By Pamela McClintock
January 4, 2019
The only new nationwide offering this weekend is Sony’s PG-13 thriller Escape Room. The film, costing a modest $9 million to produce, is exceeding expectations with a Friday gross of $7.7 million, including $2.3 million in Thursday previews, for a revised domestic debut of $17.5 million.
If those estimates hold, Escape Room will beat Mary Poppins Returns to come in second (Sony is being more cautious in suggesting $16 million for the weekend). Directed by Adam Robitel, Escape Room, earning a B CinemaScore, follows six strangers who find themselves in immersive escape rooms containing deadly traps.
Writer Bragi Schut is represented by Verve, Realm Management, and attorney Rob Szymanski. Director Adam Robitel is represented by CAA and attorney Rob Szymanski.