With the 2025 holiday season officially over (bummer, I know), we’re heading into what’s generally considered a dump month: January. Besides Martin Luther King Jr. Weekend, which has 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple opening, the month is more or less filled with lower-key action movies and genre titles. Some will make money, some won’t—but the good news for the holiday movies that came out over the last few weeks is that the playing field is pretty open for them to keep printing money.

Avatar: Fire and Ash Continues Its Dominance

Case in point: James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire and Ash. Despite the holidays grinding to a halt, the movie made a strong $40 million this weekend (about what we predicted), breaking the $300 million mark domestically and becoming the fourth consecutive James Cameron movie to gross a billion dollars worldwide.

While Greenland: Migration and Primate should do fine next weekend, it’s unlikely either of them will be able to keep Avatar: Fire and Ash from at least one more weekend on top. The film is likely to cross $400–450 million domestically, which—although short of the $688 million earned by Avatar: The Way of Water—is still a very strong result.

Zootopia 2 and The Housemaid Power Through January

Disney’s Zootopia 2 also proved to be a huge performer, with the holiday period allowing it to rocket back up the charts to second place. It earned $19 million this weekend and crossed $363 million domestically.

Another big success story is The Housemaid. While some thought Sydney Sweeney’s popularity had tapered off after being overexposed, that’s clearly not the case. The film has become the second-biggest hit of the holidays after Avatar, making $14.8 million this weekend—down only 3% from last week—for a strong $75.7 million domestic total. A finish in the $100 million-plus range seems likely.

Counterprogramming Successes and Mid-Tier Performers

Another movie that’s done very well over the holidays is A24’s Marty Supreme, which—thanks to the star power of Timothée Chalamet and director Josh Safdie—has become a counterprogramming hit. It grossed $12.5 million this weekend for a $56 million total.

It’s performing similarly to Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu, which was another solid counterprogramming hit last Christmas. (Eggers is hoping lightning strikes twice with Werwulf next Christmas.)

Sony’s Anaconda meta-reboot has performed decently but had much of its audience stolen by The Housemaid. It finished in fifth place this weekend with $10 million, bringing its domestic total to $45 million.

Family Films, Prestige Titles, and Late-Run Holdovers

Family fare started to taper off this weekend, with the latest SpongeBob movie making $8.2 million for a $57 million domestic total. It was overplayed throughout the holidays by Angel Studios’ David, which made $8 million this weekend for a $70 million total. It’s now the studio’s second-highest-grossing movie after Sound of Freedom.

Sadly, the pretty decent Focus release Song Sung Blue hasn’t found much of an audience. Despite the combined star power of Kate Hudson and Hugh Jackman, it made $5.8 million this weekend for a $25 million haul, although it has still performed better than most prestige releases this year.

Wicked: For Good came in ninth place with $3.2 million and a $339 million domestic total, while Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 wrapped up its run with $2.7 million and a very strong $125 million total.

What Was the Best Holiday Release of 2025?

What do you think the best holiday release was this year? Let us know in the comments.

The post Weekend Box Office: Avatar and The Housemaid post amazing holds appeared first on JoBlo.

This weekend it grossed $64 million, which is only a 28% week-to-week decline, for a hefty $217 million domestic tally. Internationally, it’s been a juggernaut, with the film bound to pass the $600 million mark worldwide by the end of the weekend. While it may not equal the success of the last two films, given the way the industry has crashed in recent years, it’s a stretch to think of Avatar: Fire and Ash as anything but a hit, with its performance likely justifying at least one more film in the franchise for Disney and 20th Century Studios. Just as we predicted, the franchise is still clearly a global cash cow.

Zootopia 2 and Prestige Counterprogramming Win Big

Second place at the weekend box office proved to be a surprise, with Disney’s Zootopia 2 actually making 35% more this weekend than last, earning $20 million and bringing its domestic total to a hefty $321 million. Overseas, it’s closing in on the $1.5 billion mark.

A24 also scored one of the only prestige movie hits of the year, with Marty Supreme nailing third place with $17.5 million. Thanks to its brisk box office on Christmas Day, it’s crossed the $28 million mark, performing similarly to Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu, another counterprogramming hit last year. Expect star Timothée Chalamet’s box-office cachet to skyrocket once studio heads realize his movies reliably turn a profit, regardless of genre—making him one of the few legit movie stars of his era.

Sydney Sweeney Scores Another Solid Hit

Another burgeoning movie star, Sydney Sweeney, is likely breathing a sigh of relief, with her film The Housemaid proving a solid hit for Lionsgate. It only lost 19% of its audience in week two, earning $15.4 million this weekend for a $46 million total.

With the holidays continuing all week, it has a good chance of equaling—or even surpassing—the $88 million her last big hit, Anyone But You, made over the same period. Given how overexposed she may have seemed, with her passion project Christy a major flop, The Housemaid proves that in the right movie, she’s still a major draw.

Anaconda Underperforms as Competition Heats Up

One movie that didn’t do the business many expected is Sony’s Anaconda reboot. The Jack Black and Paul Rudd-led film made $14.5 million in fifth place, for a $23.6 million total so far. Its thunder has arguably been stolen by Marty Supreme and The Housemaid, while teens who might have checked it out have instead been sidetracked by Avatar.

Angel Studios also has a solid hit with its faith-based animated movie David, which made $12.69 million this weekend for a domestic haul closing in on $50 million. It’s performed far better than Paramount’s The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie: The Search for SquarePants, which earned $11.2 million for a modest (for a major studio release) $38 million total.

Late-Season Releases Wrap Up Their Runs

Sadly, a pretty good holiday release—Craig Brewer’s Song Sung Blue, starring Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson—is underperforming, having made just $7.6 million this weekend for a $12 million domestic total so far. The silver lining is that, besides Marty Supreme and One Battle After Another, it’s performed better than nearly every other prestige release this fall.

Wicked: For Good, which drops on digital this Tuesday, is beginning to wrap up its run with $5.6 million this weekend, pushing it toward a $331 million gross. Meanwhile, Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 (now on VOD) added another $4.4 millionfor a $118 million total. It should fall just shy of the $137 million the original made two years ago, easily paving the way for a third film.

What have you watched over the holiday period? Let us know in the comments!

The post Weekend Box Office: Avatar dominates while Zootopia 2 narrowly edges out Marty Surpreme appeared first on JoBlo.

Is James Cameron’s golden streak finally over? That’s the question likely on the minds of many studio executives this weekend, with Avatar: Fire and Ash, the third film in his saga, opening to a surprisingly modest $88 million domestically — less than the $100 million we predicted and a full $46 million lower than The Way of Water earned on the same weekend three years ago.

Given the franchise’s massive budgets, Cameron himself has recently acknowledged that Avatar 4 and Avatar 5 may not move forward if the box office doesn’t justify the expense. An $88 million domestic opening makes it clear that Fire and Ash will earn only a fraction of the $684 million domestic total achieved by the previous film.

Can Avatar: Fire and Ash Rebound Over the Holidays?

That said, the holiday corridor is approaching, and Cameron’s films have historically overperformed during this period. Neither Titanic nor the first Avatar opened in game-changing fashion, but both became legendary long-legged hits. The same could still be true for Fire and Ash.

Overseas, the film is performing far better, posting a $345 million global opening, the second-largest worldwide debut of the year (behind Zootopia 2).

Angel Studios Scores Its Biggest Opening Ever

Angel Studios’ David, an animated musical retelling of the David and Goliath story, proved to be a grassroots hit. The film opened to $22 million, the biggest debut in the studio’s history, surpassing Sound of Freedom, which previously held the record with $19 million.

The Housemaid Could Become a Holiday Sleeper

Lionsgate’s star-driven The Housemaid opened softer than expected with $19 million (the studio was tracking in the teens, but given the star power and the fact that it’s based on a bestseller, it could have had a bigger opening), but the comparison point may be Sydney Sweeney’s Anyone But You, which debuted with a disastrous $6 million on the same weekend two years ago before legging out to an $88 million domestic total. The Housemaid could follow a similar holiday sleeper trajectory and potentially make a bundle.

Family Films Battle for Position

Paramount’s The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie: Search for SquarePants appeared to lose some ground, likely due to David overperforming, and earned $16 million for the weekend.

It narrowly edged out Zootopia 2, which added $14.5 million, bringing its domestic total to $282 million.

Holdovers Continue to Perform

Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 crossed the $100 million domestic mark, earning $7.25 million this weekend for an impressive $108 million total.

Wicked: For Good is beginning to lose screens but still pulled in $4.3 million, bringing its domestic total to $320 million— well below the first film, but still a strong result.

The Bollywood megahit Dhurandhar added $2.4 million, reaching $12 million domestically, while Hamnet rounded out the top ten with $850,000, pushing its total to $8.7 million.

A24’s Marty Supreme Steals the Spotlight

The biggest story of the weekend may be the film in ninth place: A24’s Marty Supreme.

The Timothée Chalamet-led film (which we loved) grossed a massive $875,000 on just six screens, selling out nearly around the clock. Its $145.8K per-screen average is the highest in A24’s history and one of the top ten live-action per-screen averages ever.

The numbers strongly suggest Marty Supreme will be a major hit when it expands nationwide on Christmas Day, though it remains to be seen whether audiences outside its core LA and New York hubs will embrace it as enthusiastically.

