The Cat in the Hat has settled at $20,002,705 for its North American opening weekend, according to the final figures on Box Office Mojo — a touch below the $20.5 million studio estimate carried in Sunday’s reporting and in yesterday’s post, but still a clear second place behind Godzilla Minus Zero. The Warner Bros. animated Dr. Seuss feature took the money from 4,003 theatres, the widest release of the weekend, for a per-theatre average of $4,996.
The final figure is a better result than the $18 million early estimate carried in yesterday’s reporting before the weekend closed, but it is still well short of the $30 million to $35 million its tracking suggested earlier in the autumn. The film’s global total stands at $30.5 million, with just over $10 million from 60 international markets, according to Animation Magazine. Most of Europe does not open until next month, so the overseas figure has room to grow — but the domestic opening is the number that matters, and it leaves the film with work to do.
A long slide from autumn tracking
The Cat’s tracking has fallen a long way. Earlier in the autumn it was projected at $30 million to $35 million for its opening weekend. BoxOffice Pro’s final pre-release range was $15 million to $20 million, and the film has landed at the very top of that range on the final count — $20,002,705, a whisker above $20 million.
The studio had projected a $20 million opening, according to Deadline’s weekend reporting, and is counting on word of mouth to carry the film through Thanksgiving and into December. Audiences have given it an A CinemaScore, which supports that hope — but the reviews have not helped. The film sits at 48 percent on Rotten Tomatoes from 48 critics, according to Animation Magazine, with a Metacritic score of 47.
The budget problem
The film’s reported budget is $86 million before marketing, according to BoxOffice Pro data cited by Brueggemann, or $92 million, according to Animation Magazine — either way, a $20 million opening leaves it needing a long run to make its money back. BoxOffice Pro notes it could open on par with, or even below, Coyote vs. Acme, which debuted at $15.9 million.
The film is directed by Alessandro Carloni and Erica Rivinoja and is Warner Bros. Pictures Animation’s first fully animated Dr. Seuss feature, with Bill Hader voicing the Cat. It is the only major family animation in the market, and it has no direct animated competition until Disney’s Hexed arrives on November 25. That clear lane is its best hope: it carries one of the most recognisable children’s characters in the world, it has the family audience to itself for nearly three weeks, and its A CinemaScore points to audiences liking it far more than critics did.
