Deadpool & Wolverine rules the box office again while It Ends with Us has outstanding debut

As a seasoned film enthusiast and box office analyst with over two decades of experience under my belt, I must say that the current state of the domestic box office is nothing short of fascinating. The performance of Inside Out 2 continues to astound me, surpassing even the mighty Barbie in just a matter of weeks. It’s a testament to Pixar’s storytelling prowess and the enduring appeal of their characters.

There’s plenty to explore with the latest films hitting screens over the weekend, particularly one unexpected blockbuster of 2024 that’s been garnering attention. Before we dive into that, let’s start by examining the current king of the domestic box office. Once again, Deadpool & Wolverine held onto the top spot, earning a staggering $54.1 million this week. This is the 12th largest third weekend on record, and its earnings for this frame alone surpassed the opening domestic weekends of many previous X-Men films like The Wolverine. Directed by the man behind Big Fat Liar, Deadpool & Wolverine has now amassed an impressive $494.3 million in North America after just 17 days. It’s expected to surpass the $500 million domestic mark tomorrow on its 19th day of release, making it one of the fastest films to reach this milestone.

For almost a century, Hollywood has found success in adapting recently popular novels into movies. In 2014 alone, films like “Gone Girl,” “The Fault in Our Stars,” and “The Maze Runner” generated substantial box office returns from their well-known book counterparts. Other successful adaptations from the early 2010s include “The Help,” “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” and “Life of Pi.” However, by the mid-2010s, studios became more focused on producing expensive, all-ages blockbusters such as “Avengers” or “Avatar.” As a result, films based on contemporary best-selling books began to dwindle, with only a few exceptions like 2018’s “Crazy Rich Asians.”

As a gamer, it feels like we’ve stepped back into the ’90s with the resurgence of those heartwarming, thought-provoking films based on books, such as “Where the Crawdads Sing” and “A Man Called Otto”. It seems Hollywood is ready to fill our theaters once more with these captivating adaptations. The reason for this revival? Just one successful film can spark a trend. And guess what? This weekend, that game-changer was none other than the explosive sensation, “It Ends with Us“.

In a remarkable turn of events, Blake Lively’s latest movie broke box office records, earning an impressive $50 million on its opening weekend. This debut surpassed that of The Fault in Our Stars from a decade ago, making it the highest-grossing opening weekend for a non-Twilight romantic drama ever, according to The-Numbers. To put it into perspective, this film’s opening weekend earnings far outshone those of every other movie starring Blake Lively. Additionally, this movie ranks as the 11th-biggest opening weekend of 2024, outperforming more expensive films like Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire and The Fall Guy. In essence, it’s safe to say that this film has set numerous box office records during its premiere weekend.

Releasing Blake Lively’s adaptation of the widely-acclaimed novel “It Ends with Us” in mid-August turned out to be a successful decision for moviegoers, as it provided an alternative to the usual action and violence. Originally scheduled for February and June 2024, the film was moved due to production delays caused by last year’s labor strikes. Coincidentally, this timing positioned “It Ends with Us” favorably on the calendar alongside hits like “The Help” and “Crazy Rich Asians.” By August, audiences are seeking something fresh, and a women-driven drama based on a popular book like “It Ends with Us” fits the bill. The film has already proven to be a box office success and is on track to become one of the year’s surprise hits.

As a lifelong movie enthusiast and someone who has been following the box office trends closely, I must say that the success of “Twister” this weekend is nothing short of impressive. Having witnessed the rise and fall of numerous blockbusters over the years, it’s always fascinating to see a film defy expectations and continue to captivate audiences.

As a gaming enthusiast, let me tell you, the Borderlands movie didn’t exactly have a triumphant beginning. Directed by Eli Roth, it stumbled out of the gates with a dismal box office start, earning only $8.8 million this weekend. Given its whopping $110 million budget, it’s fair to say that the film was a massive flop across multiple frontiers.

As a film critic with over 20 years of experience in the industry, I must say that I found Lionsgate’s latest release, “Borderlands,” to be utterly disappointing. Having witnessed the studio’s struggles at the domestic box office throughout 2024, my expectations were already low, but even so, this film failed to meet them.

