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‘Bone Temple’ Opens Soft as ‘Avatar’ Holds No. 1 in Early MLK Weekend Estimates

Conflicting early tallies underscore the gap from strong reception to soft turnout.

Overview

  • Avatar: Fire and Ash is projected to lead the frame with about $14.4 million for the three-day and $17.6 million for the four-day holiday, according to Dark Horizons and JoBlo.
  • 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is tracking near $13.2 million for the three-day and roughly $15 million for the four-day after a $5.6 million Friday including previews, per Dark Horizons citing Deadline.
  • Industry tracking had forecast around a $20 million debut for Bone Temple, but Deadline’s early read pointed to roughly $13 million for opening weekend.
  • Daily charts diverged from weekend outlooks, with The Numbers (via the New York Post) showing Bone Temple first on Friday at $5.5 million, ahead of Avatar at $3.2 million and a Lord of the Rings rerelease just over $3.16 million.
  • Bone Temple earned strong audience and critic marks (A-minus CinemaScore and about 94% on Rotten Tomatoes), and some coverage notes speculation that Sony could reassess sequel plans or distribution if the start fails to stabilize.