What’s Next at the Holiday Box Office?

With Christmas just around the corner, the box office landscape is poised to shift dramatically. Whether Avatar: Fire and Ash finds its legs, and which films emerge as true holiday breakouts, will soon become clear.

We’ll be back later this week with more holiday box office reporting.

The post Weekend Box Office – Avatar: Fire and Ash has a strikingly soft opening appeared first on JoBlo.

Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 Suffers a Steep Second-Weekend Drop

Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 dropped 70% in week two, which is actually better than the 76% drop the original suffered—although let’s not forget that movie had a day-and-date digital release on Peacock. While this franchise has no real staying power, these front-loaded movies are still big moneymakers, with the sequel now just shy of $100 million domestically, sitting at $95 million.

Another rather front-loaded holiday release is Wicked: For Good, which made $8.55 million for a $312 million total. While it’s hard to call a movie with a gross like that disappointing, it looks like it will end its run about $100 million short of its predecessor.

International and Specialty Titles Perform Strongly

Bollywood hit Dhurandhar actually had a huge week-to-week increase, with a $3.4 million weekend and a $7.8 million domestic haul—excellent numbers for an Indian film. Lionsgate’s Now You See Me: Now You Don’t is starting to wrap up its domestic run with $2.38 million this weekend and a total just shy of $60 million. Overseas, it’s been a much bigger hit, having crossed the $200 million mark last week, with a $300 million worldwide total not out of the question.

Anime, Awards Contenders, and Major Flops

Last weekend’s anime hit, JUJUTSU KAISEN: Execution, dropped a massive 79% to sixth place with $2.1 million and a $14.5 million domestic total. Not bad—but it’s definitely no Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle.

James L. Brooks’ comeback movie, Ella McCay, proved to be his biggest flop, making only $2.1 million despite a cast that includes Woody Harrelson and Jamie Lee Curtis. The reviews for this one are humiliatingly bad (I hated it).

Ron Howard’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas worked its way back into the top 10 thanks to a 25th anniversary re-release, making $1.85 million and adding to a lifetime gross of $264 million (unadjusted for inflation). A24’s Eternity made $1.77 million for a total just under $13 million, while Hamnett continued to deflate at the box office, earning $1.5 million for a $7 million total.

Re-Releases and Box Office Disappointments

Notably, The Shining’s 45th anniversary release landed just outside the top 10, with around $1.45 million on only 400 screens. It’s worth noting that it’s only playing twice a day, in the evening, in most theaters.

CineVerse’s Silent Night, Deadly Night tanked with only about $1.1 million (according to Deadline), proving that hopes to relaunch this admittedly weak Christmas slasher franchise haven’t worked out.

Next Weekend Box Office Preview

Next weekend sees the release of two big Christmas titles: Avatar: Fire and Ash and the Sydney Sweeney-led The Housemaid. Both are tracking for strong openings, so we’ll be back later this week with our predictions.

The post Weekend Box Office: Zootopia 2 has no trouble taking the top spot; new movies BOMB appeared first on JoBlo.

Comparing FNAF 2 to the Original Hit

While a $63 million opening is still a far cry from the $80 million debut of the first film two years ago—especially impressive given that the original opened day-and-date on Peacock—this remains a huge win for the studio. At this point, a third film feels like a matter of when, not if.

Thanksgiving Holdovers Take Steep Drops

Elsewhere on the chart, the two Thanksgiving holdovers tumbled harder than expected. Zootopia 2, despite an A CinemaScore, fell 57% in its second weekend for a $43 million haul. That’s a steep drop for an animated film. Its domestic total now stands at $220 million and it should finish in the $300 million range. Very good numbers, but still well short of the $460 million Moana 2 earned last year. Another sequel struggling to maintain momentum is Wicked: For Good, which collapsed 74% to $16.75 million for a $296 million domestic total. It will finish far below the $474 million that the previous film earned, though it remains a huge moneymaker for Universal.

Anime Thrives as Other Releases Fade

Anime continued its winning streak at the box office. Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution—a film that even confused our resident anime expert Steve Seigh—earned an excellent $10.1 million. Now You See Me: Now You Don’t dipped another 49% to $3.5 million for a $55.3 million domestic total. Overseas, however, it’s been a blockbuster, crossing the $200 million mark this weekend.

Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair Packs Cinemas

Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair earned a strong $3.2 million in just over 1,100 cinemas, despite only screening twice a day. Many markets reported sellouts, especially the 70mm and 35mm presentations. I caught a DCP matinee in Montreal yesterday—and even that was sold out. A24’s Eternity continues to perform modestly, taking in another $2.76 million for a domestic total just under $10 million. Chloe Zhao’s Oscar contender Hamnet is also underperforming in limited release. It earned $2.3 million on 744 screens, and seems destined to become another adult-driven box office disappointment—even if it scores awards attention. Bollywood action title Dhurandhar, which already has a sequel planned for March 2026, impressed with nearly $2 million on only 390 screens. Predator: Badlands rounded out the top ten with $1.87 million and an $88 million domestic total. Solid, if unspectacular—meaning its sequel prospects are still uncertain.

Looking Ahead to Next Weekend

Next week brings the release of James L. Brooks’s Ella McCay (which is getting rough early buzz), the Silent Night, Deadly Night remake, and not much else. Will Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 hold onto the top spot? Let us know in the comments!

The post Weekend Box Office: Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 easily beats Zootopia appeared first on JoBlo.

Overseas, Zootopia 2 is an absolute phenomenon—especially in China, where it shattered records. The international weekend haul reached $556 million, giving it the biggest global opening of the year, with over $400 million earned internationally alone.

Wicked: For Good Falls 57% in Week Two

One surprising development is that Wicked: For Good, despite its A CinemaScore, didn’t hold as strongly as some expected. It brought in $62 million, compared to the first film’s $81 million in the same frame. Even so, its $270 million domestic total is excellent, and it remains on track to surpass the $400 million mark.

Even if the story was intended as a two-parter, there’s no chance franchise-hungry Universal lets this sit. Expect a spinoff or follow-up of some kind sooner rather than later.

Now You See Me: Now You Don’t Holds Steady in Week Three

Lionsgate’s Now You See Me: Now You Don’t delivered a solid week-three hold, dropping only 22% to gross $7 millionfor a $49 million domestic total. While not blockbuster numbers domestically, the film is a major overseas hit, with $187 million globally so far. It will likely finish around the $250 million range (and possibly even $300 million). With results like that, a sequel is almost guaranteed.

Predator: Badlands Posts Mixed Results

Another would-be franchise, Predator: Badlands, continued its mixed performance, earning $4.8 million for an $85 million domestic total. It’s likely to top out near $95 million domestically, with around $200 million internationally.

Given this and Alien: Romulus both performing decently (though neither was a breakout hit), it’s reasonable to expect  Alien vs. Predator to be the next project 20th Century Studios greenlights—unless they pivot to the Ripley sequel reportedly being written by Walter Hill.

The Running Man Continues to Struggle

The Running Man continued its poor box office run with $3.7 million, bringing its total to a troubling $34.2 million. Glen Powell is undoubtedly hoping his upcoming thriller How to Make a Killing pulls him out of this cold streak before the momentum of his rising stardom fizzles.

A24’s Eternity, starring Elizabeth Olsen, performed moderately well with $3.1 million on 1,300 screens for a $2.3K per-screen average. Like many adult-skewing films, it will likely find a larger audience on VOD.

Where Is Wake Up Dead Man?

One movie missing from the standard box office charts is Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, as Netflix does not report grosses. Industry chatter places it at around $2.5 million on 600 screens—much lower than Glass Onion, which made $13 million on a similar footprint. Most viewers are clearly waiting for the streaming release in a few weeks.

Rental Family and Hamnet Perform Modestly

Brendan Fraser’s Rental Family continued its so-so run, earning $2.1 million for a $7.3 million total—actually one of the stronger awards-season performers.

Hamnet had a strong specialty debut with $880K on only 119 screens. However, its $7.3K per-screen average, while respectable, suggests its commercial prospects may remain modest unless Oscar buzz intensifies.

Sisu: Road to Revenge Crashes Hard

Sisu: Road to Revenge completely collapsed, falling 66% to ninth place with $810K, and a brutal $365 per-screen average. A Sisu 3 seems extremely unlikely at this point.

Nuremberg Holds Steady

Finally, Nuremberg continued to perform well, earning $750K on 540 screens for a $12.5 million domestic total—making it one of the higher-grossing awards titles of the year.

Next Weekend: Five Nights at Freddy’s 2

Next weekend sees the release of Blumhouse’s Five Nights at Freddy’s 2. Will it be a hit like The Black Phone 2 or a flop like M3GAN 2.0? Let us know in the comments. 

The post Weekend Box Office: Zootopia 2 pulls off a $156 million 5-day opening; Wicked 2 loses a tiny bit of magic appeared first on JoBlo.

While critical response has been cool compared to the first film, audiences love Wicked: For Good, with it landing a much-desired A CinemaScore rating—proving repeat business on this one will likely be strong, and it should continue to rack up huge grosses throughout the Christmas season. In fact, last year when the first one hit VOD on New Year’s Day, Wicked was still in the top five at the box office, where it stuck around for many weeks after.

