In the United States, a film's box office gross in its second weekend
of theatrical release is one of several factors used to predict
overall box office performance. Most films experience a decline in box
office gross in its second weekend. If the percentage of the drop is
below the average, it indicates a subpar box office performance for
the rest of its theatrical run. Some films are exceptions that they
perform better in their second weekend of release than on opening
weekend.During a film's theatrical run, its box office performance
generally declines from weekend to weekend. In addition to the film's
opening-weekend gross, the percentage of the change between the
opening weekend and the second weekend is used as a gauge for a film's
commercial success. Assuming that the number of theaters stays the
same, a normal drop in box office gross from the first weekend to the
second would be 40%. A drop of greater than 60% indicates a weak
future performance. Horror films are susceptible to having large drops
in the second weekend and beyond even after a strong opening weekend.
Chris Anderson, in his 2008 book The Long Tail: Why the Future of
Business Is Selling Less of More, said twenty years prior, the average
film experienced a second weekend drop of less than 30% and that the
contemporary drop was now around 50%. Anderson ascribed the change to
moviegoers being able to better identify mediocre and bad films
through more information, both from more reviews and greater
word-of-mouth. Slate in 2012 also reported a steeper drop over the
course of the years. In the 1980s, the average drop was 15.7%, and in
the 1990s, the drop was 21.5%. In 2012, the average drop was 49.1%.The
Los Angeles Times said the second-weekend drop was seasonal in the
United States. Between May and July, the country's summer season,
films have more significant drops than during the rest of the year. It
reported that in May 2014, three opening blockbuster filmsâ€"The
Amazing Spider-Man 2, Godzilla, and X-Men: Days of Future Pastâ€"all
had drops of over 60% where films earlier in the 21st century rarely
had drops that steep. The newspaper cited possible reasons for the
drops: that the films did not "inspire long-term moviegoing", and that
alternative platforms such as Redbox, Netflix, and video on demand
attracted film audiences who missed a film's opening weekend. The
Hollywood Reporter said in 2017, "Generally speaking, a superhero film
can fall 60 percent," highlighting Wonder Woman's second-weekend drop
of 45% as "scant" compared to others in the genre. In 2019, Dark
Phoenix set a new record for the biggest second-weekend box office
drop for a superhero film with 72.6%.The box office website Box Office
Mojo ranks the following films by biggest second weekend drops during
their wide release in the United States, which means screening in at
least 600 theaters. The website bases its ranking on box office
performance data from 1982 onward.
of theatrical release is one of several factors used to predict
overall box office performance. Most films experience a decline in box
office gross in its second weekend. If the percentage of the drop is
below the average, it indicates a subpar box office performance for
the rest of its theatrical run. Some films are exceptions that they
perform better in their second weekend of release than on opening
weekend.During a film's theatrical run, its box office performance
generally declines from weekend to weekend. In addition to the film's
opening-weekend gross, the percentage of the change between the
opening weekend and the second weekend is used as a gauge for a film's
commercial success. Assuming that the number of theaters stays the
same, a normal drop in box office gross from the first weekend to the
second would be 40%. A drop of greater than 60% indicates a weak
future performance. Horror films are susceptible to having large drops
in the second weekend and beyond even after a strong opening weekend.
Chris Anderson, in his 2008 book The Long Tail: Why the Future of
Business Is Selling Less of More, said twenty years prior, the average
film experienced a second weekend drop of less than 30% and that the
contemporary drop was now around 50%. Anderson ascribed the change to
moviegoers being able to better identify mediocre and bad films
through more information, both from more reviews and greater
word-of-mouth. Slate in 2012 also reported a steeper drop over the
course of the years. In the 1980s, the average drop was 15.7%, and in
the 1990s, the drop was 21.5%. In 2012, the average drop was 49.1%.The
Los Angeles Times said the second-weekend drop was seasonal in the
United States. Between May and July, the country's summer season,
films have more significant drops than during the rest of the year. It
reported that in May 2014, three opening blockbuster filmsâ€"The
Amazing Spider-Man 2, Godzilla, and X-Men: Days of Future Pastâ€"all
had drops of over 60% where films earlier in the 21st century rarely
had drops that steep. The newspaper cited possible reasons for the
drops: that the films did not "inspire long-term moviegoing", and that
alternative platforms such as Redbox, Netflix, and video on demand
attracted film audiences who missed a film's opening weekend. The
Hollywood Reporter said in 2017, "Generally speaking, a superhero film
can fall 60 percent," highlighting Wonder Woman's second-weekend drop
of 45% as "scant" compared to others in the genre. In 2019, Dark
Phoenix set a new record for the biggest second-weekend box office
drop for a superhero film with 72.6%.The box office website Box Office
Mojo ranks the following films by biggest second weekend drops during
their wide release in the United States, which means screening in at
least 600 theaters. The website bases its ranking on box office
performance data from 1982 onward.
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