Katarzyna Petru
Zombies vs. aliens. Sony and Pixar have thrown their new titles into the Thursday race for viewers' attention. "28 Years Later" – the long-awaited return of Danny Boyle to his viral universe – has already raked in over 5 million dollars from preview screenings. And Pixar's "Elio"? A small start – between 2.5 and 3 million – but history teaches us that films like this have picked up momentum over time.
Return After Years – and Right Away with a Bite!
Sony is not sleeping. "28 Years Later" is not only a sequel to the cult classic "28 Days Later," but also a big return for the duo Boyle & Garland. Although the audience on Rotten Tomatoes approached the topic with a slight distance (67%), critics are almost unanimous – 92% positive reviews, the highest score in the history of this series. In comparison, last week's horror "Final Destination: Bloodlines" also had excellent reviews (92%), yet it achieved a record opening only through audience whispers.
Interestingly, "28 Years Later" started its screenings as early as noon. Preliminary forecasts indicate an opening in the range of 28–30 million dollars, which for horror movies sounds like a very solid hit. Especially since the previous installments opened lower – "28 Days Later" debuted with 10 million dollars, while "28 Weeks Later" started 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 showings. But that's not surprising. "Elemental" started out similarly... 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 spoken yet, but if history repeats itself, Disney can sleep easy. After all, "Elemental" also started quietly, but thanks to the power of word-of-mouth marketing and good 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 take the box office this weekend, they might be a bit surprised. "How to Train Your Dragon" in its live-action version from Universal/DreamWorks is still at the top. Dean DeBlois's film has already racked up $113.7 million and shows no signs of slowing down – it is estimated that the second weekend will bring in over $40 million. And all signs point to the fact that it will win the race once again.