While that’s no doubt good news for exhibitors, it can’t be denied that October and early November have been disastrous. Last year’s surprise sleeper, Now You See Me: Now You Don’t, fell off a steep 57% to $9.12 million although, like the other films in the series, it’s proven to be a juggernaut overseas, making another $32.6 million this weekend, even opening ahead of Wicked: For Good in some markets. It’s made $146.2 million overseas, with a final tally in the $300 million range possible. Disney’s Predator: Badlands, which has had a decent—if unspectacular—run, pulled ahead of the disastrous Running Man remake to take third place with $6.25 million for a $76.28 million domestic total. It will end its run somewhere around the $90 million mark—which will make it the highest-grossing Predator movie (although, adjusted for inflation, the original and even Alien vs. Predator kill it).

Meanwhile, Edgar Wright’s The Running Man is proving to be one of the year’s biggest box office disasters, falling an abysmal 65% in week two to $5.8 million and a horrific $27 million domestic total. This one is clearly not striking a chord with audiences (was it the ending?), leaving us to wonder—are some movies too iconic to remake? Brendan Fraser’s indie Rental Family did modest business in fifth place with $3.3 million, the latest adult-skewed awards contender to open soft. Sisu: Road to Revenge wasn’t far behind with $2.6 million, which isn’t too far off from the $3.2 million the original made. Perhaps its target male audience will check it out this Thanksgiving while their wives, girlfriends, and daughters are seeing Wicked: For Good for the second time.

The Colleen Hoover adaptation Regretting You started to wrap up its run with $1.52 million and a solid $47 million domestic total. Nuremberg, whose $1.234 million weekend and $11 million domestic haul are nothing to brag about, is actually performing a lot better than most adult-skewed awards contenders. The Black Phone 2 wrapped up its run with a $1 million weekend and a $76 million total, making it Blumhouse’s biggest success in a long time. Finally, Sarah’s Oil made $771K, pushing its total over $1 million.

Next weekend is Thanksgiving, so it should be a good one for exhibitors, with Wicked: For Good and Zootopia 2 both primed to do big business. What will you be checking out? Let us know in the comments.

The post Weekend Box Office: Wicked slays; Running Man plunges 65% appeared first on JoBlo.

In fact, it was soundly beaten, both in North America and abroad, by Lionsgate’s Now You See Me, Now You Don’t. The third installment in the caper series led by Jesse Eisenberg and Woody Harrelson opened way above expectations in North America with a solid $21.3 million. While that’s not as strong as Now You See Me 2 opened nine years ago (with $22.3 million — not adjusted for inflation), the international box office cume is outstanding, pulling in a huge $54.2 million, including $19.2 million in China. This series has always had a strong global footprint, and with numbers like these, it’s clear Lionsgate will make a nice profit on a movie many thought they were foolish to greenlight. Clearly, there’s still a big appetite for this series (and it helped that the movie was actually pretty fun).

However, last weekend’s big opener, Predator: Badlands, crash-landed back down to earth, falling a hefty 68% this weekend, with only $13 million. It doesn’t have the legs many hoped for, leaving the franchise’s future on the big screen somewhat in limbo — with it unlikely to make much above $85–90 million domestically (although with foreign grosses it should still turn a profit).

The Colleen Hoover adaptation Regretting You continued to pull in the date crowd, making another $4 million, a decline of only 40%, for a $44 million total. The Black Phone 2 narrowly edged out the Russell Crowe–led Nuremberg for fifth place. The Black Phone 2 made $2.65 million for a domestic total of $74.6 million (more than enough to guarantee a third film). Nuremberg made $2.6 million, only a 33% decline from last week, and has made $8.6 million so far. While that sounds low, it’s actually one of the better-performing awards titles of the season. The Osgood Perkins horror flick Keepertanked with only $2.5 million, marking a rare flop for Neon and the director, whose previous Longlegs and The Monkeywere both successful. Sarah’s Oil made $2.3 million for an $8.6 million total, while Bugonia and Chainsaw Man actually tied for ninth place with $1.6 million apiece.

All in all, it was another bad weekend at the domestic box office, but luckily audiences will likely follow the yellow brick road back to theaters to see Wicked: For Good, which opens this week — and not a moment too soon.

The post Weekend Box Office: The Running Man easily beaten by Now You See Me 3 appeared first on JoBlo.

It’s definite proof for Disney that the franchise can still sustain a big-screen, theatrical release—especially after its predecessor, Prey, premiered exclusively on Hulu. Whether the PG-13 rating brought in a younger audience remains to be seen, though the rating system will be put to the test next weekend when Paramount’s The Running Man, which carries an R rating, hits theatres.

Otherwise, the box office proved to be slow this weekend. Regretting You was a distant second-place finisher with $7.125 million—a drop of only 9% from last week, which is rare in a third weekend. It seems Colleen Hoover fans are continuing to discover this one, as it closes in on a $40 million domestic total. The Black Phone 2—which coincidentally shares a star with Regretting You, Mason Thames—earned $5.3 million for a strong $70 million haul. The Amazon/MGM biographical drama Sarah’s Oil did well in a lower-key release, making $4.45 million and outperforming all other indie openers this weekend. Nuremberg didn’t do badly either with $4.14 million, though streaming will likely be where this courtroom drama finds its audience.

Chainsaw Man: The Movie continued to perform well as it wraps up its run with $3.8 million and a $38 million domestic total. Yorgos Lanthimos’s Bugonia sputtered out a bit this weekend, earning only $3.5 million for an underwhelming $12 million total. It seems unlikely to make more than $20 million all in.

Two star-driven indie movies had disastrous openings this weekend. Die My Love, starring Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson, made an atrocious $2.8 million (Mubi paid $24 million for it—though it may find an audience on streaming). Its CinemaScore was an abysmal D+. Still, that’s better than Sydney Sweeney’s Christy, which opened disastrously outside the top ten with just $1.3 million and a $649 per-screen average. Ouch. Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowherewrapped up its underwhelming run with $2.2 million and a $20 million domestic total, as it lost over 1,000 theatres. Rounding out the top ten was Tron: Ares, which made $1.8 million for a $71 million domestic haul.

Next weekend sees the release of three fairly big movies — The Running Man, Now You See Me: Now You Don’t, and Osgood Perkins’ Keeper. Which one are you seeing? Let us know in the comments!

The post Weekend Box Office: Predator Badlands sets a franchise record appeared first on JoBlo.

Interestingly, both movies feature rising star Mason Thames, who’s had a great year between these two movies and the smash How to Train Your Dragon remake. Regretting You has had a softer performance at the box office than the last Colleen Hoover adaptation, It Ends With Us, but it also didn’t have the same kind of star power (or controversy), meaning this will no doubt be a profitable movie for Paramount, with its gross sitting at $27.5 million. The Black Phone 2 is Blumhouse’s best performer in a while, with it having grossed $61 million — paving the way for an inevitable Black Phone 3 (and maybe 4, 5, etc.).

Last week’s anime box office topper, Chainsaw Man: The Movie, had a huge second-week decline of 67%, making $6 million for a $30.7 million total. Bugonia, by Yorgos Lanthimos, was another adult-skewing awards movie that had trouble attracting an audience, although its $4.8 million weekend is actually his largest expansion opening ever. Back to the Future, which got a 40th-anniversary IMAX reissue this weekend, made $4.7 million, bringing its all-time box office total to $221 million — although adjusted for inflation, it would be over $600 million nowadays.

Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere died in its second weekend, falling a big 57% in week 2, with only $3.8 million and a grand total just over $16 million. Ouch — this one has to hurt for Searchlight, although it will no doubt find a bigger audience once it hits Hulu. To note, K-Pop Demon Hunters is probably on the list somewhere around this spot, with Deadline estimating it made about $3.4 million this weekend — but Netflix doesn’t report box office numbers, so there’s no surefire way of knowing.

Meanwhile, Tron: Ares continued its weak box office run, with $2.8 million and a $67 million domestic total. Given the rumored $200 million budget, this one is going to bleed red ink. The indie-animated movie Stitch Head had a modest $2.1 million opening, which isn’t bad for a movie with next to no buzz. Sadly, Aziz Ansari’s Good Fortune continued comedy’s troubling run at the box office, wrapping up its run with only $1.4 million and a terrible $14.6 million domestic total, despite Keanu Reeves in a starring role.

Finally, the top ten was rounded out by P.T. Anderson’s One Battle After Another, which made $1.15 million for a $67.7 million total as it moves from a wide release into the arthouses and more specialized runs (such as the Vista in L.A., where it’s showing in VistaVision). Next weekend sees the release of Predator: Badlands, which folks are banking on throwing some extra muscle into the box office.

The post Weekend Box Office: Regretting You and The Black Phone 2 (almost) too close to call in a photo finish appeared first on JoBlo.

Of them all, the Springsteen movie seemed to have the most commercial potential, as the biopic genre is usually consistent, and the film also stars The Bear breakout Jeremy Allen White. Alas, non-Springsteen devotees didn’t show up, with the movie opening in a distant fourth place this weekend with only $9.1 million. Some believe the World Series may have had something to do with the lower-than-expected attendance, but I dunno — it seems like older audiences are likely just waiting for this one to show up on streaming, with it bound for a Hulu release sometime around the holidays.

