Marvel’s “Deadpool & Wolverine” (Disney) is the #1 film for its third week with $54 million and $494 million domestic so far. That’s a headline story, but the bigger news is the adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s massive bestseller “It Ends with Us” (Sony) . A romantic drama that deals with spousal abuse resonated with audiences worldwide, opening to an astounding $50 million in the U.
S. and Canada. Another title made the wrong kind of headlines.
“Borderlands” (Lionsgate) , based on a very popular 2009 game, debuted at only $8.8 million. A $25 million romantic drama squarely targeted for women outperformed a $115 million videogame adaptation by nearly 6x.
Cinemascore for “It Ends” is A-; for “ Borderlands ,” D+. Expectations for “It Ends” were modest, perhaps $50 million domestic after an opening in the mid-teens, but it’s now a contender for the month’s top film; its best competition arrives next week with “Alien: Romulus” (Disney). “Borderlands” was expected to outperform with around $60 million, but as previously mentioned, failed to do so and then some.
Last weekend, early shows for “It Ends” began to sell out. Even then, many suggested it could be front-loaded by Hoover’s mega-fans. Not so.
Nor does this appear to be an American phenomenon with initial foreign results of $30 million, with most top markets still to open. Let’s recap: A $25 million film with 84 percent female attendees grossed $50 million without the benefit of.