The epic-length historical drama is projecting a finish of $23 million over the three-day opening frame, tracking behind the second weekend of Swift’s “Eras Tour” concert film.
Killers of the Flower Moon has colossal $200 million production budget.
Apple, which backed the project, plans to invest in theatrical runs for its original slate as a means to promote their eventual streaming releases. “Flower Moon” is the first high-profile rodeo in movie theaters for the company, which has partnered with Paramount Pictures to handle domestic distribution. Apple will take another stab at theatrical later this fall with “Napoleon,” partnering with Sony for Ridley Scott’s similarly mega-budgeted war feature.
“Flower Moon” is tracking ahead of the opening for Scorsese’s last DiCaprio collaboration “The Wolf of Wall Street.”
That sprawling comedy debuted with $18 million in late December, but rode the holiday season and awards buzz to a $116 million finish.
Killers of the Flower Moon, which has drawn some of the year’s strongest reviews, is hoping for its own sustained run in the weeks ahead.
A positive A- grade through research firm Cinema Score shows that initial audiences like the movie.
Starring DiCaprio, De Niro and Lily Gladstone, Killers of the Flower Moon shifts the procedural structure of David Grann’s novel, following the racist conspirators that murdered members of the Osage nation after oil was discovered on their land.
Taylor Swift is projected to retain its No. 1 spot on domestic charts after earning $10.4 million on Friday, down roughly 72% from its opening day last week.
Fan-centric event releases like “The Eras Tour” can face a sharp tumble in their sophomore outings, with target audiences often prioritizing a first weekend outing.
Swift should stay on top this weekend, even with “Flower Moon” taking over premium-large format auditoriums.
After exiting theaters on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, the concert documentary returned on Thursday and has now exceeded a $100 million domestic gross — a benchmark that only 18 other wide releases have achieved this year.
Paramount is also taking the fourth spot with “PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie” digging up $5 million in its fourth weekend. With $50 million, the animated feature has held strongly since its debut; there’s little competition for family audiences in the market right now.
A rerelease of Henry Selick’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas” is likely to round out the top five after earning $1.4 million on Friday
