Audiences can feel the love for the Valentine’s Day-themed horror film Heart Eyes as the dark, comedic slasher hacks into $1.1M in Thursday previews at the box office. The Josh Ruben-directed bloodbath leads a sleepy Super Bowl weekend at the cinema, though we expect Heart Eyes to earn close to $12 million by the end of the sports-centric weekend. Heart Eyes stars Jordana Brewster (Furious 7, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning), Olivia Holt (Cloak & Dagger, Same Kind of Different as Me), Mason Gooding (Scream VI, Fall), and Devon Sawa (Final Destination, Idel Hands), and focuses on the “Heart Eyes Killer,” who wreaks havoc on Valentine’s Day by stalking and murdering romantic couples. It’s a splatter horror whodunnit with laughs and spurting arteries. In other words, it’s the perfect Valentine’s Day treat!
Universal and 87North‘s Love Hurts, starring Oscar-winner Ke Huy Quan (Everything Everywhere All At Once, The Goonies) and Ariana DeBose (West Side Story, Kraven the Hunter), launched with $850K, markedly less than the studio hoped for. In Love Hurts, a realtor (Ke Huy Quan) is pulled back into the life he left behind after his former partner-in-crime resurfaces with an ominous message. With his crime-lord brother also on his trail, he must confront his past and the history he never fully buried. The action-packed film features Quan performing more martial arts, allowing him to live out his stunt performer dreams.
Heart Eyes and Love Hurts began previews at 2 p.m. in around 2,600 locations. Both movies occupy a portion of PLF screens, which could help them bring more bucks home before the weekend totals roll in. While Heart Eyes reviews positively with an 85% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, Love Hurts isn’t making critics’ hearts pitter-pat with its 23% Rotten score. The budget for both films sits at the $18M mark, giving them a fair shot at earning their money back and then some.
Finally, Dreamworks Animation’s Dog Man is sure to take the top spot at the box office again with an estimated $20M.
Will you go to the cinema this weekend? I hope to see Love Hurts tomorrow night despite its lukewarm reception. Let us know your weekend plans in the comments section below.
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