Beetlejuice Beetlejuice rules the box office again as Speak No Evil has muted debut

by

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice rules the box office again as Speak No Evil has muted debut

As a long-time movie enthusiast and someone who has witnessed the evolution of the film industry, I must say that this current state of affairs is truly disheartening. The lack of new major studio releases, particularly in varied genres, is a problem that has been looming for quite some time now.

It’s no shock that Beetlejuice Beetlejuice continued its reign at the box office for a second straight weekend, earning another top spot and grossing an impressive $51.7 million. This latest Tim Burton film saw a 53% decrease from its opening weekend, but considering it opened to over $110 million and had $13 million in Thursday night earnings, that’s not bad at all. After ten days, the movie has accumulated $188.1 million in North America and is on track to reach a domestic total of around $280 million. If it maintains its momentum through October, there’s a chance it could exceed this figure.

2001’s “Planet of the Apes” is closely surpassed by a new movie after only ten days in theaters, and it seems likely that it will exceed the $206.4 million domestic earnings of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” by this coming Friday. To put it simply, the original “Beetlejuice” has been left significantly behind with its domestic haul of just $74.49 million.

The latest Blumhouse production, “Speak No Evil,” had a moderate performance at the box office this weekend, earning $11.5 million. This follows titles such as “AfrAId,” “Night Swim,” and “Imaginary.” Despite not being a flop, its earnings are significantly lower than the $20+ million openings that Universal/Blumhouse films usually garnered in the late 2010s. Compared to other Blumhouse titles, “Speak No Evil” had a lower opening than “Fantasy Island,” “Oculus,” “The Gift,” and “The Boy Next Door.” Interestingly, the movie’s slow-burn aesthetic and darker tone, which are among its best qualities, may have hindered its success as crowd-pleasing Blumhouse films typically feature more jump scares and lighter elements to offset the fear. Even “Split,” starring James McAvoy, had comedic elements in its trailers due to the main villain’s multiple personalities.

It’s clear that the influx of new horror movies from Hollywood is making it hard for films like “Speak No Evil” to stand out, with titles such as “AfrAId”, “Trap”, “Alien: Romulus”, and many others being released in over 3000 theaters each month. Even “Cuckoo” was widely available back in August 2014! IFC alone is releasing a new wide-release horror title every month, making for a crowded market. With so many options available and limited funds from horror movie enthusiasts, the days when only one new wide-release horror film like “Countdown” was on the market are long gone. New scary movies like “Longlegs” might become unexpected hits if they resonate with audiences, but they won’t necessarily rake in the same amount of money as blockbusters like “It” or “The Purge”, not even for the Blumhouse production team who were seemingly unstoppable in the late 2010s.

After spending eight weekends in cinemas, the action-packed movie starring Deadpool and Wolverine continued to rake in substantial earnings. This past weekend, the most recent film by Shawn Levy earned $5.2 million. Compared to last weekend, this represents a sizable 26% decrease in revenue. The latest Marvel Cinematic Universe blockbuster is nearing the end of its North American theater run, but it has already surpassed $620 million. With $621.4 million earned so far, it’s expected to overtake the $623 million domestic total of The Avengers shortly. Achieving over $630 million in total earnings seems likely as the final tally is calculated.

Over the weekend, a fresh feature from a questionable group of individuals was launched. I prefer not to delve too deeply into this film’s details, including box office figures. Instead, allow me to bring your attention to other entertaining options. “Kokomo City” is available on Paramount+, and you can instantly stream every episode of “I’m a Virgo” on Amazon. You can also watch movies like “Drive My Car,” “Paris is Burning,” “Real Women Have Curves,” either on physical media or streaming platforms. Let’s make an effort to appreciate this art daily, and it becomes even more crucial when biased content manages to reach over 1,500 domestic theaters while thought-provoking documentaries such as “Black Box Diaries” and “Union” may struggle for screen time in October. So, let’s disregard such divisive perspectives, much like in “Green Room,” and focus on more positive pursuits instead.

Discussing the financial performance of the film about fascists, titled Reagan, it made an additional $2.96 million over the weekend. This represents a decrease of 39% compared to its previous earnings. With a current total of $23.3 million, it’s on track to reach a domestic sum close to $30 million.

2024 summer may have come to an end, but it seems like Lionsgate’s tough box office stretch didn’t take a break this weekend. In my gaming world, that’s like releasing too many action-packed games all at once – no one wants a glut of bullets and explosions!

In the latest box office results, “Alien: Romulus” earned an additional $2.4 million, which is a 39% decrease from its previous frame. This “Alien” installment has now surpassed the $100 million mark domestically, making it only the second “Alien” film (after “Prometheus”) to achieve this milestone in the U.S.

