“Box Office Buzz: Bob Marley’s ‘One Love’ Rocks with $46M Debut, ‘Madame Web’ Spins $24M – Weekend Roundup”

“Bob Marley’s ‘One Love’ Shines with $46M Debut, ‘Madame Web’ Nets $24M: Weekend Box Office Recap”

Bob Marley: One Love is a 2024 American biographical musical drama film directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green, who co-wrote the screenplay with Terence Winter, Frank E. Flowers, and Zach Baylin, from a story by Winter and Blossoms. It is based on the life of reggae singer and musician Bob Marley, from his rise to fame in the mid-1970s up until his passing in 1981. The film stars Kingsley Ben-Adir as Marley, nearby Lashana Lynch as Rita Marley, and James Norton as Chris Blackwell.

Bob Marley One Love

One Love premiered at the Carib 5 in Kingston, Jamaica on January 23, 2024, and was released in the United States by Paramount Pictures on February 14, 2024. It received blended reviews from critics.

In June 2018, it was reported that Paramount Pictures was creating a true to life drama film based on the life of artist and songwriter Bob Marley, with Marley’s son Ziggy Marley serving as a producer. In March 2021, Reinaldo Marcus Green had been hired to direct, with Zach Baylin (who composed Green’s 2021 film King Richard), Frank E. Blooms, and Terence Winter composing the screenplay. In February 2022, Kingsley Ben-Adir was cast as the titular character, after an extensive, yearlong and globe-spanning search by the studio. In August, Lashana Lynch had joined the cast playing as Bob’s wife Rita Marley.[10] In February 2023, Michael Gandolfini, Nadine Marshall, James Norton and Anthony Welsh had joined the cast.

SATURDAY AM
Paramount’s Bob Marley: One Love keeps on humming with a 6-day in the $46M range, while Sony/Marvel’s Madame Web is still looking at a take north of $20M, presently $24M. Whether business gets better for one film, and falls apart for the other boils down to tonight.

Another win for Paramount this weekend is that Mean Young ladies, the movie that was assume to go on Paramount+, but did not, has crossed $100M at the worldwide B.O.

Industry examiners believe that Madame Web will be 40% to 50ove its Friday take of $4.3M today with north of $6M. Bob Marley One Love off his $7.5M yesterday will be up +30% to 40% to $9.7M-$10.5M.

In terms of the overall marketplace over four-days we’re looking at $88M for all titles, which is 47% off from a year back when everybody complained that the opening of Marvel Studios’ Ant-Man and the Wasp Quantumania just wasn’t good enough at a 4-day of $120.3M (don’t you feel sorry now?). Still be thankful we have a few sort of semblance on the marquee.

Audience scores are still strong for Bob Marley: One Love with 5 stars and 91% on Comscore/Screen Engine’s PostTrak. With a 56% ladies turnout to 44% guys, the reggae legend biopic is something of a date night movie with 30% attending with their life partner, and 21% of ticket buyers going with a date. Ladies over 25 at 38% and men over 25 at 31% gave Bob Marley One Love its best grades of 92%. Ladies beneath 25 repped 18% of the crowd with a 90% grade, whereas men beneath 25 at 13% gave it 88%.

Black moviegoers led at 40%, taken after by Latino and Hispanic at 25% and Caucasians at 23% and Asian Americans at 5%. Fifty-two percent of Sway Marley’s audience is over 35 with the biggest demo being 35-44 at 22%.

The film is playing best in the East, South and West with the AMC Bay Plaza in the Bronx leading the pack hence far with $19K in Friday ticket sales. PLFs are driving 20% of the pic’s weekend to date.

Sony went after young ladies with Madame Web with 75% of its $60M worldwide P&A distributed toward social and Tik Tok. The Marvel Spider-Man spinoff property is bringing in men 53% and ladies 47%. Post Trak scores have fallen to a star and a half and 54% positive; no one likes this movie. Men over 25 are attending the most at 31% (50% review), followed by ladies over 25 at 24% (63% review), women under 25 at 23% (62% review) and men beneath 25 at 22% (the pic’s worst grades at 42%).

I’m told that S.J. Clarkson the filmmaker aimed to create a non-traditional Marvel movie, something in the soul of the female thrillers that Sherry Lansing use to form at Paramount; and it’s all going sideways. I’ve gotten phone calls that the budget for this film is much higher at north of $100M, but I’m also told Sony reigned it beneath net $100M with Massachusetts tax credits and post production London charge credits where the VFX were handled.

TSG could be a co-financier here on the Dakota Johnson-Sydney Sweeney movie as Sony has buffered its risk. I understand if they can get to a $40M-$50M worldwide opening, the spider bite from Madame Web won’t gush a lot of red ink, but a few. For those wondering why Sony had the scribes from the doomed Morbius (Matt Sazama and Buck Sharpless) back here for Madame Web, I understand they wrote the primary draft of the script, and that Clarkson’s writing partner Claire Parker yielded the shooting script.

