Jodie Foster's “Money Monster” debuts to solid $600,000

PanARMENIAN.Net - Jodie Foster‘s “Money Monster” opened to $600,000 from 2,387 theaters in its Thursday previews, shortly after it made its world premiere at Cannes Film Festival, TheWrap reveals.

The film, directed by Jodie Foster, stars George Clooney and Julia Roberts and cost $27 million to produce. It was tracking to earn between $10 million and $13 million over the course of its debut weekend, in line with other recent adult-oriented dramas.

And the $600,000 initial take is a solid start given that “Captain America: Civil War” has major legs, after it debuted to $179 million last weekend. This weekend, the Disney-Marvel blockbuster is expected to hold at No. 1, with approximately $80 million. On Thursday, Chris Evans‘ superhero saga made another $8.1 million.

“Money Monster” could actually exceed expectations given its stellar start. For example, Steven Spielberg‘s “Bridge of Spies” grossed $500,000 in its Thursday previews, and it ended up raking in $15.4 million its opening weekend.

“Money Monster” has also been earning decent reviews. It currently holds a score of 59 percent on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.

The film revolves around an angry TV viewer (Jack O’Connell) who takes matters into his own hands after a bad tip from a talk show host (Clooney) costs him his savings. As a hostage situation ensues in a television studio, it’s up to a quick-thinking producer (Roberts) to keep everyone safe.

Also opening this weekend on the strategic date of Friday the 13th is the supernatural thriller “The Darkness” from BH Tilt. It grossed $206,000 in its previews. It is distributed by High Top (a label of Focus) and was made for a production budget of less than $5 million.

The horror film, which stars Kevin Bacon (who happens to be an alum of the original “Friday the 13th” movie) as a father warding off ancient Native American demons with his family, is tracking to debut somewhere in the $4 million to $5 million range.

With this movie, BH Tilt wanted to see whether there was an efficient middle ground between a wide theatrical release and straight-to-VOD, and therefore selected 1,755 locations that were frequented by die-hard genre fans.