Midnight has proven very kind to the fairest of them all. Snow White of the Huntsman drummed up just under $1.4 million worth of business upon its late night debut at 1092 theaters. Such a result indicates that the movie may actually perform better than Men in Black III as some are quick to point out that the latest MiB installment only posted $180k more with roughly two times the screens. Memorial Day weekend may ultimately be the difference maker here as $54 million is what Barry Sonnenfeld’s sci-fi comedy posted for its first three days of release. Snow White looks to be about $10 million lower thanks to a less busy Sunday at the box office and the absence of 3D.
Such a performance may sound impressive, but it really is not considering the high hopes Universal once had for Rupert Sanders’ directorial debut. A cast with Charlize Theron, Kristen Stewart, and Chris Hemsworth looked solid enough to launch a full-on blockbuster franchise, but it under delivered with reviewers which indicates that buzz may be nixed fairly on in the film’s theatrical run. A $170 million price tag should help the studio sleep at night though because it is far from the cost of other major releases put out there these past few months. Profitability for this one looks to be a certainty pending a monumental collapse of buzz mid-weekend.
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That said, expect more talk to surface in regards to Snow White and the Huntsman’s sequel. We already know that Kristen Stewart is on board from comments made to the press, but word has it that Universal may be looking to spin-off The Huntsman character played by Chris Hemsworth. Such a scenario might not play out well with fans of the original as the fantasy flick’s Lord of the Rings‘ ensemble elements would instantly go away should Stewart and Sam Claflin be scratched from the franchise roster.