NEW YORK (AP) – A not-so-distant recovery could be spotted for theaters on Sunday, as Warner Bros. ’live-action hybrid animation. “Tom & Jerry” debuted with $ 13.7 million in ticket sales, the best national opening of the year.
According to data firm Comscore, the better-than-expected opening came despite the fact that only 42% of American cinemas were open. “Tom & Jerry” also played 2,475 American theaters simultaneously, as did at home, where it airs on HBO Max for a month.
Still, “Tom & Jerry” still got the second-best pandemic opening after Warner Bros.’s “Wonder Woman 1984,” which grossed $ 16.7 million in December, while also land on HBO Max. The next upcoming debuts – “Tenet,” “The Croods: A New Age” – grossed about $ 10 million on the opening weekend.
“With half of the cinemas still closed, the pandemic is still a threat and‘ Tom and Jerry ’available at home, it’s a very good opening,” said David A. Gross, who runs film consultancy Franchise Entertainment Research . “Under normal circumstances, this weekend would comfortably surpass $ 35 million, a positive sign for the business and for the theatrical attraction of home entertainment.”
“Tom & Jerry” has also earned $ 25.1 million internationally, bringing the global total to $ 38.8 million, according to study estimates. The film, directed by Tim Story and based on the characters created by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, stars Chloë Grace Moretz.
Theaters in some crucial markets are also about to go online. On Friday, New York cinemas will be able to open at 25% capacity for the first time since they closed last March. Next week, Disney will release the animation “Stripe and the Last Dragon” in theaters and Disney + for $ 30, not counting the cost of the subscription.
While some criticized Warner Bros. for leaving theaters when it announced plans to send all 2021 movies to HBO Max and theaters, the studio is currently a lifesaver for theaters. The studio’s films, including “The Little Things,” “Judas and the Black Messiah,” and “Wonder Woman 1984,” accounted for about 80 percent of national ticket sales over the weekend.
Private rental bookings are helping the modest return of cinema. Family, friends and “pods” have booked an entire theater. Warner Bros. said “Tom & Jerry” has already seen more than 10,000 such bookings.
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Follow AP Film writer Jake Coyle on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP