MIDNIGHT SPECIAL

Midnight Special was majority financed by Warner Bros with additional coin by RatPac Dune for a modest $18 million.  The picture was completed back in 2014 and was set for a wide release over the crowded 2015 Thanksgiving frame, but Warner Bros pushed the November 25 date back to March 18, 2016.  WB decided to platform Midnight Special, opening the well reviewed pic at 5 locations in New York, L.A. and Austin, where it pulled in a $190,012 with a solid $38,002 per screen average.  Warner Bros planned to expand Midnight Special over the upcoming weeks and rely on word of mouth to carry the picture as they added more markets.  In its third frame it expanded to 58 theaters and took in $550,384 with a $9,489 per screen average.  In its fourth weekend WB expanded it to 493 theaters and spent $6.68 million (as per iSpotTV) on national TV ads, plus millions more on print, radio, online, etc.  Midnight Special grossed $1,130,207 and then expanded to 521 theaters with diminishing returns, sinking 61.8% to $431,251 — killing off a further expansion.  It promptly lost most of its theater count and closed its run with only $3,712,282.  Warner Bros would see back about $2 million after theaters take their percentage of the gross.

Midnight Special has seen a small overseas rollout to just $3.1 million.  The UK and France has comprised the majority of its offshore numbers.  Entertainment distributed the pic in the UK and opened it wide in 400 theaters and it has cumed only $1.3 million.  WB released it in France to $1.4 million.