Weekend Gross (International)=Nothing
- Domestic/International/Worldwide=$4.5m
6. Kingsman: The Secret Service
- Production Budget=$81m
- Weekend Gross (Domestic)=$2.9m
- Weekend Gross (International)=$25m
- Current Domestic/International/Worldwide Total=$119.3m/$208.3m/$327.6m
This includes a $20m opening in China this weekend.
7. Do You Believe?
- Production Budget=They’re Not Telling
- Weekend Gross (Domestic)=$2.3m
- Weekend Gross (International)=Nothing
- Worldwide Debut=$7.2m
8. Run All Night
- Production Budget=$50m
- Weekend Gross (Domestic)=$2.1m
- Weekend Gross (International)=$2.1m
- Domestic/International/Worldwide =$23.7m/$19.7m/$43.4m
9. The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
- Production Budget=$10m
- Weekend Gross (Domestic)=$2.1m
- Weekend Gross (International)=$2.3m
- Current Domestic/International/Worldwide Total=$28m/$38.8m/$66.8m
10. The Gunman
- Production Budget=$40m
- Weekend Gross (Domestic)=$2m
- Weekend Gross (International)=Less than $1m
- Worldwide Debut=$8.8m
What Left the Top 10?: Focus (Current total: $134.2m worldwide/$50m budget), Chappie (Current total: $77m worldwide/$49m budget) & SpongeBob Movie (Current total: $287m worldwide/$74m budget)
What’s Up Next?: Furious 7
Source: BoxOfficeMojo