Long Range Forecast: ‘King Arthur: Legend of the Sword’ & ‘Snatched’

This week, our Long Range Forecast is joined by two wide releases slated to open on May 12: King Arthur: Legend of the Sword and Snatched.

Director Guy Ritchie returns with another uniquely stylized period film aiming for mainstream success following 2015’s The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and his very successful two Sherlock Holmes films. Initial trailers have offered up the kind of frenetic energy fans have come to expect from Ritchie’s work, making it well-placed for an early summer release. Timing is crucial, though, and opening against the second weekend of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is the opposite of an enviable task. Much like Ridley Scott’s Robin Hood opened one week after Iron Man 2 in May 2010, Legend of the Sword will be catering mainly to adult male crowds interested in the filmmaker’s take on the classic character.

For the ladies, Amy Schumer returns with her second feature film as the leading star following her success with 2015’s Trainwreck. Goldie Hawn’s motherly role to Schumer’s character should make this an appealing option for mothers and daughters over Mother’s Day weekend. Pre-release buzz at this time is comparable to that of Melissa McCarthy vehicles Tammy and The Boss.

This Week’s Changes & Other Additions

  • CHiPS continues to struggle building buzz ahead of next week’s opening, particularly on Twitter. Its saving grace remains the fact that comedies have been few and far between so far this year, but our expectations remain quite modest.
  • Life has gained a bit of momentum of this week thanks to solid industry tracking and social media activity. Our primary concern for it remains the heavy amount of competition that will still exist in the market when it opens next week.
  • Ghost In the Shell has lost some momentum in overall male and female interest this week, although that could easily be a temporary effect caused by the crowding March market.
  • BH Tilt’s Lowriders is also slated to open on May 12, but we’re holding off on forecasts until its release strategy is confirmed.

Check out our forecasts for these and other upcoming films in the table below.

Release Date Title 3-Day Wide Opening % Chg from Last Week Domestic Total % Chg from Last Week Location Count Distributor
3/24/2017 CHiPS $10,000,000 -26% $31,000,000 -30% 3,000 Warner Bros.
3/24/2017 Life (2017) $16,000,000 14% $50,000,000 7% 3,000 Sony / Columbia
3/24/2017 Power Rangers $38,000,000 $110,000,000 3,800 Lionsgate
3/31/2017 The Boss Baby $24,000,000 $83,000,000 3,800 Fox / DreamWorks Animation
3/31/2017 Ghost in the Shell (2017) $37,000,000 -8% $95,000,000 -10% 3,400 Paramount / DreamWorks
4/7/2017 The Case for Christ $3,500,000 $14,000,000 Pure Flix
4/7/2017 Going In Style (2017) $12,500,000 $49,000,000 Warner Bros. / New Line
4/7/2017 Smurfs: The Lost Village $21,500,000 $78,500,000 Sony / Columbia
4/14/2017 The Fate of the Furious $110,000,000 $264,000,000 Universal
4/14/2017 Spark $3,000,000 $7,500,000 Open Road
4/21/2017 Born in China $5,500,000 $19,000,000 Disneynature
4/21/2017 Free Fire $8,000,000 $24,000,000 A24
4/21/2017 LEAP! $6,000,000 $19,000,000 The Weinstein Company
4/21/2017 The Promise $2,250,000 $4,000,000 Open Road Films
4/21/2017 Unforgettable $10,000,000 $23,500,000 Warner Bros.
4/28/2017 The Circle $13,000,000 $40,000,000 STX Entertainment
4/28/2017 How to Be a Latin Lover $6,500,000 $23,000,000 Lionsgate
4/28/2017 Sleight $5,000,000 $11,000,000 BH Tilt
5/5/2017 Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 $160,000,000 $400,000,000 Disney
5/12/2017 King Arthur: Legend of the Sword $23,000,000 NEW $67,000,000 NEW Warner Bros.
5/12/2017 Lowriders n/a NEW n/a NEW BH Tilt
5/12/2017 Snatched $25,000,000 NEW $85,000,000 NEW Fox

Shawn Robbins, Alex Edghill, and Jesse Rifkin contributed to this report.