Los Angeles has always been known as the land of glitz, glamour, and endless opportunities. This past weekend, however, was a bit different for the city of angels as the box office was dominated by holdovers rather than new releases. While the newcomers failed to make a splash, the established favorites ruled the charts with their impressive earnings.
The top spot was reclaimed by the dynamic duo, “Deadpool & Wolverine”, in its fifth weekend with a whopping $18.3 million. With its cumulative international earnings exceeding $1.2 billion, this foul-mouthed superhero flick continues to prove its staying power and solidify its place as one of the highest-grossing films of all time.
In a not-so-surprising turn of events, The Walt Disney Co. once again dominated the charts with the top two spots. “Alien: Romulus” came in a close second following the success of their previous release, “Deadpool & Wolverine”. The latest installment in the 45-year-old franchise brought in an impressive $16.2 million in its second weekend, showing that the iconic sci-fi series still has a loyal following after all these years. Disney’s “Inside Out 2”, now in its 11th weekend, also continued to impress with its domestic earnings of $2.1 million and a global total of over $1.6 billion.
According to Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore, this is a huge comeback for Disney, who struggled during the pandemic. With already a couple of billion-dollar films under their belt and “Moana 2” on the horizon, there’s no doubt that this is a turnaround year for the company.
In third place for the second consecutive weekend was the romantic drama “It Ends With Us”, which brought in $11.9 million. This Sony film, starring Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni (who also directed), has made an impressive $242.6 million globally, a huge feat considering its modest production budget of $25 million.
Unfortunately, the newcomers were faced with tough competition in the crowded movie marketplace, leading to what Dergarabedian described as “box office deja vu”. The established favorites made it harder for the new releases to find their footing, resulting in lower-than-expected earnings. However, with the upcoming Labor Day holiday, the newer titles may have a chance to shine as more people head to theaters during the long weekend and positive word-of-mouth spreads.
One of the new releases this weekend was “Blink Twice”, directed by Zoe Kravitz and starring her life partner Channing Tatum. The film, a psychological thriller produced by Amazon MGM Studios, opened with a modest $7.3 million and claimed fourth place on the charts. “Blink Twice” follows Tatum as tech magnate Slater King, who invites two women to his private island for what seems like a luxurious vacation. However, things take a sinister turn as they discover the truth about the island and its billionaire owner. The film’s reported budget was $20 million.
Reviews for “Blink Twice” have been mixed, with audiences giving it a B- CinemaScore. However, the film has been deemed Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with a 79% score, giving it a positive outlook for the upcoming weeks.
In fifth place was “The Forge”, a faith-focused coming-of-age movie about a young man finding his way through Christianity. The film opened with $6.6 million and received an A+ CinemaScore from audiences. Released by Affirm Films, Sony’s faith-based banner, “The Forge” delves into the struggles and triumphs of a teenager navigating his faith in a world full of challenges. With its relatively modest budget, this film is proving to be a success for the studio.
One of the other new releases, “The Crow”, faced tough competition from “Twisters” and “Coraline” in the rankings. “Twisters” entered its sixth week with a solid domestic earning of $6.2 million and “Coraline”, which was re-released for its 15th anniversary, brought in an additional $5.1 million in its second weekend.
“The Crow”, an R-rated adaptation of the acclaimed graphic novel and a remake of the 1994 film of the same name, opened with $4.6 million. Despite its strong source material and a solid cast, the studio faced a similar outcome in
