The summer box office is supposed to be the time of year when popular movies can flourish, but this May has not been an ideal start to the season, with another highly anticipated film falling below expectations. Read on for the weekend box office report.
With the general lack of family films in theaters — allowing movies like “Kung Fu Panda 4” and even “Godzilla x Kong” to do very well — Paramount Pictures had very high hopes for John Krasinski‘s “IF,” opening it in 4,041 theaters nationwide. Starring Ryan Reynolds and Cailey Fleming (with Krasinski in a small role as the latter’s father), the movie received poor to mixed reviews with just 49% on Rotten Tomatoes, critics not having been swayed by the film’s sweet family-friendly sentimentality.
“IF” only made $1.8 million in previews, which were pulled into its opening Friday number of $10.3 million. As with most family films, business picked up on Saturday to bring its weekend total to an estimated $35 million, still lower than most projections. Maybe this is a sign that audiences aren’t fully ready to accept new or original or non-IP concepts, although “IF’s” “A” CinemaScore certainly shows more support from paying audiences than from critics.
“Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” became the first movie of the summer season to officially cross the $100 million mark, as it added another $26 million this weekend for second place, down 55% from its opening weekend. It has grossed $101.2 million domestically. “Apes” added another $40.6 million overseas this weekend to take its global total over the $200 million milestone with $237.5 million worldwide. $21.8 million of that amount came from IMAX screens globally, weighted slightly towards domestic IMAX.
Lionsgate relaunched the home invasion horror franchise with “The Strangers: Chapter 1,” directed by Renny Harlin (“Die Hard 2”), releasing the first part of the planned trilogy into 2,856 theaters. Despite terrible reviews, horror continues to thrive, which allowed it to bring in an estimated $12 million this weekend after making $5.1 million on its opening day. As seems to be the case with horror lately, audiences weren’t very impressed, though, giving it a mere “C” CinemaScore.
Fourth place went to Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt‘s “The Fall Guy,” which dropped 38% to make $8.5 million in its third weekend, bringing its domestic total to $63 million. It’s been doing slightly better overseas, with another $7.2 million this weekend for a global total of $127.6 million.
Zendaya‘s “Challengers” held onto the top five with $2.9 million, down 33% from last weekend, as it brought its domestic total to $43.5 million after four weeks.
The Amy Winehouse biopic “Back to Black” came into the weekend with a negative 36% score on Rotten Tomatoes after opening in the UK earlier. Focus Features released the drama, directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson (“50 Shades of Grey”), into 2,010 theaters nationwide, where it bombed with just $2.9 million to open in sixth place. Its “B+” CinemaScore from audiences points to them enjoying the movie more than critics, but it doesn’t suggest the movie will have much staying power in theaters.
Sony’s horror film “Tarot” dropped to seventh place with $2 million with $15.4 million grossed in North America so far.
“Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” enjoyed its eighth weekend in the top 10 with $1.7 million for eighth place with a North American total of $194.4 million.
Amazon MGM’s high-flying doc “The Blue Angels” opened in 227 IMAX theaters ahead of its Prime Video debut, and this weekend it made $1.3 million to open in ninth place, averaging $5,774 per theater.
A24 expanded Jane Schoenbrun‘s “I Saw the TV Glow” moderately into 469 theaters nationwide where it brought in just over $1 million, but that wasn’t enough for it to break into the top 10, as it fell just behind A24’s “Civil War,” which made slightly more than that to bring its domestic total to $67.3 million.
Director Pamela Adlon and star Ilana Glazer‘s pregnancy comedy “Babes” opened in 12 theaters in select cities where it brought in $171,000 or roughly $14,277 per location.
Most players in the Gold Derby box office prediction game had the top four picked correctly, but the 33 players that had “Challengers” keeping “Back to Black” out of the top five will do better than all others.
Coincidentally, there were 33 perfect scores in the May 10 game, but “DanC” scored the most points out of those, and in general the players who put their Super Bet on “The Fall Guy” taking second place early enough scored the most points.
Memorial Day weekend is coming up on Friday with three new wide releases, George Miller‘s action prequel “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” starring Anya Taylor-Joy, as well as Chris Pratt voicing the popular cartoon feline in “The Garfield Movie” and the Angel Studios biopic “Sight.” Check back on Wednesday for the weekend preview on how they might do.
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