In fourth position, “Despicable Me 4” earned $8 million this week, dropping by 30%, bringing its total U.S. earnings to $330.2 million. This is a notable increase compared to the $5.9 million earned during the sixth weekend of “Despicable Me 2,” which faced stiffer family-friendly competition. As of now, “Despicable Me 4” trails its predecessor by only $8.1 million in domestic earnings at the same stage of release. On the other hand, “Trap” maintained its performance this weekend but needed a slightly smaller decline (56%) to make up for a less-than-spectacular domestic debut. It added another $6.7 million to its total, now standing at $28.6 million in the U.S. By next weekend, it is expected to surpass the lifetime gross of “Knock at the Cabin” and may even surpass the domestic earnings of “Lady in the Water” before its North American run concludes. While not a blockbuster success, it’s also not a complete flop.

The sequel to “Inside Out” continued its strong performance, earning an additional $4.9 million this weekend (a slight drop of 27% from last week), bringing its total domestic earnings to a staggering $636.4 million. This latest Pixar release has now edged out 2023’s top-grossing domestic film, “Barbie.” The success of this movie is truly remarkable and it seems probable that it will surpass the $650 million mark before its theatrical run ends. On the other hand, “Harold and the Purple Crayon” experienced a 48% drop in earnings this weekend, bringing in just another $3.1 million. With such dismal results, it’s doubtful that this film will manage to reach $20 million domestically.

In ninth position, we find the new entrant, “Cuckoo,” earning approximately $3 million across 1,503 cinemas. Despite not setting box office records, it surpassed expectations for Neon’s horror productions, excluding “Longlegs.” For instance, its opening was ahead of “Infinity Pool’s” domestic launch in January last year. Being produced and promoted economically, “Cuckoo” is expected to thrive in the long term. Additionally, it’s on track to become Neon’s 11th release to surpass $5 million domestically, with six of these successes emerging within the past 19 months, indicating Neon’s growing influence in the marketplace.

Despite a new horror movie from Neon being available, the film Longlegs still managed to earn another $2 million (a decrease of 53% compared to the previous weekend), bringing its domestic total to $71.2 million. In its final screening before its nationwide debut, Didi earned an additional $650,000. This was from 200 theaters, giving it a per-theater average of $3,250, pushing its domestic total to $1.6 million before its theater count significantly increases. On the other hand, A Quiet Place: Day One saw a 66% drop this week, earning another $475,000. This popular blockbuster now stands at $138.5 million in North America. The Firing Squad struggled during its second weekend of release, falling by 72%, adding $245,000 to a disappointing domestic run totaling only $1.5 million. These figures are dismal, and among summer 2024 non-Fathom Events titles that immediately opened in wide release, only six performed worse than The Firing Squad.

The movie titled “Sing Sing” is gradually being made available to more audiences. In its fifth domestic week, the film expanded to only 38 cinemas and earned $226,965. This weekend, it recorded a theater average of $5,820, resulting in a total domestic gross of $821,862 for “Sing Sing”. Meanwhile, CatVideoFest 2024 experienced a decrease of 63% this weekend but still managed to earn a substantial $102,330 from 55 venues (average per theater: $1,861). After ten days in release, the film has accumulated $428,561 in earnings.

Over the weekend, I was deeply saddened to see my beloved movie, “Kneecap,” struggle at the box office. After its rocky theatrical launch by Sony Pictures Classics, it managed only $103,426 in 204 cinemas, averaging just $507 per theater. With ten days under its belt, the film has earned a disappointing total of $819,650, and it’s uncertain if it will reach the $1 million mark domestically. It’s heartbreaking to see such a brilliant movie face this fate.

In the United States this past weekend, the highest-grossing films earned approximately $155.7 million, marking a substantial increase of 45% compared to the same weekend last year when “Barbie” held the top spot. This figure also means that the total earnings for August 2024 so far are around $440 million, which is already more than what was made in August 2021 within 11 days. By the end of this week, it’s expected to surpass the total gross of August 2022 ($466.9 million). If the upcoming releases don’t significantly impact the box office over the next three weeks, August 2024 could become one of only 18 Augussts in history to exceed $800 million. It seems that Summer 2024 is on track for a fantastic conclusion.

2024-08-13 04:15

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