LOS ANGELES -- Summer blockbusters gave way to the small and highly targeted over a sleepy Labor Day weekend at the box office, with notable performances from the faith-based War Room and the Spanish language cartoon Un Gallo con Muchos Huevos.
Columbia's War Room fought its way to first place in its second weekend in release, earning $13.4 million across the four-day holiday weekend, according to Rentrak estimates on Tuesday. The micro-budget family drama, which cost only $3.5 million to produce, has grossed about $29 million to date.
Financial success for faith-based films is not exactly a surprise at this point, but War Room's impressive hold from its opening weekend is significant.
Paul Dergarabedian, Rentrak's senior media analyst, attributes War Room's second weekend success to heightened awareness after it nearly usurped Straight Outta Compton last weekend.
Also, word of mouth is strong for War Room. Dergarabedian said according to exit polling, 75 percent of the audience said they would definitely recommend the movie -- a substantial and interesting contrast to the dismal critical reception for the film.
"It's just a great story of a film that really filled a void in the marketplace, with a message that the audience could really get behind," he said.
New release A Walk in the Woods debuted in second place, behind previous champ Straight Outta Compton, with about $11 million from 1,960 screens. The buddy dramedy based on Bill Bryson's memoir starring Robert Redford and Nick Nolte cost a reported $8 million to make and has taken in about $13 million since its Sept. 2 opening.
The action picture The Transporter Refueled, meanwhile, opened in fifth with a lackluster $9 million from more than 3,400 screens. Costing only $21 million to produce, this franchise outing subbed in a relatively unknown actor, Ed Skrein, for star Jason Statham, who had helped the previous three films succeed.
Dergarabedian said that while both films will likely perform decently in theaters, their video-on-demand earning potential is great.
"Both of those movies will end up being profitable on the small screen down the road," he said.
But it was Pantelion's Spanish-language animated film Un Gallo con Muchos Huevos that truly stood out among the pack, taking in about $4.4 million from just 395 locations over the four-day weekend. Although it doesn't come close to the sensational $10.4 million Labor Day weekend debut of Pantelion's 2013 film Instructions Not Included, it does still illustrate the significant power of an underserved audience.
"[Hispanics] represent 17 percent of the population and buy 24 percent of movie tickets. They go to the movies all the time and they go to movies as families. If we can create a film that resonates with families over a holiday weekend, it tends to do well," said Paul Presburger, chief executive officer of Pantelion.
"Where Hollywood releases big movies that appeal to everyone, we release movies that specifically and culturally appeal to the Latino audience," he added.
They relied on grass-roots marketing to get the word out about the film and plan to expand to over 580 locations this weekend.
"It's the highest per-theater average of any film in national release. That film, like War Room, filled a void in the marketplace," said Dergarabedian. "Hollywood is creating a lot of diverse product. It's all about people relating to what's going on onscreen."
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
The top 20 movies at U.S. and Canadian theaters Friday through Monday (except A Walk in the Woods, which opened Sept. 2), followed by distribution studio, gross, number of theater locations, average receipts per location, total gross and number of weeks in release, as compiled Tuesday by Rentrak:
War Room, Columbia, $13,388,558, 1,526 locations, $8,774 average, $28,702,016, two weeks.
A Walk in the Woods, Broad Green Pictures, $10,908,832, 1,960 locations, $5,566 average, $10,908,832, one week.
Straight Outta Compton, Universal, $10,845,930, 3,094 locations, $3,505 average, $149,781,635, four weeks.
Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation, Paramount, $9,425,519, 2,849 locations, $3,308 average, $182,662,211, six weeks.
The Transporter Refueled, EuropaCorp, $9,005,474, 3,434 locations, $2,622 average, $9,005,474, one week.
No Escape, The Weinstein Co., $7,009,342, 3,415 locations, $2,053 average, $20,010,421, two weeks.
Man From U.N.C.L.E., Warner Bros., $4,517,228, 2,102 locations, $2,149 average, $40,447,481, four weeks.
Inside Out, Disney, $4,453,513, 2,967 locations, $1,501 average, $349,526,793, 12 weeks.
Un Gallo con Muchos Huevos, Lionsgate, $4,357,004, 395 locations, $11,030 average, $4,357,004, one week.
Sinister 2, Focus Features, $4,193,644, 2,651 locations, $1,582 average, $24,533,537, three weeks.
Minions, Universal, $3,903,090, 1,927 locations, $2,025 average, $329,774,550, nine weeks.
Ant-Man, Disney, $3,768,953, 1,527 locations, $2,468 average, $174,071,653, eight weeks.
The Gift, STX Entertainment, $3,371,675, 1,591 locations, $2,119 average, $40,389,687, five weeks.
Jurassic World, Universal, $3,330,520, 1,571 locations, $2,120 average, $647,374,160, 13 weeks.
Hitman: Agent 47, 20th Century Fox, $2,800,957, 2,191 locations, $1,278 average, $20,349,744, three weeks.
Pixels, Columbia, $2,540,883, 1,420 locations, $1,789 average, $73,990,197, seven weeks.
Trainwreck, Universal, $1,826,740, 808 locations, $2,261 average, $107,506,990, eight weeks.
American Ultra, Lionsgate, $1,605,205, 1,729 locations, $928 average, $13,434,456, three weeks.
Vacation, Warner Bros., $1,485,156, 1,045 locations, $1,421 average, $56,992,482, six weeks.
Fantastic Four, 20th Century Fox, $1,452,914, 1,135 locations, $1,280 average, $54,773,425, five weeks.
MovieStyle on 09/11/2015