Level 1 - Absolute Beginner
A new horror movie called Other Mommy won the weekend at the movies. It made 27.5 million dollars in the United States and Canada.
Critics did not like it. Only 18 percent of reviews on one website were good. But many people still bought tickets.
The movie cost about 19 million dollars to make. This means the studio is already making money.
- box office
- the money a movie earns from tickets
- critic
- a person who gives opinions on movies
- review
- a written opinion about a movie
- ticket
- a paper or code that lets you enter
- studio
- a company that makes movies
- horror
- a scary kind of story
- weekend
- Saturday and Sunday
- cost
- how much money something needs
Level 2 - Elementary
Other Mommy topped the North American box office this weekend with an opening of 27.5 million dollars from 3,365 theaters, according to studio estimates. The result beat expectations even though the movie has an 18 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes and a D plus CinemaScore from audiences.
Overseas it added 17.69 million dollars in 50 markets, for a worldwide total of 45.19 million dollars. With a production budget of around 19 million dollars, the Universal release is already a profitable start.
Verity from Amazon MGM was second with 11.48 million dollars in its second weekend, a drop of 64 percent. Resident Evil was third with 8.35 million, Brad Pitt's survival thriller Heart of the Beast was fourth with 7.1 million, and The Social Reckoning opened to 5.5 million.
- estimate
- a number that is close but not final
- opening
- the first weekend a movie is shown
- theater
- a building where people watch movies
- expectation
- what people think will happen
- audience
- the people who watch something
- production budget
- money planned for making a movie
- profitable
- making more money than it costs
- drop
- a fall in a number
Level 3 - Intermediate
Universal's horror release Other Mommy took first place at the North American box office with a 27.5 million dollar debut across 3,365 theaters, according to studio estimates released on Sunday. The figure surpassed pre-weekend predictions despite an 18 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a D plus CinemaScore.
Abroad, the film grossed 17.69 million dollars in 50 markets, lifting its global haul to 45.19 million dollars. Against a production budget of roughly 19 million dollars, that makes for a comfortably profitable opening.
Behind it, Amazon MGM's Verity collected 11.48 million dollars in its second weekend, sliding 64 percent from its debut. Resident Evil took third with 8.35 million dollars, Brad Pitt's survival thriller Heart of the Beast followed with 7.1 million, and The Social Reckoning opened with 5.5 million dollars. The pattern, a harshly reviewed genre film opening big and fading fast, is common with horror titles.
- debut
- the first appearance of something
- surpass
- to go beyond
- approval rating
- the share of positive reviews
- gross
- to earn money before costs
- haul
- a total amount collected
- comfortably
- easily
- slide
- to go down steadily
- genre
- a type of film such as horror
Level 4 - Advanced
Universal's low budget horror entry Other Mommy commandeered the North American box office with a 27.5 million dollar opening from 3,365 locations, studio estimates showed on Sunday, outstripping forecasts even as critics savaged it to the tune of an 18 percent Rotten Tomatoes score and audiences issued a D plus CinemaScore.
Its overseas run of 17.69 million dollars across 50 markets lifted the global tally to 45.19 million dollars, a formidable return against a production budget of about 19 million dollars. In an industry where marketing outlays often double a film's cost, that arithmetic suggests the studio has little to fear from the poor reception.
Further down the chart, Amazon MGM's Verity earned 11.48 million dollars in its second frame, a precipitous 64 percent decline. Resident Evil placed third with 8.35 million dollars and Brad Pitt's survival thriller Heart of the Beast fourth with 7.1 million, while The Social Reckoning debuted modestly at 5.5 million dollars. The weekend again showed that a recognizable horror premise can overpower hostile reviews, though a D plus audience grade warns of a steep second weekend drop.
- commandeer
- to take control of something
- outstrip
- to do better than
- savage
- to criticize very harshly
- tally
- a total count
- formidable
- impressive and strong
- outlay
- money spent on something
- precipitous
- very steep or sudden
- premise
- the basic idea of a story
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