‘Good Boys’ Delivers Rare Racy Comedy to Top of Box Office

(Bloomberg) -- “Good Boys,” Universal Pictures’ R-rated comedy about sixth-graders trying to make it to their first “kissing party,” lured enough adults to theaters to knock “Hobbs & Shaw” from its perch atop the box office and lead a busy weekend marked by several new releases.

• “Good Boys” brought in an estimated $21.4 million from U.S. and Canadian theaters, researcher Comscore Inc. said Monday, helped by positive reviews from 80% of critics on Rotten Tomatoes. Analysts were projecting $12 million to $15.6 million. The film outdrew other new movies, including “The Angry Birds Movie 2,” from Sony Pictures.

Key Insights

• R-rated comedies have become rarer in recent years and seldom open in No. 1 because of age restrictions. Universal, part of Comcast Corp., spent a modest $20 million making “Good Boys” and won’t face a high hurdle for profitability.
• The burden may be heavier for the “Angry Birds” sequel, which cost $65 million to make. The film brought in $10.4 million in its first weekend. Analysts were projecting $12 million to $13.8 million. The first “Angry Birds” movie, released in 2016, went on to generate $352.3 million in ticket sales globally.
• In second place, “Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw” brought in $14.2 million in its third weekend. Analysts were forecasting as much as $13.7 million.
• A total of five new films opened in wide release, marking the last busy weekend as the summer movie season draws to a close. The other new films include:
  • “47 Meters Down: Uncaged,” a shark thriller from Entertainment Studios. The film brought in $8.4 million.
  • “Blinded by the Light,” a Warner Bros. film about a British teen who’s influenced by Bruce Springsteen. The film brought in $4.3 million.
  • “Where’d You Go, Bernadette,” featuring Cate Blanchett in a United Artists Releasing film about a mom who rekindles her creative passions. It opened outside the top 10.
• Theaters finished the weekend with 2019 box-office sales down 6.4% from a year earlier. Sales from the weekend’s top 10 films fell 12% from a year ago.

Get More

• See the weekend release schedule here.
• See Box Office Pro’s long-range forecast

To contact the reporter on this story: Hailey Waller in New York at hwaller@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: James Ludden at jludden@bloomberg.net, Rob Golum, Kevin Miller

©2019 Bloomberg L.P.