Wonder if you lot are still around? This past weekend saw the return of the God’s Not Dead series to cinemas with God’s Not Dead: In God We Trust. The initial God’s Not Dead movie was undeniably a blockbuster hit in March 2024. Yet, none of its subsequent films have managed to replicate that success. It’s hard to believe, but even the third installment only made $1.82 million domestically and less than 10% of the first movie’s North American earnings! This weekend, In God We Trust took in $1.46 million (it has grossed $1.82 million since Thursday). Playing in 1,392 theaters thanks to Fathom Events, In God We Trust had a disappointingly poor opening. It’s perplexing why these movies continue to be produced, but as long as there are well-off straight white individuals seeking validation for their sense of martyrdom, this franchise will carry on.

This weekend marks the wind-down of Twisters’ theatrical release, yet it managed to earn another $1.2 million in this period, bringing its total gross to $266.3 million. On the other hand, Despicable Me 4 added $1.1 million (a 40% decrease from the previous frame) to reach a domestic total of $359.4 million. Newcomer DAN DA DAN: First Encounter opened in 610 theaters this weekend, earning $1.005 million with an average of $1,648 per theater. Although not exceptional, it has already become the ninth-highest grossing GKIDS movie domestically. The Front Room experienced a significant drop this weekend, grossing $427,756 (a 73% decrease from its opening). After ten days, this box office disappointment has only managed to gather $2.67 million in total.

Over another weekend, yet another art film struggled following a widespread release. This time around, the unfortunate casualty was “The Critic,” managing only $200,000 from 556 cinemas, resulting in an average of just $360 per theater. Art houses, it’s crucial to cultivate these productions over several weeks instead of simply releasing them in hundreds of theaters and crossing your fingers for success! Conversely, “My Old Ass” had a strong debut this weekend with $171,743 at seven locations. This equates to an impressive $24,535 per theater average for this frame. It currently ranks as the 8th-highest limited release opening weekend per theater average in 2024. Here’s to hoping it continues its success when it expands into wide release on September 27th!

IndieWire reports that Kevin Smith’s latest movie, “The 4:30 Movie,” started with an disappointing box office collection of $115,000 from 245 cinemas, translating to a dismal per-theater average of about $450. Despite this poor opening, it ranks fifth among self-distributed titles by Saban Films. On the other hand, “Faith of Angels” premiered in 30 locations this weekend and made $65,016. “Casa Bonita Mi Amor” expanded to 17 theaters and earned $45,630, giving it a per-theater average of $2,684. This documentary has accumulated $78,881 over ten days. “Kneecap” reappeared in 114 theaters this week but only collected $17,819, resulting in a per-theater average of merely $156. The total domestic collection for this Irish feature now stands at $1.1 million. Despite increasing its theater count to 30 locations, “Seeking Mavis Beacon” saw a 6% drop this weekend and made $12,000, giving it a per-theater average of only $400. Its domestic total now amounts to $38,033.

This weekend, the highest-grossing ten films earned a total of $86.4 million. This is a 54% increase compared to the same weekend last year, which was dominated by the box office success of The Nun II. However, it’s a 12% decrease from the same weekend in 2019, when It: Chapter Two and Hustlers were leading the market. This weekend’s earnings can be attributed to the absence of significant new releases from major studios apart from Speak No Evil. In contrast, during the second weekends of 2018 and September 2016, mid-budget films like A Simple Favor, White Boy Rick, Sully respectively offered alternatives to underperforming titles such as The Predator and Don’t Breathe or Suicide Squad, providing a mix in the marketplace.

Currently, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” is doing exceptionally well, yet there’s a need for alternatives to balance out the underperformance of “Speak No Evil”. I’ve previously discussed how the main issue plaguing cinemas today lies in the scarcity of releases, both in quantity and diversity of genres. The indifference shown by studios like Warner Bros., Paramount, Disney, and others (reflected in their shrinking annual theatrical movie slates and refusal to produce films across all genres) towards cinema owners and particularly their staff is alarming. This issue is resurfacing once more this weekend.

The film industry is in need of a wider variety of movies, particularly rom-coms, crime thrillers, and dramas, rather than just horror flicks and politically charged content. Regrettably, only two major studio releases – “Transformers One” from Paramount and “The Wild Robot” from Universal – are scheduled for the remainder of September, which is a sorry reflection on the studios’ lack of commitment to supplying cinemas with essential new films. Warner Bros., for example, could release “Sweethearts” in late September, but instead it’s going straight to streaming.

Despite this issue being quite daunting, let me share some encouraging figures to wrap up our discussion. As we approach the midpoint of September 2024, the earnings have already surpassed that of September 2022, with a total of $352 million compared to $323.1 million last year. The $367.1 million gross from September 2021 is within reach as well. It appears that reaching the record for the biggest September ever may not be possible for 2024, but it seems attainable for the film to become one of only six Septembers to earn over $600 million.

Read More

2024-09-16 15:15