Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema brought its video game adaptationRampageto theaters for Thursday night sneak previews, pulling in a solid $2.4 million at the box office. That figure is just behind the last collaboration between Dwayne Johnson and director Brad Peyton,San Andreas, which opened with a $3.1 million Thursday preview en route to a $54.5 million opening weekend, butRampageisn’t expected to pull off that big of a debut. In fact, it’s looking more and more likely that Paramount’s low budget thrillerA Quiet Placewill repeat atop the box office with an impressive projected second weekend total of $33 million, but we’ll have to see if those numbers hold up.
Rampageopens in 4,101 theaters today, although there is no indication how many theaters showcased the movie early for Thursday night sneak peeks.Box officeanalysts were predicting an opening weekend between $30 million and $40 million for this video game adaptation, starring Dwayne Johnson and Naomie Harris, but now it seems the movie is underperforming and will come in below those expectations.Rampageis expected to take in $10 million on Friday, including the $2.4 million Thursday haul, which shifts itsopening weekend projectionsto somewhere between $27 million and $28 million.
What’s more, if the projections keep dropping, it will likely debut in second placebehind last weekend’s winner,A Quiet Place, which is looking to put together an impressive second weekend.A Quiet Placeis also expected to earn $10 million on Friday, which puts its second weekend estimate at $33 million, down roughly a third from its $50.2 million opening. If it does cross $33 million this weekend, it will bring the horror-thriller past the $100 million domestic plateau, with the movie currently at $67 million domestic and $92.1 million worldwide, from just a $17 million budget.
Budgeted at a relatively modest $120 million,Rampagewill still need a solid opening weekend to help turn a profit, but the movie is already faring well overseas as well.Rampageis eyeing an impressive $60 million opening weekend in China, although Warner Bros. and New Line only take home between 25% and 27% of the grosses in the Middle Kingdom. Blumhouse’sTruth or Dareis also faring better than expected, eying a Friday tally of $7.5 million, including $750,000 from Thursday previews, en route to an opening weekend between $17.7 million and $18 million.
Rampagehasn’t exactlybeen a hit with criticseither, pulling in a middling 51% on critic aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. And withAvengers: Infinity Warhitting theaters exactly two weeks from today,Rampagewill likely not have the same kind of endurance as Dwayne Johnson’s last blockbuster,Jumanji, which earned over $400 million domestic and $950 million worldwide. you may head over toDeadlinefor their full box office report, and check back Sunday for the top 10 estimates, to see howRampagetruly fares in theaters.
