As a seasoned moviegoer and box office analyst with decades of experience under my belt, I must say that this weekend’s box office performance left me shaking my head in disbelief. It’s as if some movies were cursed to fail, no matter how hard their distributors tried to drum up support. Take “The Firing Squad,” for instance – a title that seemed destined for success with its faith-based angle and Kevin Sorbo star power. But alas, even the stern words of former Governor Mike Huckabee couldn’t coax audiences into the theater.
Not a shocker at all, I tell ya! Once again, Deadpool and Wolverine ruled the box office with a whopping $97 million in their second weekend. That’s right, they held onto the top spot in America for another week after making a staggering $211 million on their first run. Their $96 million haul in the second weekend even ranks eighth among the biggest second weekends of all time. But what truly stands out is how this movie compared to other Marvel Cinematic Universe releases. Unlike most July Marvel films, which usually see a 60% or more drop in their second weekend, Deadpool and Wolverine only dipped by 54%. That’s pretty impressive if you ask me!
As a gaming enthusiast, I’ve got to say, this new game has left the 62% and 61% drop in viewership for “Spider-Man: Homecoming” and “Ant-Man and the Wasp” in the dust! It’s not just better, it’s remarkably superior to recent MCU declines like the 67% plunges “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” and “Thor: Love and Thunder” from this past summer of 2022. Even “Deadpool & Wolverine” managed a slightly better second-weekend hold, despite opening much bigger than both “Guardians of the Galaxy” did a decade ago. To top it off, the performance of “Deadpool & Wolverine” in its second weekend was significantly stronger than either of the previous “Deadpool” movies, which is quite impressive indeed!
The word-of-mouth buzz around this blockbuster hit is undeniably effective, propelling it to a staggering $395.5 million within U.S. borders. With such momentum, one might wonder how high its domestic earnings could soar. A possible target of $600 million may be beyond its reach, but a finish between $550 and $575 million appears entirely achievable. Regardless of where it ultimately ends up, the movie Deadpool & Wolverine has indisputably left an impressive mark on the domestic box office. As it stands, it currently holds the record for the highest-grossing R-rated film domestically, outpacing The Passion of the Christ‘s 20-year reign in this category. By the close of today, Deadpool & Wolverine will become the first R-rated movie ever to surpass $400 million domestically (unadjusted for inflation).
Enjoy this interesting tidbit: For the past eight domestic weekends, six have seen movies earning more than $75 million each weekend. Incredibly, four out of these eight weeks saw the top-grossing movie in America earn over $97 million! This consistent success at the box office is a positive sign and indicates significant improvement from the gloomy period of May 2024. What’s even more exciting is that not all revenue generated at the box office goes solely to these blockbusters; lesser-known films like Lee Isaac Chung’s directorial work have also thrived.
Over the weekend, the tornado-themed film “Twisters” continued to whirl up audiences, earning an additional $22.6 million and experiencing a 35% decrease. With a total of $195.6 million earned after 17 days in domestic release, “Twisters” is quickly approaching the milestone of becoming the fifth movie of 2024 to gross $200 million domestically. It seems inevitable that this box-office sensation will surpass $250 million in North America, making it a major success for the disaster movie genre. Many were surprised by the film’s massive popularity, but it has proven to be quite profitable. Will the impressive performance of “Twisters” prompt a Lionsgate/STX executive to finally greenlight the long-awaited Brad Peyton “Black Hole” movie that was announced in 2017? Only time will tell.
We’ve reached the debut of a movie widely released this time, titled “Trap”. Despite its release, it managed to earn only $15.6 million during its opening weekend. This is one of Shyamalan’s poorest box office debuts, with the three lowest domestic launches happening within the last three years. Similar to what Michael Bay experienced with “AmbuLAnce” two years prior, Shyamalan’s name doesn’t have the same draw it used to 20 years ago. Over time, no filmmaker can maintain their brand name indefinitely. However, the issues surrounding “Trap” extended beyond its director.
As a passionate gamer, I was hyped for Warner Bros.’ upcoming flick, “Trap,” but boy, did they drop the ball on this one! The trailer was killer, promising an action-packed ride with a rockin’ soundtrack to boot. Yet, in the final stretch before its release, it felt like they just… vanished. No San Diego Comic-Con promotion, no epic stunts tied to the movie’s concert setting, and not a peep from advanced critic screenings. An original project like this needed some buzz!
During its fifth weekend, the film “Despicable Me 4” earned an additional $11.2 million, marking a 23% decrease from the previous week. To date, it has grossed $313.9 million within the U.S. Notably, this sequel managed to outperform its fourth weekend slightly more than “Despicable Me 2,” though it still lags behind that film’s domestic earnings by approximately 4%. Meanwhile, “Inside Out 2” continued its run in theaters, raking in $6.7 million during its eighth weekend for a grand total of $626.9 million domestically. Having surpassed both “The Last Jedi” and “The Avengers,” “Inside Out 2” now ranks as the 12th highest-grossing movie in North America when not accounting for inflation.
