‘Primate’ Leads Previews With $1.4M; ‘Greenland 2: Migration’ $900K As ‘Avatar: Fire And Ash’ Passes $321M – Box Office

Paramount/18Hz’s Primate rang up $1.4M from both Thursday night showtimes and previous previews. Meanwhile, Lionsgate/STX’s Greenland 2: Migration did $900K. Triple note on that Gerard Butler movie, Canada isn’t going this weekend. Primate and Greenland 2 were forecasted between $8M-$10M heading into this weekend.

Despite the entry of two older male skewing titles, Avatar: Fire and Ash is expected to hold onto No. 1 in its fourth weekend with $20M-$22M. The James Cameron-directed threequel grossed $2.5M yesterday ending its third week at $55M for a running cume of $321.2M.

The Johannes Roberts’ directed, Walter Hamada-produced $24M Primate opens today in 2,964 locations. Internationally, the film opens this week in 26 markets including Mexico. That 90% fresh Rotten Tomatoes critics’ score has simmered down to 78% fresh, which is still notable for an R-rated horror movie. Oz Perkins’ The Monkey last year had a 77% certified fresh RT score in films reviews. Speaking of which, Primate‘s previews are about $500K shy of Monkey‘s $1.9M previews (which turned into a $5.8M Friday/previews and $14M opening).

Butler’s Lionsgate movie from a year ago, Den of Thieves: Pantera, did $1.35M in previews before a $5.7M Friday and $15M No. 1 debut. The first Greenland was 77% certified fresh with audiences during the pandemic (remember, it only got a PVOD play) and part 2 is lower at 59%. Greenland 2 was made for $90M, but Lionsgate only took U.S. for $10M. Elevation will be releasing the sequel in Canada as PVOD via Amazon.

Per Comscore, 76% of colleges are on break today, a number which declines to 42% on Monday, but spikes back up to 94% the following Monday on the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday in addition to K-12 being 94% on break.

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