Instead, this weekend’s box office champ was Crunchyroll’s latest anime release, Chainsaw Man: The Movie, which made $17.25 million. While not on par with what Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle opened with last month, this is far beyond most box office predictions (ours included), making it clear that anime remains a strong force on the big screen. It managed to trounce the latest Colleen Hoover adaptation, Regretting You, which was unexpectedly edged out by The Black Phone 2, showing a stronger-than-expected hold in week two. The Black Phone 2 made $13 million to Regretting You’s $12.85 million. Ironically, both movies star rising talent Mason Thames.

Meanwhile, Tron: Ares continued to sink like a stone, losing another 56% this weekend for a fifth-place $4.9 million finish and a total box office haul in the $63 million range — not good for a movie that cost over $200 million. Aziz Ansari’s Good Fortune didn’t find its wings this weekend despite Keanu Reeves co-starring as an angel, dropping around 50% for a $3.1 million weekend.

Chris Stuckmann’s poorly reviewed horror flick Shelby Oaks didn’t prove to be much of a breakout for Neon, earning $2.35 million in a semi-wide release (according to Comscore, its per-screen average was $1,289, which is relatively poor). Given the low budget, it will still likely turn a modest profit for the studio. Perhaps the only awards hopeful finding an audience, One Battle After Another, was in eighth place with $2.33 million for a $65.4 million total. Roofman (which I loved) began to wrap up its run with a $2 million weekend and a disappointing $19.36 million total (it deserved a lot more), while a re-release of Laika’s ParaNorman squeaked into the top 10 with $991.9K.

Next weekend is Halloween, and theaters will be thankful that Netflix is re-releasing K-Pop: Demon Hunters, which will likely take the top spot easily. Yorgos Lanthimos’ Bugonia, which made over $690k on only forty screens this weekend, is the only wide release, alongside the 40th anniversary re-release of Back to the Future. What will you be seeing? Let us know in the comments.

The post Weekend Box Office: Chainsaw Man is another anime hit; Deliver Me From Nowhere lands with a thud appeared first on JoBlo.

Thankfully, The Black Phone 2 has opened slightly above most box office predictions (including our own) with Comscore revealing it made $26.5 million. That’s higher than the $23.6 million the original made in the summer of 2022, proving that resurrecting The Grabber was a smart move. While it’s unlikely to have the same kind of legs as the original (which grossed over $90 million domestically), this is a welcome return to form for Blumhouse — one that will likely continue once Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 opens this Christmas.

Meanwhile, Disney’s broken Tron franchise still can’t catch a break, with Tron: Ares falling a disastrous 66% to second place with $11.1 million, for a $54.5 million domestic total. It’s unlikely to top $70–75 million domestically. Lionsgate also had another major bomb with Aziz Ansari’s Good Fortune, which laid an egg at only $6.2 million despite the combined star power of Keanu Reeves and Seth Rogen. This continues a troubling trend: broad comedies just aren’t catching on like they used to.

WB’s One Battle After Another continued to pull in a decent-sized audience, adding $4 million to its $61 million total. While not a blockbuster, people are showing up, and it should play well into awards season.

One Oscar contender that did bomb is Channing Tatum’s Roofman (which we loved), co-starring Kirsten Dunst. Despite its star power, it only made $3.7 million for a $15.5 million domestic total. Star-driven awards fare is dying at the box office this fall, with The Smashing Machine being one of the year’s biggest disasters — pulled from over 2,000 theaters this weekend after earning just $11 million domestically. Further down the chart, the Julia Roberts-led After the Hunt also fared poorly, making only $1.5 million. It seems audiences are waiting to catch these films on streaming — if at all — as none have managed to tap into the zeitgeist in any meaningful way.

Angel Studios has also struggled to generate faith-based hits, with their latest, Truth & Treason, debuting to just $2.7 million in sixth place. Family fare hasn’t helped theaters much either, with Gabby’s Dollhouse earning $1.65 million for a $29 million domestic total.

Thank God for horror. The Conjuring: Last Rites remains the season’s only true, unqualified hit, pulling in another $1.5 million for a series-best $175 million total. The only other bona fide success of the season is the anime Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, now the highest-grossing anime of all time in North America, rounding out the top 10 with $1.3 million and a $131 million domestic total.

Will Crunchyroll’s next release, Chainsaw Man, continue their streak? We’ll find out next weekend — which also sees the release of the much-anticipated Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere. Here’s hoping The Boss can help break the current streak of adult dramas flopping. The world needs Springsteen to save the box office!

What did you see this weekend? Let us know in the comments.

The post Weekend Box Office: The Black Phone 2 is the hit Blumhouse needed appeared first on JoBlo.

Indeed, this has always been a franchise that never quite managed to live up to the studio’s expectations. However, despite the modest opening, there’s still a chance that Tron: Ares will at least break even for the studio, as long as the international box office is strong. It will likely also be a streaming hit once it reaches Disney+. But as far as big-screen Tron movies go, I imagine that if we return to The Grid, it will be via a streaming series rather than a feature film.

What went wrong? A big part of the equation might be the fact that star Jared Leto has a rather mixed history at the box office, with his recent Morbius being a pretty big flop. Always a controversial figure, he seems to polarize audiences, so it’s not like you had a ton of people turning up this weekend to see him in action. That said, I thought he was pretty decent in the movie.

This weekend’s runner-up title, Roofman, was a rather distant second, making only $8 million domestically. The good news for Paramount is that the budget was a fairly low $19 million, and audiences seem to like the movie, with it earning a solid B+ CinemaScore. Hopefully, it will have the kind of legs P.T. Anderson’s One Battle After Another is having, with ComScore reporting it only fell 39% this weekend, earning $4.6 million for a not-bad $54 million domestic total (although WB will still likely lose a nice chunk of change on it — but if it sweeps the Oscars, it won’t really matter).

Gabby’s Dollhouse was in fourth place with $3.35 million and a $26 million total. The faith-based Soul on Fire rounded out the top five with $3 million, which is low for Sony’s Affirm label. The Conjuring: Last Rites continued to pull in audiences, making $2.9 million for a huge $172 million domestic total (it’s by far the highest-grossing film in the franchise). Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle added another $2.25 million to its $128 million total.

Sadly, The Rock’s Smashing Machine suffered a horrible decline in week two. It fell a whopping 69% to $1.79 million and a $9.8 million total. Given the budget and pedigree, it’s likely going down as one of the year’s biggest box office disasters (no wonder The Rock is jumping into another Jumanji sequel). The Strangers: Chapter 2 started to wrap up its underwhelming run with $1.55 million and a poor $13 million total. Meanwhile, IFC/Shudder’s Good Boy continued to pull in modest business, making $1.3 million for a $4.6 million total.

What did you see this weekend? Let us know in the comments!

The post Weekend Box Office: Tron Ares has a weak opening; is this franchise dead? appeared first on JoBlo.

Indeed, it wasn’t even close. While the $33 million is only a fraction of the $93 million Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour Movie made in its opening weekend, this is an altogether different kind of beast. That was a concert film, while this is more of a behind-the-scenes kind of deal. Also, fans seem mixed on The Life of a Showgirl as an album, but even still, this is a big number propped up by an army of Swifties who no doubt flooded cinemas all weekend.

So, where did The Smashing Machine end up? A distant third place with a disastrous $6 million, which marks The Rock’s lowest opening ever. Granted, this biopic was never expected to do Jumanji (or even Red One) numbers, but it’s a bummer, as Benny Safdie made an excellent film, and Johnson delivers the performance of a lifetime (opposite Emily Blunt, who’s also excellent). This opening is significantly less than we predicted earlier this week and marks another in a long list of flops for A24 this year, whose reputation as an indie darling seems to be at risk. Think about it: Opus, Death of a Unicorn, The Legend of Oshi, Warfare, Sorry Baby, Eddington — none of these films caught on. The only bright spot for them this year has been Materialists, which made $100 million worldwide.

The Smashing Machine was leapfrogged by Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another, which made $11.1 million, a 49% decline since last week. That’s not a bad hold, although it’s probably not going to come close to earning back its budget at the box office. Then again, with it likely to clean up at the Oscars, it’s still a prestige hit for the studio and will no doubt be a strong film to add to their catalog (I would imagine it will eventually turn a profit — even if it takes a few years). It’s currently at about $42 million domestically but has passed $100 million worldwide.

Meanwhile, Gabby’s Dollhouse lost a stunning 62% of its audience this weekend for a $5.2 million finish and a $21 million total. The Conjuring: Last Rites added another $4 million to its box office total, with an outstanding $167.8 million gross (by far the highest-grossing movie in the franchise). Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle wasn’t far behind with $3.5 million and a $124.6 million total.

Another surprise entry into the top ten was the re-release of James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water, which made $3.19 million — a number that bodes well for the Christmas release of Avatar: Fire & Ash. The Strangers: Chapter 2 made $2.8 million for a disappointing $10.6 million domestic total. With numbers like these, it’s not a sure thing that the (already shot) third film will get a theatrical release. IFC/Shudder had a nice-sized hit with Good Boy, which made $2.25 million, marking their biggest opening since Late Night With the Devil (no joke — we have an “interview” with the dog star Indy dropping tomorrow on our Celeb Access YouTube Channel). Finally, the Indian title Kantara: A Legend – Chapter 1 rounded out the top ten with $1.7 million (according to ComScore’s early figures).

What did you see this weekend? Let us know in the comments!

