Published Apr. 6, 2022
Synopsis
Distributor: Universal | Release Date: 4/22/22 | Run Time: 100 Minutes
After a lifetime of legendary heists, notorious criminals Mr. Wolf, Mr. Snake, Mr. Piranha, Mr. Shark and Ms. Tarantula are finally caught. To avoid a prison sentence, the animal outlaws must pull off their most challenging con yet -- becoming model citizens.
Screening Notes
Universal has become pretty darn good at releasing some really fun animated content…Sing, Boss Baby, Secret Life of Pets, How to Train Your Dragon, Minions! These franchises have grossed over $2.5B domestically and $7.0B worldwide.
Now, enter The Bad Guys. It’s an original film without the brand equity of an established franchise, opening just two (2) weeks after Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (which looks to open in the $50M range), so it has a couple of real-world challenges to wrestle with. But this is a very fun movie with likeable characters, a couple of good storylines, witty banter and eye-appealing animation…think an animated Ocean’s Eleven, starring a wolf and his gang. This group of “bad guys” should generate several sequels.
Boxoffice Estimate
Despite the lack of familiarity and potentially opening in the shadow of Sonic 2, it’s been a long couple of months since Sing 2 and Encanto, so demand for children’s entertainment is high, and COVID cases have declined considerably, resulting in a significant increase in parent’s comfort level with moviegoing. Also, the next animated title doesn’t hit screens until five (5) week’s later with Bob’s Burgers (5/27)!
My modeling lands at an opening weekend totaling $14.5, with a range between $13M and $16M. However, what’s really exciting is that the opening weekend multiple for recent comparative titles averages an impressive +4x…leading me to estimate a total gross between $54M and $67M; gotta love that animated titles tend to hold strong for weeks post-opening!
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