“Michael,” the movie, is moonwalking all over the place.
On Monday, after the incredible start, “Michael” dropped 70% in receipts.
On Tuesday, fans wrote to me because box office rose 44% and spiked at $11 million. The social media types kept exclaiming it set a record for a Tuesday in an even numbered year during a full moon.
But yesterday the biopic fell back to the $7 million range, down 36%.
The fact is, “Michael” is very front loaded. How it will do this weekend it still in debate, with “Devil Wears Prada 2” coming in hot PR wise. Will “Michael” hold on to the lead?
“Prada” is probably even more front loaded. Whoever wants to see it will do this weekend. There are estimates of an $80 million weekend. But reviews have been mixed to not good, giving “Prada” a 75% on Rotten Tomatoes. The problem is, many reviewers who assigned a “fresh” to “Prada” were just vamping. The reviews are actually kind of negative for the movie, but everyone loves the cast.
Front loading is the new trend for movies with flashy wrapping and hollow insides. These surging weekends lead to calmer followup.
We’ll see how “Michael” and “Prada” do tonight.
