Two weeks ago I wrote about Johannes Roberts‘ shark thriller 47 Meters Down overperforming in theaters. I reported that it was doing triple expectations and could hit somewhere between $25-30 million over its entire theatrical run. Well, Entertainment Studios’ Freestyle Media’s insane risk is paying off in a big way as the box office numbers continue to swim upstream. Exhibitor Relations took note that the Mandy Moore and Claire Holt starrer had the best hold of any film in the top 10 this weekend, dipping just -34%. In fact, it’s now pulled in an estimated $32.5M domestic gross, with its theatrical life now projecting in the $40M range! This is astounding for an independent production that was just going to be dumped on home video at this time last year. While it’s unclear what the budget and marketing spend were, a high estimation would be around $15M, meaning that the film has reached the black here in the States without counting international and home video sales. This could be one of the biggest indie genre successes of the year.
This excellent thriller that stars Mandy Moore and Claire Holt (read our interview with both) who are trapped in a cage at the bottom of the ocean.
“On the rebound after a devastating break-up, Lisa (Many Moore) is ready for adventure while on vacation in Mexico. Even still, she needs a little extra persuasion when her daring sister Kate (Claire Holt) suggests they go shark diving with some locals. Once underwater in a protective cage, Lisa and Kate catch a once in a lifetime, face-to-face look at majestic Great Whites. But when their worst fears are realized and the cage breaks away from their boat, they find themselves plummeting to the bottom of the seabed, too deep to radio for help without making themselves vulnerable to the savage sharks, their oxygen supplies rapidly dwindling.”
