The dead period at the box office rolls on, with more small and genre releases looking this weekend to make up for the slowest slate in many months.
That includes the first release from a major studio in a few weeks: The Woman King (NYSE:SONY), an 1820s historical epic starring Viola Davis, drew $1.7M in Thursday previews and is tracking toward an opening in the double-digit millions, which may be enough to help the span avoid the low-mark fate of recent weekends.
The Woman King is bowing in 3,700 theaters, including premium formats.
It's up against some horror counterprogramming with A24's Pearl, a prequel to March film X that should bring at least a few million.
Also in wide release are some films with smaller aspirations. UP2U Films' Running the Bases is a faith-based sports entry, and IFC thriller God's Country stars Thandiwe Newton as a college professor dealing with threatening trespassers.
Joining the re-release train this weekend is 1988's Tucker: The Man and His Dream, the biography of automaker Preston Tucker starring Jeff Bridges and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. And director Kevin Smith goes back to the well with a 1,200-theater limited run for Clerks III, a sequel to his 1994 comedy.
Still holding their breath for the return of bigger movies in October are the exhibitor stocks: AMC Entertainment (AMC); Cineworld; Cinemark (CNK); (IMAX); Marcus (MCS); Reading International (RDI); Cineplex (CGX:CA); National CineMedia (NCMI).