What a weird weekend in terms of box office? Maybe there are all sorts of harbingers of changes afoot in the world of movies and viewing habits?
Sure, Sam Raimi’s Send Help was first with a $20 million domestic opening weekend and another $8 million overseas. After that, however, things do get weird.
For starters, in second place is Iron Lung.
What the hell is Iron Lung, you ask? Well, it’s a $2 million indie horror movie made by a YouTuber. Iron Lung is based on a video game about a convict piloting a submarine across an ocean of blood. With $17.8 million domestically and a further $3.9 million overseas, it is breathtaking that it is so far up the charts, mixing with proper studio releases.
Mark Fischback (Markiplier) wrote, directed, financed, and self-distributed the movie, with no studio involvement at all and only his direct marketing to followers online. This might be a watershed moment for already terrified and threatened distributors and studios.
In third place, surprisingly given the commentary around it, was the Brett Ratner-directed documentary Melania with $7 million. Other reports are saying that 72% of ticket buyers were female and 83% were above the age of 45. A broadly untapped cinema audience segment.
The Jason Statham-led Shelter, which many of us were looking forward to, ended up in fifth with $5.5. million domestic and another $7.5 million overseas. With a $50 million budget, this might end up on PVOD sooner rather than later.
See. Told you it was a weird weekend at the box office.
