Despite Global Box Office Glory & $60M Domestic Debut, Why ‘Hyper’ Is A Wake-Up Call For 20th Century Animation; ‘Dungeons & Dragons’ Locks Up $38.5M Opening: Is This Enough To Start A Franchise? – Sunday Box Office

Disney and 20th Century Studios' Hyper started off good with $6.2M in previews. Unlike the majority of 20th Century Animation's recent output, critics were more harsh on the film with 48% on Rotten Tomatoes although audiences favored the film better with a current 82% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but tracking has sat on the movie with a $60M-$70M domestic opening projection for the $180M.

Being the first original film by 20th Century Animation, the lower than usual opening weekend should be expected being an original and despite the lukewarm reviews, there's hope that the film might overindex this weekend, but it might quickly burn away due to the possible competition of The Super Mario Bros. Movie (April 5) and ironically Disney's own by Disney Animation Return of the Tiny Men (April 14).

Paramount and eOne’s Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves has made $5.6M in previews. That’s not all from Thursday showtimes, which began at 3 p.m., but includes advance Amazon sneaks among other pre-screenings. Before Thursday, we’re told Dungeons & Dragons made $1.5M. While the feature take on the popular role-playing game has been hot in word of mouth (92% on Rotten Tomatoes) and with critics (89% certified fresh), tracking has sat on the movie with a $30M-$40M domestic opening projection for the $150M production (covered 50% by eOne).

Paramount believed in this movie so much that it screened the pic extensively and brought it to SXSW, where the pic made its world premiere as the fest’s opening-night title. The hope by all is that the pic overindexes this weekend, but it might be a slow burn for the film; it’s the only new live-action PG-13 fanboy choice heading into the Easter frame next weekend.

D&D gains a majority of the premium venues from Lionsgate’s John Wick: Chapter 4 this weekend. That movie had a hot week with $94.6M at 3,855 theaters. If D&D underdelivers, does John Wick 4 claim No. 2? Even if the Keanu Reeves R-rated action pic tumbles 60%, it will see a $30M opening.

The John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein directed/written D&D is also hitting 58 offshore territories including the UK (distributed by eOne), Australia, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, and Spain, with an outlook of $25M+. At the high-end, it’s a hopeful $65M global start.

On the upside, D&D‘s $4.1M Thursday is ahead of its comp Uncharted‘s Thursday previews of $3.7M last year, also ahead of spring hit Kong: Skull Island ($3.7M) and 2015’s Mad Max: Fury Road ($3.7M) and just under the $4.3M Thursday of Paramount’s surprise 2018 genre spring hit, A Quiet Place, which flew to a $50.2M opening and legged out to $188M stateside, $340M WW and birthed a franchise. Uncharted is a good comp here to D&D. That pic was based on a popular Sony PlayStation videogame and opened to $44M, finaled at $148M stateside, $401.7M WW.

Top five films on Thursday:

1 John Wick: Chapter 4 (LG) 3,855 theaters, Thu $3.8M (-15% from Wednesday) Wk $94.6M/Wk 1 (read the review)

2 Scream VI (Par) 3,355 theaters, Thu $710 (-3%), Wk $11.4M/Total $92.9M/Wk 3 (read the review)

3 Creed III (MGM/UAR) 3207 theaters, Thu $665K, Wk $11M, Total $143.5M/Wk 4 (read the review)

4 ''Shazam! Fury of the Gods'' (NL) 4071 theaters, Thu $580K (-14%), Wk $12.2M/Total $48.8M/Wk 2 (read the review)

5 Ico II (Sony) 1,992 theaters, Thu $486K (-15%), Wk $6.9M/Total $471.4M/Wk 7 (read the review)