The post Weekend Box Office: Taylor Swift body-slams The Rock with a strong opening appeared first on JoBlo.

Thanks to Leonardo DiCaprio’s starring role, the movie is also posting a strong showing at the international box office, grossing enough to give it a worldwide opening of just under $50 million. Notably, this is the ninth WB movie of the year to open at number one at the box office, with the studio in the middle of a storied run that arguably began with A Minecraft Movie, continued with Sinners, and has paid off with releases like F1, Superman, Weapons, and more.

DreamWorks’ Gabby’s Dollhouse, which some believed could actually take the box office crown this weekend, had a more modest $13.7 million opening than expected. This could be because the young female audience is saving their allowances for Taylor Swift’s Life of a Showgirl release party event, which goes wide next weekend.

The anime smash Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle dropped to third place this weekend, earning $6.8 million for a $117.8 million domestic total—a game changer for anime and distributor Crunchyroll. Right behind it was The Conjuring: Last Rites, which added $6.8 million to its domestic tally for a stunning $161 million total. Its $400 million–plus international take has already made it the eighth highest-grossing horror film of all time.

Sadly, Renny Harlin, after scoring a sleeper hit with The Strangers: Chapter 1, had a flop with the sequel, Chapter 2, which only made $5.9 million this weekend. Will the already-shot third film get a theatrical release after this opening? We’ll have to wait and see. Another disappointment is the Jordan Peele–produced Him, which fell a massive 72 percent in week two for a $3.6 million weekend and a $20.7 million total. Another genre title, The Long Walk, has performed better, making $3.4 million this weekend for a $28 million domestic total. Meanwhile, Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale continued to draw an older audience with a $3.3 million gross and a $39 million domestic total.

Coming in at number nine is the Telugu-language Indian action film They Call Him OG, which made $1.42 million for a $5 million–plus domestic gross. Finally, the Colin Farrell/Margot Robbie flop A Big Bold Beautiful Journey wrapped up its short run with $1.25 million and a $5.9 million domestic total. Certainly, that movie’s performance is a worst-case scenario for Sony.

What did you see this weekend? Let us know in the comments!

The post Weekend Box Office: PT Anderson has the biggest opening weekend of his career appeared first on JoBlo.

As for Him, which was produced (but not directed) by Jordan Peele, poor reviews—including one from our own Tyler Nichols—doomed it to a mediocre $13 million opening. With a terrible C-minus CinemaScore, it seems audiences didn’t connect with this football-horror take on Faust. It will likely lose most of its business next weekend, though its opening isn’t disastrous.

The real surprise came from The Conjuring: Last Rites, which gave Him a genuine battle for second place, earning a better-than-expected $12.95 million in its third weekend. Its box office total now stands at a superb $151.7 million, making it the highest-grossing film in the Conjuring universe.

Lionsgate’s The Long Walk experienced a more modest-than-expected 46% drop in week two, earning $6.3 million for a $22.7 million total. It should be able to reach a $30 million domestic total, which, combined with foreign grosses and streaming sales, should help it turn a nice profit.

Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale also performed well, tying with The Long Walk for third place with $6.3 million, bringing its total to $31.6 million. It should come close to matching its predecessor, A New Era, which topped out at $44.1 million domestically.

As for the weekend’s biggest disaster, that title goes to the Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell-led A Big Bold Beautiful Journey, which opened to just $3.5 million. With a $50 million budget, this will go down as one of the year’s biggest box office disappointments, particularly given the talent involved. That said, the stars likely have better things ahead: Farrell with The Batman 2 and Robbie with the upcoming Withering Heights remake, which should perform well.

Angel Studios delivered a crowd-pleaser with The Senior (which we loved), earning an A CinemaScore and $2.7 million. Toy Story’s 30th Anniversary re-release continued to earn, bringing in $1.4 million for a $5.8 million total. The live stage production Noah didn’t quite match Disney’s recent Hamilton, but still appeared in the top 10 with $1.386 million, while Weapons closed out its run in tenth place with $1.26 million, just shy of a $150 million total (a mark it is expected to surpass this week).

Next weekend promises to be interesting with the release of One Battle After Another, one of the best-reviewed films of the year. Will it be enough to top the box office and recoup its huge budget? Let us know in the comments!

The post Weekend Box Office: Demon Slayer easily beat Him despite a huge week-to-week decline appeared first on JoBlo.

However, this is different: Demon Slayer is playing limited runs, meaning many theaters are only showing it a few times a day. Screenings are packed to the gills, giving it an insane $21,100 per-screen average. It’s Sony’s biggest opening of the year by far, and another smash for their Crunchyroll label.

Last weekend’s champ, The Conjuring: Last Rites, turned out to be extremely front-loaded, losing a hefty 69% of its audience. However, given how high the opening was, I doubt anyone at Warner Bros. and New Line is too upset. After only two weeks, it’s only about $3 million away from being the highest-grossing film in the Conjuring franchise (including the spin-offs, which we ranked here).

Another franchise that’s supposed to be wrapping up this weekend is Downton Abbey, with The Grand Finale opening stronger than the last installment, A New Era, making a solid $18.1 million. That’s impressive considering Downton’s audience skews older, and given that the franchise is even more popular overseas, this third movie is poised to clean up for Focus. Maybe they were premature in bringing it to an end.

Another movie that did pretty well was Lionsgate’s Stephen King adaptation, The Long Walk, which notched an impressive $11.5 million. Given it sports a largely unknown young cast (with Mark Hamill as the baddie), that’s a solid number for a fairly low-budget movie. With a cost in the $20 million range, it should break even domestically and turn a nice profit by the time it hits VOD. Consider this one a single rather than a double or home run at the box office, but it still gives Lionsgate a much-needed win.

Another strong showing came via two limited-run Disney engagements. First up is Toy Story, celebrating its 30th anniversary (let that one sink in, folks), with a $3.5 million take. Hamilton, in its second weekend, continued to draw audiences, earning $2.2 million for a $14.9 million total. Not bad if you consider both are streaming in 4K on Disney Plus. Sandwiched between them was Weapons, which added $2.72 million to its incredible $147 million total, making it one of the year’s biggest sleeper hits.

Disney’s Freakier Friday started to wrap up its run this weekend, with $2.1 million added to its domestic haul of $91 million—it won’t crack the magical century mark. Meanwhile, Spinal Tap II: The Legend Continues had an abysmal opening, with only $1.6 million and a crummy $872 per-screen average. That said, it was always unlikely to make much money at the box office. Even the original 1984 classic only made $5.8 million during its entire run (it was home video and cable that made it a classic). Adding insult to injury, it was nearly outgrossed by the 60th-anniversary re-release of The Sound of Music, which earned $1.48 million.

Next weekend sees the release of the Jordan Peele-produced Him. Does it have a chance of topping the box office? Let us know in the comments!

The post Weekend Box Office: Demon Slayer has a game changing opening; Spinal Tap bombs appeared first on JoBlo.

The weekend’s runner-up was also unexpected: the film version of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton earned $10 million, a huge number for a production that’s already streaming on Disney Plus. Weapons also continued its successful run, adding another $5.3 million to its $143 million domestic total.

Freakier Friday managed to hold on to fourth place, bringing in $3.8 million for an $87 million total. It will likely finish shy of the $100 million mark. Sadly, Darren Aronofsky’s excellent Caught Stealing dropped a steep 59% this weekend for a $3.2 million finish, bringing its domestic total to $14 million. It will take a miracle for this one to hit $20 million.

Still, it fared better than The Roses, which only made $2.8 million for a $12.28 million total. I imagine this experiment with opening big movies on Labor Day weekend will be a one-off, as neither film found much of an audience. Meanwhile, Fantastic Four: First Steps is hanging in there with $2.7 million for a $270 million domestic total. The Bad Guys 2 has also been consistent in its weekly grosses, earning $2.4 million for a $77 million total. The faith-based animated film Light of the World came out of nowhere to make $2.4 million in ninth place, although its $1,157 per-screen average suggests only devout Christians are checking it out. Finally, James Gunn’s Superman rounded out the top 10 with another $1 million, bringing its domestic total to $353 million.

The Conjuring likely won’t have any trouble holding on to the top spot next weekend, with the two big openers being the Stephen King adaptation of The Long Walk (which we liked) and the latest Downton Abbey film, which should play well with franchise fans. Still, it seems like nothing until possibly the Jordan Peele–produced Him has a real chance of dethroning it.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments!

The post Weekend Box Office: The Conjuring: Last Rites has a franchise-best opening appeared first on JoBlo.

Indeed, Weapons, now that Kpop Demon Hunters is no longer competing with it, was able to retake the top spot with $10.2 million for a $132 million domestic haul (pretty close to what I predicted earlier this week). That’s a terrific number for an R-rated studio horror film, propelling director Zach Cregger to superstar status.

The movie in second place was a surprise: the fiftieth-anniversary reissue of Jaws was a monster hit, grossing $8.1 million. It easily beat Caught Stealing, which was widely predicted to open in the $10 million range but only managed $7.8 million. One wonders what Sony was thinking opening the film on Labor Day, as it almost seems like this was a movie they produced mainly to feed their Netflix pipeline, given their exclusive deal with the streamer (that’s how Kpop Demon Hunters, also produced by Sony, became a Netflix phenomenon). Freakier Friday landed in fourth place with $6.5 million and an $80 million total. This sequel seems to have come too late, underperforming at the box office and adding to Disney’s summer of woe. The next two movies on the list were distributed by Disney as well, with The Roses from Searchlight earning only $6.35 million. Expect it to hit Hulu within weeks. Fantastic Four: First Steps began wrapping up its underwhelming run with $4.8 million and a $264 million domestic total.

