“Concussion” seventh in U.S. box office with $10.5 million opening weekend

The early financial returns for Concussion aren’t monumental, as the Will Smith-starring film only brought in $11 million in U.S. box office returns on opening weekend. That put it seventh, behind Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Daddy’s Home, Joy, Sisters, Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip, and The Big Short. Daddy’s Home, Joy, and The Big Short were also new releases, so Concussion was fourth amongst new movies. The early returns aren’t great, and that perhaps speaks to some of the issues surrounding this film, including football fans’ debates on whether to see it, controversies about if the movie was altered to avoid NFL backlash, and criticisms of how it portrayed key people and facts. Beyond that, much of this film is somewhat old information to anyone who follows football, and the NFL’s concussion crisis already been extensively covered in more-factual fashion through the reporting of people like Alan Schwarz and the Fainaru brothers, plus PBS’ League of Denial documentary. Does this mean Concussion won’t wind up being a big deal?

It’s probably too early to call Concussion insignificant overall. While this isn’t a tremendous start, some of that’s thanks to factors other than the movie alone. Going up against the new Star Wars (even on its second weekend) is incredibly tough, and a big part of this release date isn’t about maximizing opening weekend, but rather about awards eligibility and voting. Moreover, Concussion had a reported $35 million budget, and while that’s not tiny, it’s not on the level of the estimated $200 million budget for The Force Awakens or even the $60 million budget for Joy. An $11 million U.S. box office start isn’t going to make this movie successful on its own, but it’s not too bad, and if it’s able to pick up some big awards, it might do very well after its theatrical run. It’s notable that Smith has already earned a Golden Globe nomination for best actor in a drama; if he wins there, or if he and the film pick up Oscar nods, Concussion could achieve greater prominence.

Still, these early returns probably aren’t what Concussion‘s producers hoped for, and it’s notable that the movie isn’t exactly creating incredible critical or popular buzz either. It’s drawn some praise for how it presents the story in human terms, but has taken criticism for its tightrope-walk between being harsh on the NFL or not and for the liberties it takes with some facts, and it only has a 60 per cent fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Granted, that’s equal to Sisters and only behind The Force Awakens (97%) and The Big Short (87%) among films ahead of Concussion at the box office, but it’s probably not what the makers of this movie would have liked to see. However, this lack of returns, interest and buzz for the film is probably going over well in the NFL offices. The concussion crisis itself may have drastically affected that league, but, at this point, it doesn’t look like Concussion will have a big impact on them.