Easter weekend is always a holiday, with kids home from school eager to enjoy movies: last year saw three family films open in the top nine, as well as wide-appeal “Captain Marvel” and “Shazam!”
But 21 years ago, Easter weekend broke box office rules. First, it was a ballsy move for Warner Bros. to greenlight the Wachowskis’ original and complex science-fiction actioner “The Matrix” in the first place, much less release the R-rated movie opened on that family holiday.
More from IndieWireBox Office Future: Exhibitors Hope to Reopen in June, Audiences Say Slow Your RollOscar Contenders in 2020 Must Face a Complex and Uncertain Path to Success
But the risk paid off. The eye-popping movie starring Keanu Reeves ended up blowing away all previous grosses for the holiday weekend (without counting Wednesday opening results). All told, “The Matrix” took in nearly $68 million for its first five days (in adjusted gross). Even the...
But 21 years ago, Easter weekend broke box office rules. First, it was a ballsy move for Warner Bros. to greenlight the Wachowskis’ original and complex science-fiction actioner “The Matrix” in the first place, much less release the R-rated movie opened on that family holiday.
More from IndieWireBox Office Future: Exhibitors Hope to Reopen in June, Audiences Say Slow Your RollOscar Contenders in 2020 Must Face a Complex and Uncertain Path to Success
But the risk paid off. The eye-popping movie starring Keanu Reeves ended up blowing away all previous grosses for the holiday weekend (without counting Wednesday opening results). All told, “The Matrix” took in nearly $68 million for its first five days (in adjusted gross). Even the...
- 4/5/2020
- by Tom Brueggemann
- Indiewire
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