{"id":43298,"date":"2016-04-03T16:14:31","date_gmt":"2016-04-03T23:14:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/filmchat\/?p=43298"},"modified":"2016-04-03T16:18:18","modified_gmt":"2016-04-03T23:18:18","slug":"box-office-gods-not-dead-2-and-batman-v-superman-both-perform-below-their-not-high-to-begin-with-expectations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/filmchat\/2016\/04\/box-office-gods-not-dead-2-and-batman-v-superman-both-perform-below-their-not-high-to-begin-with-expectations.html","title":{"rendered":"Box office: God’s Not Dead 2<\/i> and Batman v Superman<\/i> both perform below (their not-high-to-begin-with) expectations"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"godsnotdead3-a\"<\/a><\/p>\n

It was a weekend of setbacks for \u201cfaith-based\u201d films and superhero movies.<\/p>\n

God\u2019s Not Dead 2<\/b><\/i> grossed an estimated $8.1 million between Thursday and Sunday nights<\/a> \u2014 which is impressive for a film that cost only $5 million or so to produce, but disappointing for the sequel to one of the biggest evangelical hits of all time.<\/p>\n

The first God\u2019s Not Dead<\/a><\/i> opened to $9.2 million and an $11,817 per-screen average on 780 screens two years ago<\/a>. The sequel made less money despite playing on roughly three times as many screens (2,419), and it averaged only $3,350 per theatre.<\/p>\n

This is at least the second time this year that a \u201cfaith-based\u201d film opened well behind expectations. The Young Messiah<\/a><\/i> was expected to earn $7-8 million in its first weekend<\/a>, and instead made less than half that, i.e. $3.3 million. Similarly, God\u2019s Not Dead 2<\/i> was expected to gross $10-12 million<\/a> this weekend, but didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

The other big letdown this week was Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice<\/b><\/i>, which held on to the top spot but \u2014 thanks to savage reviews and bad word-of-mouth \u2014 plummeted to $52.4 million, for a $261.5 million domestic gross-to-date.<\/p>\n

That represents a fall of 68.4% from last week<\/a>\u2019s opening of $166 million. It is also significantly less than the $66 million the film was expected to make<\/a>.<\/p>\n

To put this in some perspective: Batman v Superman<\/i> had the biggest opening of any Batman movie<\/a> ever last week, but it has now fallen behind The Dark Knight<\/a><\/i> ($313.8 million after two weekends) and The Dark Knight Rises<\/a><\/i> ($287.1 million).<\/p>\n

And while Batman v Superman<\/i> had the seventh-best opening weekend of all time last week, it currently has only the 26th-best second weekend<\/a> of all time.<\/p>\n

In fact, the film doesn\u2019t even have the best second weekend of this year<\/i>. That honour goes to Deadpool<\/a><\/i>, which dropped from $132.4 million to $56.5 million in February<\/a>.<\/p>\n

And if the weekend\u2019s actual figures turn out to be lower than the estimates \u2014 as was the case last week \u2014 then Batman v Superman<\/i> could also fall behind the second week of Zootopia<\/a><\/i>, which dropped from $75.1 million to $51.3 million in March<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Batman v Superman<\/i> also dropped 66.5% overseas<\/a> this week.<\/p>\n

The film has earned $421.4 million overseas and $682.9 million worldwide, which is nothing to sneeze at \u2014 but the film cost at least $250 million to produce and the studio was clearly hoping that this would be another billion-dollar grosser like the last two Dark Knight<\/i> movies, the two Avengers<\/a><\/i> movies and Iron Man 3<\/a><\/i>.<\/p>\n

As it stands right now, though, the film might not get particularly close to that.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, in other box-office news\u2026<\/p>\n

Zootopia<\/b><\/i> stayed in second place this week and earned another $20 million to bring its domestic total up to $275.9 million after five weeks. Zootopia<\/i> is now the 12th-highest-grossing animated film<\/a> ever in North America, and it pulled ahead of Deadpool<\/i> this week to become the highest-grossing film of the year<\/a> worldwide.<\/p>\n

Miracles from Heaven<\/b><\/i> grossed $7.6 million and ranked fifth in its third week, thereby raising its domestic total to $46.8 million. It is now the sixth-highest-grossing \u201cfaith-based\u201d film ever in North America (see the charts below).<\/p>\n

Deadpool<\/b><\/i> earned $3.5 million and ranked tenth in its eighth week, thereby raising its domestic total to $355.1 million. The film has grossed $754.5 million worldwide, which now makes it the top-grossing X-Men<\/i> movie<\/a> worldwide (though Days of Future Past<\/a><\/i> remains well ahead of it overseas and will likely stay well ahead of it).<\/p>\n

Risen<\/b><\/i> \u2014 which briefly returned to the top ten last week \u2014 tumbled down the chart to the #23 spot now that the Easter weekend has come and gone. It grossed $240,000, thereby raising its North American total to $36.5 million after seven weeks. Risen<\/i> has earned another $5.8 million overseas for a global total of $42.4 million so far.<\/p>\n

The Young Messiah<\/b><\/i> grossed only $33,000 and ranked #40 in its fourth week. It has earned $6.4 million in North America and another $561,994 overseas.<\/p>\n

Now for a bit of extra data on the \u201cfaith-based\u201d films:<\/p>\n

Miracles from Heaven<\/i> had the fourth-best first weekend<\/a> of any film in this genre and the fourth-best second weekend<\/a>, and now it has the fifth-best third weekend:<\/p>\n