Katarzyna Petru
Zombies vs. aliens. Sony and Pixar have thrown their new titles into Thursday’s race for audience attention. “28 Years Later” – the long-awaited return of Danny Boyle to his viral universe – has already collected over 5 million dollars from preview screenings. And what about Pixar's “Elio”? A modest start – between 2.5 and 3 million – but history teaches us that films like this have gained momentum over time.
Return after years – and immediately with a bang!
Sony is not sleeping. “28 Years Later” is not only a sequel to the cult classic “28 Days Later” but also a grand return of the Boyle & Garland duo. Although the audience on Rotten Tomatoes approached the subject with slight distance (67%), critics are nearly unanimous – 92% positive reviews, the highest rating in the history of this series. In comparison, last week's horror “Final Destination: Bloodlines” also received excellent reviews (92%), yet it achieved a record opening solely through word of mouth.
Interestingly, “28 Years Later” began its screenings as early as noon. Initial forecasts suggest an opening in the range of $28–30 million, which sounds like a very solid start for horror films. Especially since the previous installments opened lower – “28 Days Later” started with $10 million, and “28 Weeks Later” with just under $9.8 million.
Is Pixar playing the long game?
What's happening at Pixar? "Elio," an original animation about a boy who accidentally becomes... Earth's ambassador at a galactic assembly (seriously), started quietly – around 2.5–3 million from screenings. But that's not surprising. "Elemental" also began this way... and ended up with over 154 million dollars in the USA.
Critics already like "Elio" – 86% on Rotten Tomatoes and a "fresh" certificate, which is better than "Elemental" at the start (73%). The audience hasn't voiced their opinion yet, but if history repeats itself, Disney can sleep soundly. After all, "Elemental" also started quietly, but thanks to the power of word-of-mouth marketing and strong CinemaScore results (A), it did well.
And in the background? Dragons are stealing the show
If anyone was counting on one of these titles to top the box office this weekend, they might be a bit surprised. "How to Train Your Dragon," in its live-action version from Universal/DreamWorks, remains at the top. Dean DeBlois's film has already earned $113.7 million and shows no signs of slowing down – it's estimated that the second weekend will bring in over 40 million. And all indications are that it will win the race once again.
