‘Tom & Jerry’ scores second-best box office weekend of the pandemic

NEW YORK —  Optimists could read the weekend box-office results Sunday as an inkling of a recovery for pandemic-hit movie theaters, as Warner Bros.’ live-action/animation hybrid “Tom & Jerry” premiered with an estimated $13.7 million in ticket sales, the best domestic opening of the year.

The better-than-expected numbers from 2,475 cinemas in the U.S. and Canada came despite the film’s simultaneous streaming on HBO Max for a month and despite ongoing COVID-19 closures. Just 42% of U.S. theaters are open, according to data firm Comscore.

Yet “Tom & Jerry” still managed the second-best opening of the pandemic following Warner Bros.’ “Wonder Woman 1984,” which launched with $16.7 million in December while also landing on HBO Max. The next closest debuts — “Tenet” and “The Croods: A New Age” — each eked out about $10 million on opening weekend.

“With half of theaters still closed, the pandemic still a threat and ‘Tom & Jerry’ available at home, this is a very good opening,” said David A. Gross, who runs the movie consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research. “Under normal circumstances, this weekend would comfortably be above $35 million — a positive sign for the business and for theatrical’s pull over home entertainment.”

“Tom & Jerry” also has made $25.1 million internationally, bringing its worldwide total to $38.8 million, according to studio estimates. The film, directed by Tim Story and based on the characters created by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, stars Chloë Grace Moretz.

Theaters in some crucial markets are about to come online. On Friday, New York City theaters will be allowed to open at 25% capacity for the first time since they closed last March.

Also next week, Disney launches the animated “Raya and the Last Dragon” in theaters and on Disney+ for $30, on top of the subscription cost.

Though Warner Bros. was criticized by some for abandoning movie theaters when it announced plans to send all of its 2021 films to HBO Max as well as cinemas, the studio is a lifeline to theaters. Warner Bros. films — including “The Little Things,” “Judas and the Black Messiah” and “Wonder Woman 1984” — accounted for about 80% of domestic ticket sales over the weekend.

Private rental bookings are helping the modest return of moviegoing. Family, friends and “pods” have booked an entire theater. Warner Bros. said “Tom & Jerry” has already seen more than 10,000 such bookings.