Universal’s The Bad Guys 2 showed a bit of staying power in seventh place, with $4.74 million and a $73 million domestic total. Superman added another $2.85 million to its coffers for a $351 million domestic total. Bob Odenkirk’s kick-ass Nobody 2 earned $1.83 million for a domestic total of just over $20 million, a disappointing result for this well-received sequel. Finally, The Naked Gun, which drops on digital Tuesday, made $1.8 million, pushing its domestic total over the $50 million mark.

One of the biggest stories of the weekend is what didn’t make the top 10. Cineverse laid an egg with Legendary’s expensive remake of The Toxic Avenger. It made a horrifying $1.7 million—with a per-screen average of only $879. That’s a terrible result for a movie that many fans of the original seem to be loving. What a shame.

Next weekend should liven up the box office a bit, with The Conjuring: Last Rites opening in theaters. Will it reinvigorate the box office? Let us know in the comments!

The post Weekend Box Office: Weapons and Jaws devour the competition appeared first on JoBlo.

Don’t cry for Zach Cregger’s Weapons, though. It’s made over $115 million domestically and has proven to be one of the biggest sleeper hits of the year, in the midst of a season where tried-and-true formulas—most notably superhero films—have been met with audience indifference. Hopefully, the right lessons (more original movies) will be learned.

Disney’s Freakier Friday made another $9.2 million, marking a modest 36% week-to-week decline (identical to Weapons). While it won’t come close to the $110 million earned by the first movie, it will no doubt turn a decent profit for Disney once it hits streaming (assuming they keep the budget in check). Another Disney movie, Fantastic Four: First Steps, has begun to ease off (a bit) in its precipitous decline, earning $5.9 million this weekend, with a $257 million domestic total. It seems highly unlikely to make over $275 million domestically and trails James Gunn’s Superman, which made $3.43 million in sixth place as it closes in on $350 million domestically.

Universal took fourth and fifth place, with The Bad Guys 2 making $5.1 million for a $66 million domestic total, while Nobody 2 fell a steep 60% to $3.7 million. Its domestic haul stands at $16.5 million, so it likely won’t come close to the $27 million earned by the first movie. Audiences are likely waiting for this one to hit streaming.

Further down the list is Focus’s Honey Don’t from Ethan Coen. It didn’t find much of an audience with a $3 million opening, but it performed better than Coen’s last movie, Drive Away Dolls, which opened with $2.4 million on a thousand more screens. Clearly, some lessons were learned, but it’s hard to imagine the studio will be chomping at the bit to greenlight a third film in Coen’s proposed lesbian B-movie trilogy.

The Naked Gun started to wrap up its run with another $2.9 million, for a $47 million domestic total. It should cross $50 million by next week and turn a nice profit for the studio (consider it a single rather than a double or home run). Jurassic World Rebirth made $2.1 million for a $335 million domestic total. Finally, Bleeker Street’s thriller, Relay, starring Riz Ahmed and Lily James, opened modestly with $1.9 million. Too bad, as it’s a nifty little thriller (expect a review and some interviews this week).

Next weekend sees a glut of new releases, including Caught Stealing, The Roses, and The Toxic Avenger. Will any of them top the box office? Let us know in the comments!

The post Weekend Box Office: Weapons likely will lose first place to Kpop Demon Hunters by tomorrow am appeared first on JoBlo.

What’s the lesson from this? Audiences are starved for original fare and tired of sequels. Will the lesson be learned? Probably not, as WB is already trying to franchise Weapons and Sinners, suggesting that the era of one-offs may be behind us. Meanwhile, Disney’s Freakier Friday, which hasn’t quite been the big hit they were expecting, held up fairly well in week two, making $14.5 million for a $54.7 million total. It should reach around $80 million, significantly less than the $110 million (not adjusted for inflation) its 2003 predecessor earned.

One of the more disappointing stories this weekend is that Nobody 2 (which we loved) opened relatively softly with $9.25 million. That’s not terrible for a “mean-and-potatoes” action movie, and it’s a notable improvement over the original, but given how the first one opened during the pandemic, this Bob Odenkirk-led sequel was expected to perform better. That said, it only cost $25 million and will likely turn a healthy profit once it hits VOD in 21 days.

Notably, all of the top three movies at the box office this weekend performed exactly as we predicted earlier this week.

Fantastic Four: First Steps continued to fall off faster than expected, losing another 44% of its audience to make $8.8 million for a $247 million domestic total. It’s unlikely to come close to grossing what James Gunn’s Superman has achieved so far, with that movie holding strong in sixth place with $5.28 million and a $340 million domestic total, despite being available digitally. The Bad Guys 2 was sandwiched between them with $7.5 million and a $57 million domestic total.

The Naked Gun started to wrap up its run with $4.8 million in sixth place, totaling $41.9 million domestically. It will likely eke out a profit but should have been a much bigger hit. Meanwhile, dinosaurs continued to draw audiences, with Jurassic World: Rebirth earning $2.9 million for a $332 million domestic gross. F1 returned to IMAX theaters this week, making $2.6 million for a $182 million total (it’s a much bigger hit overseas), while Coolie, starring Indian cinema icon Rajinikanth, came in tenth place with $2.36 million for a $6.34 million domestic total. Bollywood movie War 2 landed in 11th place with $1.72 million and a $3.14 million domestic haul.

Finally, despite featuring IT Girl Sydney Sweeney in the lead, her long-delayed Americana performed poorly, grossing only $500K, with Exhibitor Relations reporting a $455 per-screen average. Ouch.

Next weekend seems set to be another low-key one, with little opening besides Ethan Coen’s Honey Don’t. Do you think Weapons will top the weekend once again? Let us know in the comments!

The post Weekend Box Office: Weapons easily takes the top spot in week 2 appeared first on JoBlo.

Where I missed the mark was with Zack Cregger’s Weapons. Word of mouth propelled the film to a first-place finish with a terrific $42.5 million—an outstanding number for an R-rated studio horror release. Unusually for the genre, Weaponsdoesn’t appear to be front-loaded; it scored an A– CinemaScore, putting it on par with Sinners and Get Out. Most breakout horror films land in the B range, so this is rare territory. If this momentum holds, Weapons could dominate the box office for the rest of the summer—and it deserves to, as the film is jaw-droppingly good (read our review here).

Meanwhile, Marvel’s Fantastic Four: First Steps continues to free-fall, dropping another 60% this weekend for $15.5 million, bringing its total to $230 million. It’s now far behind where Superman was at the same point in its run, suggesting that while Marvel die-hards are still showing up, the general audience is losing interest. This marks the third Marvel film this year that could end up losing money at the box office.

The Bad Guys 2 also took a steeper-than-expected hit, falling 53% to $10.4 million in its second weekend for a $43.4 million total. That’s surprising given the lack of family options in theaters—perhaps parents opted for Freakier Friday instead. Unless it holds well, it will likely fall short of the $97 million the original earned. The Naked Gun slipped 50% to $8.3 million, bringing its total to $33 million. It should turn a theatrical profit and likely find a bigger audience once it hits streaming.

James Gunn’s Superman is still holding strong, adding $7.8 million for a $331 million domestic total. Jurassic World: Rebirth, despite being available on VOD, continues to perform impressively, adding $4.7 million for a $326 million total. Its legs have been remarkable since opening six weeks ago. F1 made another $2.8 million for a $178 million domestic haul, and with IMAX screens returning next week (the format it was made for), it still has a shot at cracking $200 million domestically.

On the other hand, Neon’s Together collapsed 62% in its second weekend, earning $2.6 million for a $17 million total—likely losing much of its audience to Weapons. Angel Studios also stumbled outside the faith-based lane with its non-religious family film Sketch. Despite strong reviews, it grossed just $2.5 million for a $5 million total, with a weak $1,172 per-screen average.

Next weekend brings the release of Nobody 2. Will it have enough muscle to overtake Freakier Friday for the runner-up spot? We’ll find out soon.

The post Weekend Box Office: Weapons slaughters Freakier Friday; Fantastic Four plunges another 60% appeared first on JoBlo.

The silver lining for Marvel? Fantastic Four is still their biggest movie of the year. It’s already outgrossed Thunderboltsand is just a million or so shy of passing Captain America: Brave New World. But it’s unlikely to crack $500 million worldwide, meaning it’ll probably be yet another Marvel release that loses money. And that’s a problem, because Avengers: Doomsday is built around the casts of Brave New World, Thunderbolts, and Fantastic Four—and audiences seem to have rejected all of them. Will Doomsday still be the massive hit Marvel is banking on? Time will tell.

Elsewhere, The Bad Guys 2 matched the opening of its predecessor with $22.2 million—a solid result in a summer where family films have struggled. The Naked Gun pulled in $17 million, one of the strongest comedy debuts since the pandemic. With a solid A– CinemaScore, it could have legs (and it’s really worth seeing in a theater). Meanwhile, James Gunn’s Superman has now crossed $316 million domestically—well ahead of recent Marvel offerings—though its soft overseas performance has slightly dampened the celebration. Oddly enough, Jurassic World: Rebirth, which many wrote off early, has had the best legs of the summer. It brought in another $8.7 million this weekend, pushing it past $317 million.

