‘Good Boys’ Opens With $2.1 Million on Thursday Night

Dave McNary

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Universal’s raunchy comedy “Good Boys” has launched solidly with $2.1 million at 2,600 North American locations in Thursday night previews.

The “Good Boys” number is well above last year’s R-rated “Blockers,” which took in $1.5 million in previews on its way to a $20 million opening weekend and a $60 million domestic total for Universal.

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“Good Boys” follows three 12-year-olds — Jacob Tremblay, Brady Noon, and Keith L. Williams — in an R-rated comedy as the sixth-graders prep for their first kissing party. It’s opening at 3,204 venues and is expected to earn between $12 million and $15 million. “Good Boys” has connected with critics with a 79% “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Sony’s “The Angry Birds Movie 2” has gotten a jump on the weekend by launching on Tuesday and has taken in $5.7 million in its first three days for a projected $16 million to $17 million from 3,869 theaters during its first six days of release. The animated comedy carries a 73% score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Entertainment Studios’ shark thriller “47 Meters Down: Uncaged” grossed a modest $516,000 at 2,015 sites in previews on Thursday night. Forecasts have projected the sequel to take in $11 million to $14 million at 2,850 theaters. The original movie started small with $11 million, but had a long run in theaters, ultimately ending with $44 million in North America. The sequel focuses on four teenage girls who, while scuba diving in a ruined underwater city, face a deadly species of shark.

Universal’s “Hobbs & Shaw” is aiming to top the weekend box office for the third straight weekend in a row after taking in $117 million in its first two weeks. Openings by United Artists’ “Where’d You Go, Bernadette” and Warner’s “Blinded by the Light” are both expected to finish in the $4 million to $5 million range.

For all of 2019, year-to-date domestic business has reached $7.34 billion as of Aug. 14, down 6.9% from 2018 at the same point, according to Comscore. Overall weekend business at the North American box office is likely to trail the same frame a year ago, which saw “Crazy Rich Asians” open with $26.5 million and the second weekend of “The Meg” take in $21 million.

Horror sequel “It: Chapter Two” should provide a jolt when it opens on Sept. 6 with early tracking showing an opening weekend of as much as $110 million. “If 2019 has any shot of surpassing 2018’s record breaking gross, the marketplace needs to get out of first gear and begin a campaign of consistent box-office performance,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst with Comscore.

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