• by Wayne Friedman , March 16, 2020

Theatrical movies sank a massive 46% in box-office revenues from the March 13 to March 15 weekend versus the previous week -- pulling in $54.3 million, according to IMDb’s Box Office Mojo. Movie-goers are slowing down their attendance, due to virus concerns.

Looking at the combine gross of top 10 movies -- $50.35 million -- it was the worst-performing weekend since 1995.

The top movie was Walt Disney’s “Onward” pulling in $10.5 million, down from its $39 million opening week; Lionsgate’s “I Still Believe,” at $9.5 million; and Sony Pictures’ “Bloodshot” at $9.3 million

Since the start of the year, box-office revenues were down 6.7% from a year ago to $1.78 billion. Season-to-date box-office revenues are also down 25% versus 2018 results; 20% (2017); ane 20% (2016).

A number of movie companies have shifted some major franchises films to later in the year, hoping movie-goers will return in bigger numbers. That's especially critical in the high-performing summer period, which begins around the Memorial Day weekend in May.