In the movie industry, the term “hold at box office” refers to how well a movie’s box office revenue holds up from week to week after its opening weekend. A movie that has good “legs” or holds well will continue to pull in strong ticket sales in subsequent weekends after release. On the other hand, a movie that doesn’t have good legs will see a steep drop-off in revenue after its debut.
Opening Weekend vs Total Gross
A movie’s opening weekend box office take is often very frontloaded, meaning it accounts for a large percentage of the total gross revenue that movie will make during its theatrical run. Big blockbuster tentpole films tend to have huge opening weekends from pent up demand and hype. But the real test is how well the box office holds up in the weeks after release. The goal is for the revenue not to drop too precipitously each weekend.
While opening weekend is important, the total gross indicates the movie’s longevity and profitability over time. Strong holds from weekend-to-weekend shows good word-of-mouth and audience satisfaction. Big opening weekends followed by plummeting revenues in later frames are indicative of a lack of sustainability.
Frontloading Trends
In recent decades, movies have become increasingly frontloaded, with the opening weekend making up a larger portion of the total gross. From the 1980s to 2000s, a movie’s opening weekend would account for around 20-30% on average of its final cume (cumulative total). Nowadays, big blockbusters often earn 40-50% or more of their total haul in the first three days.
This puts extra pressure on films to have massive openings right out of the gate. It also means legs and long-term endurance have become more important factors to track.
What Constitutes Good Legs?
There is no definitive rule for what constitutes a good hold or legs from weekend-to-weekend. Typically, a film showing a drop of 50% or less is considered to be holding well. For example, if a movie opens to $100 million its first weekend, and then makes $50 million its second frame, that would demonstrate good legs with a 50% decline.
Anything under a 50% drop is excellent. Between 50-60% is solid. 60-70% is average or mediocre. And over 70% means poor legs.
Much also depends on context — like the type of film, its budget, genre, release date, and other competition in the marketplace. A small indie film is going to play differently than a massive tentpole release. Horror movies tend to be frontloaded while musicals and rom-coms have more staying power.
Holiday and Summer Legs
Movies released during the crowded summer season or holidays like Christmas tend to have stronger legs because of the constant flow of available moviegoers during those times. People are out of school and flocking to theaters more frequently. Winter and parts of spring tend to have weaker legs since fewer patrons are going to theaters consistently each weekend.
Legs also factor into Oscar seasoning over the fall and winter. Studios want their awards contenders to sustain solid revenues week after week to remain in the public eye during voting periods.
Why Strong Holds Matter
Strong holds and legs are important for several reasons:
- Maximizes overall revenue – Good legs allow a film to continue collecting substantial grosses rather than plummeting quickly.
- Indication of audience satisfaction – Audiences clearly want to see the movie again and tell their friends too.
- Long term profitability – The longer a film can stick around in theaters, the more lucrative it is.
- Buzz and momentum – Good holds keep positive word-of-mouth going.
- Awards consideration – Sustained box office is attractive to Oscar voters.
In today’s hyper competitive marketplace, a movie dropping fast after opening weekend spells trouble. It needs those legs to carry it for weeks, not just days.
Week-to-Week Tracking
Industry observers and analysts closely track the week-to-week holds on box office charts. Variety, Deadline Hollywood, Box Office Mojo and The Numbers all report the weekend percentages routinely. Here is a sample week-to-week hold report:
Weekend Box Office Drops for Movie X
Opening Weekend | $120 million |
Weekend #2 | -53% ($57 million) |
Weekend #3 | -46% ($31 million) |
Weekend #4 | -37% ($19 million) |
In this example, the holds are within respectable ranges and point to decent legs overall.
Factors Impacting Holds
Many factors can influence how well or poorly a movie holds from weekend-to-weekend, including:
Reviews
Critical reviews definitely impact legs. A well-reviewed movie indicates strong quality, satisfied customers, and excellent word-of-mouth potential. Critics can make or break long term prospects.
Competition
New releases definitely steal away audiences week after week. Less competition allows for better holds. A big movie opening against your second or third weekend is bad news.
Marketing
Ongoing marketing keeps a film relevant in the zeitgeist. Studios will often increase advertising again when a movie hits streaming to revive interest.
Audience Reaction
At the end of the day, legs come down to audience word-of-mouth. Are people enjoying the movie enough to go back and recommend it? Satisfaction is key.
Timing of Release
As mentioned before, holiday and summer releases tend to hold better than other parts of the year.
External Events
Situations like bad weather, economic factors, or major world events can negatively disrupt box office legs.
Notable Box Office Legs
Here are some examples of movies with famously good or bad legs:
Titanic
The classic romance epic starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet opened to a solid but not record-breaking $28.6 million in 1997. But thanks to phenomenal reception and repeat viewings (especially among young women), it held week after week and went on to gross an astounding $600 million domestically – still the third highest tally ever. This is a case study in amazing holds and legs.
Avatar
James Cameron’s groundbreaking sci-fi smash Avatar opened to $77 million in 2009 and topped the box office for seven consecutive weekends, holding strong against all newcomers. It ultimately grossed $760 million in North America – partly thanks to the lack of competition over January-March of its run.
The Sixth Sense
M. Night Shyamalan’s thriller was a surprise hit in 1999 based almost entirely on ecstatic word-of-mouth. After opening to a decent $26.6 million, it held remarkably in subsequent frames, even against other new releases. The Sixth Sense made $293 million and averaged just a 22% week-to-week drop – a testament to its incredible legs.
Justice League
The DC Comics superhero team-up film scored a solid $93.8 million debut in 2017. But toxic reviews and poor reception quickly sunk its legs. The movie plummeted an alarming 56% in its second weekend. Justice League faded fast with audiences and closed out with only $229 million domestically.
The Last Airbender
Based on the popular animated series, this fantasy adaptation opened to $40.3 million in 2010. But it was so reviled that it shed a horrific 70% of its audience in week two. The Last Airbender saw week-to-week drops in the 50-60% range and eked out just $131 million in North America. Those are legendarily bad legs.
Conclusion
In summary, the term “hold at the box office” refers to how well a movie’s revenue holds up week-to-week after opening weekend. Strong percentage holds and legs point to satisfied audiences, excellent word-of-mouth, and profitability over time. Whereas big upfront openings followed by huge drops spells trouble. In the blockbuster era, legs and holds have become a vital factor for studios to consider when evaluating movie performance and success.