This was a chance for Sony to do something different but there were a lot of complications along the way. It also doesn’t help to have this female-driven superhero movie arrive in the wake of The Marvels which is the least for Disney MCU at $84.5M domestic, $206M WW. Numerous will say that fanboys are turning on female superhero movies. That’s a dog-ate-my-homework excuse on sake of the industry. Make a great movie, and they’ll turn out, exhibit A being the female charged Black Panther: Wakanda Forever ($453.8M U.S./$859.2M WW). More on Madame Web as the weekend goes on.

1.) Bob Marley: One Love (Par) 3,539 theaters, Fri $7.5M, 3-day $23.8M 4-day $28.3M Total $46.2M/Wk 1

2.) Madame Web (Sony) 4,013 theaters, Fri $4.3M, 3-day $15.2M 4-day $17.8M, Total $24M/Wk 1

3.) Argylle (App/Uni) 3,647 (+42) theaters, Fri $1.1M (-42%) 3-day $4.2M (-32%) 4-day $5M Total $36.7M/ Wk 3

4.) Migration (Ill/Uni) 2,455 (-229) Fri $770K (+15%) 3-day $3.39M (+15%), 4-day $4.5M Total $115.5M/ Wk 9

5.) Chosen Season 4, Eps 4-6 (Fath) 2,240 Fri $1M 3-day $3.5M 4-day $4.2M Total $5M /Wk 1

6.) Wonka (WB) 2,347 (-417) theaters, Fri $750K (-3%) 3-day $3.5M (+15%) 4-day $4M, Total $210.4M/Wk 10

7.) The Beekeeper (AMZ MGM) 2,557 (-500) theaters, Fri $713K (-26%) 3-day $2.83M (-17%) 4-day $3.37M Total $60M/Wk 6

8.) Anyone But You (Sony) 2,020 (-785) Fri $650K (-30%) 3-day $2.2M (-16%) 4-day $2.66M,Total $84.9M/Wk 9

9.) Lisa Frankenstein (Foc) 3,143 (-1) theaters, Fri $550K (-68%), 3-day $1.89M (-49%), 4-day $2.2M Total $7.8M/Wk 2

9.) Land of Bad (Var) 1,330 theaters, Fri $650K 3-day $1.85M 4-day $2.2M /Wk 1

FRIDAY Afternoon: One Love
Paramount’s Bob Marley: One Love has more than one heart, rather millions as the music biopic approximately the reggae legend is now heading to $44M over six days after a $6.7M Friday, which can yield a $22M 3-day and $26.2M 4-day for the $70M feature production at 3,539 theaters.

Sony/Marvel’s Madame Web at 4,013 theaters is looking at a $3.8M Friday, $12M-$13M 3-day and 4-day of $14M for $22.2M six-day.

Apple Originals Films’ Argylle via Universal at 3,647 theaters is looking at a Friday of $1.1M, 3-day of $4.2M (-33%), 4-day of $5M and running total by conclusion of Monday of $36.7M. Illumination/Universal’s Migration at 2,455 locations also needs to be third over 4-day with $5M and a running total of $116M by EOD Monday. The animated movie which numerous in the industry bet against (egg on them) is in its ninth weekend.

Warner Bros.’ Wonka at 2,302 locations is $850K today, 3-day $3.6M in weekend ten, +20%, 4-day $4.5M, and running total near $211M.Outside the best 5, there’s Fathom Event’s Chosen, season 4, ep. 4-6 with $950K today, 3-day of $3.3M, 4-day $3.8M and running total $4.5M.

FRIDAY AM
Paramount’s Bob Marley: One Love did $3.85M yesterday, and though down 73% from its opening day Wednesday, that’s because it was such a big first day with a record midweek of $14M. This puts the Reinaldo Marcus Green-directed biopic in the vicinity of a $35M-$38M six-day opening.

Bob Marley One Love is booked at 3,536 theaters with a number of PLF screens.

Meanwhile, Sony/Marvel’s Madame Web did $2.15M on Thursday, -64%, for a two-day of $8.2M. It still may get to $20M, but man oh man, those audience scores are rough. Two stars on PostTrak so far for a 58% from general audiences. Overall, 53% guys attending vs. 47% ladies. For some reason, parents (mostly fathers at 62%) and kids under 12 saw a different movie:
They both gave it 4½ stars. Madame Web is nesting at 4,103 locations, and it has Imax and a few PLFs.

Social Media analytics corp RelishMix notices that with Madame Web, no one is truly excited about it.

“Naysayers are referencing ‘superhero fatigue,’” RelishMix writes, “but specifically the female-centric and female group sub-genre comping the recent MCU The Marvels, saying, ‘This is another The Marvels concept. Why do they keep making assemble teams?’ A few are confused with Dakota Johnson’s casting due to the differences to the character in the comics, saying, ‘I thought Madame Web was an old crippled lady that sometimes helped Spider-Man with her visions?’ The movie was also mockingly compared repeatedly to another of Sony’s Spider-Man-less Spidey films, Morbius, with many feeling the scale is very small compared to other superhero adventures, reminding them of ‘a CW show.’” 

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