NEON’s Together had a decent start—not quite the crossover success of Longlegs or The Monkey, but still respectable. It opened to $6.8 million, with early screenings bringing its total to $10.5 million. NEON may have officially overtaken A24 as the reigning champ of indie horror. WB/Apple’s F1 grossed $4.1 million, bringing its total to $173 million. It reclaims IMAX screens next week in what’s clearly a final push toward the $200 million domestic mark.

As for franchise reboots, two of them landed with a thud. I Know What You Did Last Summer—easily my pick for the worst movie of the year—earned $2.65 million, bringing its total to $29.5 million. Smurfs did even worse. While Last Summer was at least cheap (and looked it), Smurfs took in just $1.7 million for a $28.5 million domestic haul. Surprisingly, it’s done well overseas, more than doubling its domestic gross. Who knew?

Finally, a reboot that actually worked: How to Train Your Dragon brought in $1.35 million this weekend, pushing its total to $260 million and making it the top-grossing film in the franchise.

Next weekend brings Freakier Friday and Weapons. Will either break out before we hit the dog days of summer? Let us know in the comments!

The post Weekend Box Office: Fantastic Four has a huge fall in week 2; does the Marvel Slump continue? appeared first on JoBlo.

Still, it’s a major win for Marvel’s First Family, whose cinematic track record has been less than stellar. The original 2000s Fantastic Four films debuted to $56 and $57 million respectively, while the ill-fated 2015 reboot sputtered out with just $25.6 million. This is by far their best opening and sets the stage for their next big-screen appearance in Avengers: Doomsday, which will feature the long-awaited debut of Doctor Doom—played by none other than Robert Downey Jr.

Meanwhile, Superman continues to perform well, adding $24.8 million this weekend to bring its domestic total to $289 million—just shy of the $300 million milestone. Jurassic World: Rebirth hit that mark this weekend with a $13 million haul, bringing its total to $301 million. F1 came in fourth with $6.2 million, pushing its domestic total to $165 million. It’s likely to top out around $175 million domestically, though its overseas numbers are stronger thanks to the sport’s global popularity.

On the flip side, Paramount’s Smurfs reboot took a steep 51% drop, earning just $5.4 million for a weak $22 million total—this franchise looks well and truly finished. Things were even worse for I Know What You Did Last Summer, with the sequel crashing 60% to $5.1 million and a $23.5 million total. Consider this franchise dead and buried—possibly with a rusty fish hook.

One series still holding strong is How to Train Your Dragon, which added another $2.8 million this weekend, bringing its domestic total to $257 million. A24’s star-studded Eddington, despite boasting Joaquin Phoenix, Emma Stone, Pedro Pascal, and Austin Butler, collapsed 62% to $1.66 million, with a dismal $806 per-screen average. The days of Ari Aster getting a blank check may be over.

Elsewhere, Bollywood hit Saiyaara earned $1.29 million for a $3.2 million domestic total, making it the year’s second-biggest Hindi-language release. Sony Classics’ Oh. Hi, starring The Bear’s Molly Gordon and Logan Lerman, opened to a modest $1.13 million.

Next weekend brings Paramount’s The Naked Gun reboot. Can Liam Neeson channel his inner Leslie Nielsen? Let us know what you think in the comments.

The post Weekend Box Office: Fantastic Four falls just short of matching Superman’s opening appeared first on JoBlo.

That said, Superman held better in its second weekend than Zack Snyder’s film, dropping a relatively modest 54% compared to Man of Steel’s 65% plunge (that’s still higher than we predicted). It pulled in $57.2 million for the weekend, bringing its domestic total to $235 million so far. It’s on track to cross the $300 million mark domestically, though it faces stiff competition next weekend from Marvel’s Fantastic Four: First Steps, which is generating strong buzz.

Another film showing stronger-than-expected legs is Jurassic World: Rebirth, which earned $23.4 million this weekend for a solid $276.1 million domestic total. While it will fall short of the other Jurassic World entries, it’s still a respectable number in today’s market.

Not every studio is celebrating, though. Sony and Paramount both took major hits this weekend, with two would-be blockbusters flopping hard. Sony’s I Know What You Did Last Summer reboot added to horror’s recent box office woes, grossing just $13 million. While the film only cost $18 million to make, its debut is weaker than the original’s opening weekend nearly three decades ago—and even worse than the widely panned sequel. This is not a hit, and the franchise looks set to remain dead and buried.

Still, it fared better than Paramount’s Smurfs, which stumbled to a disastrous $12 million opening despite a star-studded voice cast featuring Rihanna as Smurfette.

Meanwhile, F1 continues to draw an audience despite losing its premium screens, grossing $9.6 million for a $156 million domestic total. It may not reach $200 million, but it has been a major success overseas.

Universal’s How to Train Your Dragon reboot also continues to perform well, crossing the $250 million mark this weekend. (Check out our recent video from the press junket in Norway!)

One studio having a tough year is A24. Their latest prestige project, Eddington, failed to find an audience despite a cast packed with stars like Joaquin Phoenix, Emma Stone, Pedro Pascal, and Austin Butler, and acclaimed director Ari Aster at the helm. This marks Aster’s second consecutive flop for A24 following Beau Is Afraid. With reviews (including ours) unusually poor, one has to wonder how long the studio will keep bankrolling his increasingly divisive films.

Pixar is also licking its wounds after Elio plummeted to eighth place with just $2 million this weekend and a $68 million domestic total. Hopefully, Hoppers, due this spring, fares better. That said, Disney won’t be too upset—Lilo & Stitch continues to soar, blasting past the $418 million mark this weekend.

Finally, Danny Boyle’s 28 Years Later wrapped up its underwhelming but still profitable run, grossing $1.34 million this weekend for a $68.7 million total.

As for next weekend—how much do you think Fantastic Four: First Steps will open with? Will it crack $100 million? Let us know in the comments!

The post Weekend Box Office Report: Superman has a better second week drop than Man of Steel appeared first on JoBlo.

This marks the second-biggest opening of James Gunn’s career, trailing only the $146.5 million debut of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. It’s also the second-highest opening ever for a Superman film, behind Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, which launched with a massive $166 million in 2016. It tops the $116.6 million earned by Man of Steel in 2013, but that comes with a big caveat: when adjusted for inflation, Zack Snyder’s film still edges out Gunn’s.

That said, the industry has changed a lot since then, and Superman’s $122 million launch marks the third-biggest opening of the year, behind Lilo & Stitch and A Minecraft Movie. It easily outperformed both of Marvel’s underwhelming releases this year, towering over Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts.

Of course, the big question now is: how will Superman hold up in week two? Zack Snyder’s Superman films had strong openings but began to falter in their second weekends. Gunn’s version received an A-minus CinemaScore, which is solid. By comparison, Jurassic World: Rebirth earned only a B and lost 57% of its audience in its second frame, grossing $40 million en route to a $232 million total. That’s not a terrible drop (anything over 60% is considered troubling), but it also suggests audiences aren’t exactly whipped into a frenzy.

F1 pulled into third place with $12.39 million and a $136 million total. It should finish around $160 million domestically. Internationally, its total sits just below $400 million, making it the only global blockbuster ever produced by Apple Original Films — which bodes well for its eventual streaming debut.

How to Train Your Dragon, which hits digital retailers this week, continues to draw family audiences, earning $7.8 million for a $239 million domestic total (with a sequel on the way for 2027). Meanwhile, Pixar’s Elio continues to land with a thud, making just $3.9 million this weekend for a $63 million total — arguably the biggest box office flop in Pixar history.

28 Years Later wasn’t far behind, with $2.72 million for a disappointing $65.7 million total. While the film will ultimately turn a profit thanks to its modest budget and international gross, Sony is no doubt waiting on the January release of the sequel, The Bone Temple, before greenlighting a third installment.

Lilo & Stitch remains the summer’s biggest hit, adding another $2.7 million to reach $414 million domestically. Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning earned $1.45 million this weekend for a $194 million total. Paramount will likely keep it in theaters until it crosses the $200 million milestone. Internationally, it’s done even better, with a global total poised to break $600 million this weekend.

Blumhouse’s flop M3GAN 2.0 made a modest $1.35 million for a disastrous $22 million total — less than a quarter of what the original earned. Finally, A24’s Materialists rounded out the top 10 with $720K for a decent (though unspectacular) $35.1 million total.

Next weekend should be another easy win for Superman, with only the I Know What You Did Last Summer reboot/sequel and A24’s Eddington opening wide.

Do you think it can hold 50% in its second weekend? Let us know in the comments!

The post Weekend Box Office: Superman scores a $122 million opening appeared first on JoBlo.

Brad Pitt’s F1 held strong in second place, slipping about 55% to $26 million. Coupled with the holiday box office, the film has now raced past $109 million worldwide, proving to be a big success for Apple Films—especially overseas. Given its budget, it would likely need to gross around $700 million globally to turn a profit in theaters, but since it was made with streaming in mind, Apple probably doesn’t need it to reach that number. Its strong international performance means it will be a high-profile addition to their streaming catalogue, so don’t be surprised if the sequel they’re discussing actually materializes.

