OPENINGS: GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE (Columbia/Sony) opened with $44M, which was $2M below the launch of the 2016 Ghostbusters, a result treated as such a disaster that the franchise had to be re-rebooted. Afterlife, though, is considered a success, thanks to a lower production budget ($75M, moderate for a tentpole), pandemic box office standards, and the fact that Afterlife‘s number, however modest, exceeded the $30-35M expectations of the pundits. Since the new film is pitched to families, it should do well during the upcoming holiday week as well. (Weekend 2 of the 2016 movie dropped 54%.) However, the Ghostbusters franchise is one of the few to earn the bulk of its revenue in the US, and its overseas debut was light at $16M in 31 markets (the 2016 Ghostbusters totaled at $100M overseas after a $19.1M opening weekend).
At $5.7M, KING RICHARD (Warners, also on HBO Max) reinforced the fact that the older audience for adult dramas still hasn’t returned to theaters. King Richard will also hope for a holiday week bounty from families, but this dim start may dent its status as the “crowd-pleaser” Oscar candidate.
HOLDOVERS: ETERNALS (Marvel/Disney) lost its Imax and similar format screens to Ghostbusters, and fell 60% to $10.8M in its 3rd weekend. It’s on track for $160-170M in the US, which would make it the lowest-grossing Marvel title of the pandemic era, and one of the lowest in the entire MCU. It has $200.3M overseas after a $22.7M weekend in 49 territories.
CLIFFORD THE BIG RED DOG (Nickelodeon/Paramount, also on Paramount+) dropped 51% to $8.1M in its 2nd weekend, and the upcoming holiday should help it reach $60M in the US, better than the $40M for Paw Patrol, which had a similar release pattern. Clifford hasn’t yet opened overseas.
DUNE (Legendary/Warners, also on HBO Max) should pass $100M in the US next week, after a Weekend 5 45% drop to $3.1M. It has a much mightier $268.9M overseas.
VENOM: LET THERE BE CARNAGE (Marvel/Columbia/Sony) continues to hold very well, down 29% to $2.8M in its 8th weekend and with a chance of reaching $220M in the US, just slightly below Shang-Chi‘s $224.5M US pandemic record. Overseas, it has $248.2M after a $6.7M weekend in 57 sectors, with Australia and Japan yet to open. Carnage should slip past the first Venom‘s $213.5M in the US, but won’t get near that film’s $642.6M international total.
Largely on the back of its huge overseas success, NO TIME TO DIE (MGM) has become the highest-grossing English-language release worldwide of the pandemic. In the US, it dropped 40% to $2.7M in its 7th weekend, and will probably top off at $165M. But internationally, it has a massive $579.4M, $13.4M of it from this weekend’s total in 72 territories.
In its 5th weekend, THE FRENCH DISPATCH (Searchlight/Disney) lost about 1/3 of its theaters and fell 45% to $1M, unlikely to get much past $15M in the US. Sadly, at that number it will be one of the highest-grossing adult-aimed films of the year, and those moderately ahead of it (Respect reached $24.3M) had wider releases. French Dispatch also has $14.8M overseas.
BELFAST (Focus/Universal) also isn’t finding traction at theaters, down 47% to $900K in its 2nd weekend. It hasn’t yet opened overseas.
LIMITED RELEASE: The arthouse audience in NY/LA stirred to a semblance of life as CMON CMON (A24) opened at 5 theaters with a fair $27K per-theater weekend average (boosted in part by a series of filmmaker Q&As). However, that number looks less impressive in light of the $26K per-theater average French Dispatch had in its opening weekend at 52 theaters. INDIA SWEETS & SPICES (Bleecker Street) launched quietly with a $500 average at 343. JULIA (Sony Classics) expanded to 47 with a $900 average.
NEXT WEEKEND: Due to the holiday, the wide openings arrive on Wednesday: the animated ENCANTO (Disney), the different kind of animated HOUSE OF GUCCI (UA/MGM), and horror reboot RESIDENT EVIL: WELCOME TO RACCOON CITY (Screen Gems/Sony). Friday brings the much-awaited limited release of LICORICE PIZZA (UA/MGM).
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