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The Weeknd recently scored another hugely successful album with Hurry Up Tomorrow. The R&B and pop superstar dropped the full-length in late January of this year. Months later, a feature-length film of the same name arrives in theaters. While the music was another commercial smash for the Grammy winner, the movie doesn't appear to be shaping up to become the win he was surely hoping for.
According to Deadline, Hurry Up Tomorrow is projected to gross between $5 million and $9 million in its opening weekend. Early Wednesday screenings -- previews aimed at superfans -- brought in about $1 million.
The film has been compared to the recent comedy Death of a Unicorn in terms of general public awareness. That title opened with just under $6 million and ultimately grossed $13 million in North America during its run in theaters.
Hurry Up Tomorrow reportedly cost $15 million to produce. That sum was reportedly funded by Live Nation. It's possible the film could make that amount back during its limited run in theaters, although the figure doesn't account for additional expenses like marketing. With an opening-weekend gross expected to come in under $10 million, it doesn't seem like the musical project will become a breakout commercial win.
The Weeknd's star power is helping drive interest in Hurry Up Tomorrow, as is the music that soundtracks the project. The Canadian musician co-wrote, co-produced, and co-stars in the film. Also attached are Jenna Ortega and Academy Award-nominated actor Barry Keoghan.
Despite the notable names involved, Hurry Up Tomorrow is expected to come in behind new arrival Final Destination: Bloodlines, which will likely become the top new arrival in the movie industry this framer. The Weeknd's new effort will also likely end up trailing behind popular holdovers like Sinners and Thunderbolts. Both of those films recently held the No. 1 spot at the U.S. box office.
Hurry Up Tomorrow - the musical LP - currently appears on five of Billboard's albums charts. It's only still present inside the top 10 on a pair of genre-specific tallies, though. After debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, it has since fallen fairly regularly. At the moment, it sits at No. 27, which is not exactly an inspiring position from which to launch a feature film.