Why is the opening weekend of a movie important? If a movie is a mega-hit on opening weekend, it's destined to be a box office superstar. Read More

What Makes a Film Have a Great Opening Weekend?

Is there a recipe for a great opening weekend for a movie? Is opening weekend as important as we think it is? If a movie has a great opening weekend, is it destined to be a mega-hit?

We answer all your burning questions about what makes a successful movie have a great opening weekend, and more. Read on.

What does “opening weekend” mean in film?

What does “opening weekend” really mean and is it a direct indicator for the most successful movies? As the name suggests, opening weekend is the term used for the first weekend that a film shown on screen at the cinema. In other words, the first weekend that the film is open to the public. Opening weekend is mainly used as a phrase in film but can be used for other artistic productions like theatre, music and dance too.

What is the recipe for a great opening weekend?

What did the most successful films do on their opening weekends to make them great? We look at what makes a successful film, well, successful, on opening weekend;

Marketing Hype

Creating excitement and anticipation about a film beforehand can help drive audiences to the box office on opening weekend.Of course, movies made by large film companies have access to much larger marketing budgets,  allowing them to make a lot more media fuss before opening weekend.

But even indie films can use social media platforms and other marketing avenues to drive word out about their film and gather a following before the cinema doors open.

Budget vs Gross

One of the major factors in determining whether a movie has had a great opening weekend or not, is how much money it made. Taking into account how much the movie cost to make versus how much it grossed at the box office in the first three days.

The trend is that most movies make one third of their profits during opening weekend, so the school of thought is that if the film has a whopping opening weekend, chances are it’s going to gross a large amount over its lifespan at the box office.

Successful low budget movies can do really well if their opening weekend has been good. In financial terms it comes down to spend versus income, and if the budget is small but the gross earnings are large on opening weekend, it means success.

International Appeal

Making money at the box office on opening weekend can lead to more hits in terms of international sales. Generally, worldwide trends in box office hits take their lead from the US market. If a film does really well in that market, it tends to be a heavier hitter in other international markets around the world then too. A good opening weekend can also drum up more interest on streaming channels and in TV sales too.

Not always the ‘be-all-end-all’ indicator

Even though opening weekend is important, it’s not always the only predictor for success. For example, James Cameron’s Avatar didn’t shatter records on its opening weekend in the US, but went on to become one of the highest grossing films ever.