One movie definitely getting a sequel is the animated reboot of How to Train Your Dragon, which crossed $224 million domestically this weekend, making it by far the highest-grossing entry in the franchise. Pixar’s Elio, on the other hand, has turned out to be a major flop, grossing only $5.7 million this weekend for a $55 million total. It’ll be lucky to crawl to $70 million. Heads will no doubt roll. Disney fared much better with Lilo & Stitch, which crossed the $400 million mark this week after adding $3.8 million. Danny Boyle’s 28 Years Later edged it out with $4.6 million and a $60 million total—a mixed result for the first film in a potential trilogy.

Indeed, outside of Final Destination: Bloodlines, horror has had a rough summer. Blumhouse’s M3GAN 2.0 dropped a disastrous 63%, sinking to sixth place with just $3.8 million in its second weekend. With a domestic total of $18.5 million, it’s the most underwhelming sequel since Joker: Folie à Deux.

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning has also been a disappointment. The mega-budget film looks likely to fall short of $200 million domestically, earning $2.73 million this weekend for a $191 million total—less than half its reported production cost. A24’s Materialists is wrapping up its run with $1.34 million for a $33 million total. That’s neither as good as the studio had hoped nor as bad as some feared. A modest hit, it should perform well on streaming.

Finally, the re-release of This Is Spinal Tap from Fathom Entertainment rocked its way into 10th place (though 11 would have been even more appropriate) with $931,000—an amazing result considering it’s only playing a few times a day. That bodes well for the sequel, due out this fall.

Of course, next weekend brings arguably the most hyped movie of the year: Superman. Will the Man of Steel crack the magic $100 million mark over three days? Let us know in the comments!

The post Weekend Box Office: Dinosaurs stomp critics over the holiday weekend appeared first on JoBlo.

While that’s a very respectable number, F1 was an even bigger hit overseas, grossing another $88.4 million and bringing its international opening to over $144 million. Those are blockbuster numbers, and the thinking is that F1 should hold up well over the 4th of July weekend, especially as it’s proving popular with family audiences. Speaking of families, they continued to turn out in droves for the How to Train Your Dragon remake, which brought in $19.4 million and surged past the $200 million domestic mark. Meanwhile, Pixar’s Elio—which flopped last weekend—didn’t have a strong hold, dropping 49% to $10.7 million and bringing its domestic total to $42 million. It likely won’t have the legs Disney was no doubt hoping for.

Next up are two huge disappointments, proving that while horror fans will turn out when the movie is good, they don’t appreciate being misled. How else to explain the dismal opening for M3GAN 2.0, which earned just $10.5 million, only about a third of what the original opened with? Once word got out that it was more of a sci-fi action-adventure than a horror flick, that audience stayed away. Mixed reactions from horror fans also seem to be hurting 28 Years Later, which fell a massive 68% in its second weekend to $9.7 million. A $50 million domestic total isn’t bad, and overseas it’s already passed $100 million, but there’s no doubt Sony will be watching closely to see how the follow-up, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, performs before greenlighting the third and final film in the trilogy.

Meanwhile, Lilo & Stitch blasted past the $400 million mark this weekend with another $6.9 million. Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning continued to inch toward the $200 million mark with a $4.15 million weekend, bringing its domestic total to around $185 million (internationally, it’s made more than double that). Materialists also seems to be heading toward a more modest run than expected, falling another 49% to $2.99 million and a domestic total just over $30 million. That’s solid business for its home studio A24, but not the breakout hit many had predicted.

Another underperformer is Ballerina: From the World of John Wick, which is wrapping up its run with $2.1 million this weekend and a $55 million total. Ironically, it remains Lionsgate’s highest-grossing film since their last Hunger Games installment, highlighting just how rough a patch the studio is going through. Another failed franchise relaunch is Karate Kid: Legends, which brought in just $1 million this weekend, for a mediocre $51 million total. One lesson Hollywood needs to learn is that these franchise reboots often don’t work, a trend we dig into right HERE.

Next weekend is a holiday and sees the release of Jurassic World: Rebirth. Will it break $100 million in its first weekend? Let us know in the comments!

The post Weekend Box Office Report: F1 breaks through; M3GAN 2.0 tanks appeared first on JoBlo.

28 Years Later made $30 million domestically, which is solid for a movie rumored to have cost a thrifty $60 million. But what should make all involved extra happy is that the film also made $30 million overseas—a big score, as horror doesn’t always export successfully. Not surprisingly, the UK was its biggest international opening with $6.4 million.

However, the weekend also saw a pretty huge flop, with Pixar’s Elio laying an egg with a $21 million opening. That’s far worse than anyone anticipated, and it marks Pixar’s lowest opening ever, even worse than Elemental, which opened to $29 million before legging it out to around $150 million. I wonder if Elio will have some legs and at least clear $100 million. Along with Snow White and its two underperforming Marvel movies, Disney’s had a mixed bag this year—although Lilo & Stitch has been a giant hit. It managed to hold on in fourth place with $6.7 million and a $386 million domestic gross.

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning sailed past the previous installment’s (Dead Reckoning) domestic total this weekend, making $6.5 million in fifth place, with a $178 million total. Will it break $200 million? Don’t count out Tom Cruise! A24’s low-key hit Materialists dropped a heftier-than-expected 49% for a $5.8 million weekend, but its $23 million total isn’t bad for a piece of counter-programming—even if it hasn’t caught on in a major way.

Lionsgate’s Ballerina: From the World of John Wick is wrapping up its underwhelming run, pulling in $4.53 million in seventh place for a $51 million domestic total. That’s not a great result, and certainly not the franchise-starter Lionsgate was hoping for. Another would-be franchise restart, Karate Kid: Legends, also began to wrap up its domestic run, making $2.4 million in eighth place with a domestic total of $49 million. I doubt we’ll get another big-screen Karate Kid unless it’s more closely connected to Cobra Kai than this was.

Ninth place went to the smash horror hit Final Destination: Bloodlines, which made $1.85 million for a $134 million total (the movie is now available digitally), while the Indian crime drama Kuberaa managed a tenth-place finish with $1.7 million. Off the chart, Neon’s The Life of Chuck pulled in just $1 million this weekend—a 57% decline from last week. Ouch. Despite winning the People’s Choice Award at TIFF, Neon hasn’t had much luck with Mike Flanagan’s genteel Stephen King adaptation.

Next weekend has Brad Pitt’s F1 facing off against Blumhouse’s M3GAN 2.0. Who do you think will win? Let us know in the comments!

The post Weekend Box Office: Dragons beat zombies while Disney has a major dud with Elio appeared first on JoBlo.

Meanwhile, another live-action remake of an animated classic, Disney’s Lilo & Stitch, was in second place with $15.5 million and a superb $388 million domestic haul. So far, it’s the second highest grossing movie of the year domestically (after A Minecraft Movie), and the third highest grossing internationally (both it and Minecraft were dwarfed by the Chinese smash Ne Zha 2, which is closing in on an incredible $2 billion). 

Number three at the box office was a pleasant surprise, with A24 having a solid hit with Materialists, which grossed $12 million, bolstered by excellent reviews. It’s a welcome success for A24, which is coming off a string of flops that include Opus, Death of a Unicorn, The Legend of Oshi, Warfare and Bring Her Back – none of which have broken out beyond the cult audience that supports the indie studio. The Tim Robinson/ Paul Rudd comedy Friendship was their only other quasi-hit this year. 

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning continues its so-so domestic run, with $10.3 million and a $166.3 million haul. It won’t come close to the $200 million-plus earned by Mission: Impossible – Fallout. Luckily, it’s been a global hit, with it cracking the $500 million mark this weekend, far outperforming Marvel’s Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts (which dropped off the top 10 this weekend). Lionsgate’s John Wick spinoff, Ballerina, had a disappointing second weekend, falling a significant 62% to fifth place, with only $9.4 million and a $41.8 million haul. That’s a poor result for the studio, which no doubt hoped this would give birth to a whole slew of John Wick spin-offs. 

Karate Kid: Legends is another franchise spinoff that’s struggling, with it earning $5 million for a weak $44.1 million haul. It will top out at around $50-55 million domestically, making further instalments unlikely. Yet, another franchise revival, Final Destination: Bloodlines, has proven to be a smash, with it earning another $3.9 million for a superb $130.6 million haul.

Wes Anderson’s The Phoenician Scheme is only performing so-so business compared to his other movies, with it losing over 50% of its audience in its second wide weekend, with $3 million and a $12.7 million total. It will be lucky to top $17 million domestically. Neon’s Life of Chuck also proved to be a bit of a flop, with it only grossing $2.1 million in its wide expansion. Neon’s struggling to find this one an audience, as typically their strength relies in the genre or prestige drama sphere. Life of Chuck is neither. Finally, Ryan Coogler’s Sinners added another $1.47 million to its $275 million-plus domestic haul. Expect this one to stick around for a bit, as it’s proving to be a bit of an IMAX perennial – like Christopher Nolan’s movies. 

Next weekend sees the release of Pixar’s Elio and Sony’s 28 Years Later. Who’s going to take the top spot? Let us know in the comments!

The post Weekend Box Office: How To Train Your Dragon’s live action remake a bigger hit than the animated original? appeared first on JoBlo.