After a delay of 18 months from its initial release date in January 2023, the film “Harold and the Purple Crayon” earned only $6 million during its weekend in theaters. This is a 45% decrease compared to the opening weekend of the latest Sony/Columbia Pictures children’s book adaptation, “Lyle Lyle Crocodile.” In terms of family-friendly adventure movies, “Harold” had a weaker debut than “Mars Needs Moms,” “The Kid Who Would Be King,” and the 2007 film “Nancy Drew.” This poor performance is likely due to the adaptation’s significant departure from its well-known children’s book source material and the lack of star power from its lead actor, Zachary Levi. With a budget of $40 million, this movie is expected to end its domestic earnings with just over $20 million.
Longstrider extended its successful stint at the box office, earning an additional $4.1 million over the weekend, bringing its domestic total to $66.9 million. Showing a 39% decrease from its previous week, Longstrider maintains a steady performance despite numerous horror films and blockbusters being released. It’s just under $11 million away from surpassing the domestic earnings of every movie produced by A24. Meanwhile, another horror title, A Quiet Place: Day One, added $1.4 million to its total this weekend, marking a 55% drop from the previous week. This spin-off/prequel has now amassed a total of $137.4 million.
As a passionate gamer reporting on the box office performance of “The Firing Squad,” starring Kevin Sorbo, I’m facing an intriguing conundrum. Two differing weekend box office numbers have surfaced for this title. According to The-Numbers, they’re projecting a $1.6 million haul over the weekend. However, Deadline is reporting a significantly lower figure of $910,000. Since “The Firing Squad” had an official opening day gross of $330,000 (as per Box Office Mojo), it seems highly unlikely that this would translate into a $1.6 million weekend unless we’re witnessing the movie equivalent of “The Greatest Showman’s” incredible staying power. But for now, I’m going with the $910,000 estimate as it aligns more closely with the initial opening day figures.
As a movie enthusiast who has spent countless hours in theaters and even more time following the box office trends, I can’t help but notice the struggles that faith-based films have faced this summer. Having witnessed the underperformance of movies like “Disciples in the Moonlight,” “Sound of Hope,” and “Sight” among others, it is disheartening to see yet another title joining their ranks – “The Firing Squad.”
As a gamer, I’ve got some exciting news to share about the movie world this week! According to Deadline, the top 10 movies over the weekend were rounded out by the Studio Ghibli Fest screening of Ponyo on Saturday and Sunday. Fathom Events is expecting a weekend gross of around $800,000 for this heartwarming animated film.
As a devoted cinema enthusiast, it’s hard not to feel exasperated when I witness yet another misstep by Sony Pictures Classics in their handling of an acclaimed arthouse film. It seems like they’re learning lessons the hard way, as if I were an old man repeating advice! This weekend, they repeated their mistake with Kneecap, releasing it in a wide 703-theater launch. The outcome was predictably disappointing, with a paltry $492,400 box office take and an abysmal average of $700 per theater. Even more disheartening is that the opening weekend performance of Kneecap was only 18% better than their previous flop, Daddio.
In the current frame, Didi earned approximately $440,014 across 47 theaters, which equates to a strong $9,362 per venue on average. With $728,000 from only ten days of limited release, Didi is performing like a popular pre-COVID summertime indie film. Conversely, The Fabulous Four faltered during its second weekend of wide release, bringing in an additional $418,392 for a dismal total of $2.3 million within the U.S. Arthouse newcomer CatVideoFest 2024 garnered $281,000 from 106 theaters, achieving a solid average of $2,653 per theater. If its performance remains steady, this film appears likely to surpass CatVideoFest 2023’s gross of $608,599, making it the highest-grossing entry in the series dating back to 2019. Lastly, Sing Sing expanded into 18 venues and earned $172,925 for an average of $9,607 per theater and a domestic total of $534,690. A24 is adopting a cautious strategy with this film, but its consistent strong performances suggest that the approach may be proving successful.
As a movie enthusiast, I’m thrilled to share that my favorite film, “Widow Clicquot,” has been steadily climbing the box office charts this weekend with a 5% increase from its previous week. Earning another impressive $125,000, this Vertical Entertainment release now stands at a total of $618,874 after 17 days in theaters – all without ever playing in more than 102 theaters! It’s safe to say that it’s on track to surpass the $1 million mark in its domestic run. Here’s a lesson for Sony Classics: theatrical runs don’t always have to be limited to just one weekend!
As a lifelong movie enthusiast who has been following the box office trends for decades, I must say that the recent weekend’s performance at the domestic box office was nothing short of impressive. The top 10 movies grossed an astounding $166 million, a figure that immediately caught my attention due to its significant increase from previous years.
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2024-08-05 16:15