DreamWorks Animation’s “The Bad Guys”, which was shown in a packed theater that had a costly Viking epic and Nicolas Cage as himself, won the weekend. This is a sign of a continuing revival of family moviegoing following a slump during the pandemic.
According to studio estimates, “The Bad Guys” released on Sunday by Universal Pictures made $24 million in U.S. ticket sales. This was despite stiff competition from Paramount Pictures’ “Sonic The Hedgehog 2,” which debuted with $24 million in U.S. and Canada ticket sales. It remained second with $15.2million in its third week. It has already grossed $145.8million domestically.
Hollywood’s apparent health is a good sign as it enters its lucrative summer season. Films like Universal’s “Minions: Rise of Gru” or Walt Disney Co.’s “Lightyear” will be opening in theaters. This film, which marks the first Pixar film to open in theaters in 2 years, should help them get back to pre-pandemic levels.
Jim Orr, Universal’s head of distribution, stated that “there is reason to be more optimistic than cautiously optimistic.” “I believe audiences will flood into theaters this summer,” said Jim Orr, head of distribution for Universal.
During the pandemic, studios were hesitant to schedule many films against one another. However, this weekend was a rare occasion: Three new wide releases that were all well-received and none of which were sequels or remakes.
The Bad Guys, a children’s graphic novel series by Aaron Blabey about a group of crooked animals and a Quentin Tarantino tone for kids, did well with critics (86% fresh Rotten Tomatoes), and audiences (an “A CinemaScore” CinemaScore). The Bad Guys should be able to play for several weeks with little competition from “Lightyear“, which was released in June. The animated film, which debuted internationally for the first time, has already earned $63.1 million worldwide.
The weekend’s other releases, Robert Eggers’ “The Northman”, and the Cage-starring film “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent” didn’t fare as well, but they did a solid job in their first weekend.
“Every weekend is an important building block in the recovery. But I don’t want to call it recovery. Movie theaters seem to be in recovery. Paul Dergarabedian is a senior media analyst at ComScore. “Three newcomers were all well received, and all found an audience.
The greatest risks were for Focus Features’ “The Northman”, which saw its budget rise to $70 million. This was a significant increase in scale for Eggers (the director of “The Witch” indie horror films). However, it opened higher than expected with $12 million in ticket sales. It earned $6.3 million in international territories.
In “The Northman”, Alexander Skarsgard, Anya Taylor Joy, and Nicole Kidman star in a bloody revenge story.
Lisa Bunnell, Head of Distribution at Focus, stated that Robert Eggers was the first and most important reason why they wanted to collaborate with them. Focus had previously handled international distribution for Eggers’ first two films. “The important thing is that we made a film with a filmmaker that we believe is part of the future of American cinema. He has a distinct voice. He is making films with original IP and not just going in.
The Harry Potter spinoff “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore” fell off the cliff during its second weekend at theaters. Warner Bros.’ third “Fantastic Beasts,” movie dropped 67% in its second week, with $14 million. This is a poor sign for the future franchise, should Warner Bros. continue it. (The studio has so far resisted greenlighting the fourth movie.) “Secrets of Dumbledore,” the top-grossing film last week, is still doing well overseas. The film’s global sales of $213.2million account for the largest portion of its $280.3 million worldwide hauls.
Lionsgate’s “The unbearable weight of a massive talent” was a meta-comedy that stars Nicolas Cage as an exaggerated, gonzo version of himself. It opened to an estimated $7.2million. To reach its $30 million budget, the film will need good word of mouth. Its South by Southwest premiere received warm reviews.
This is the kind of success that “Everything Everywhere All at Once” has enjoyed. The A24 release of a hilarious metaverse fantasy starring Michelle Yeoh has been one the best signs for specialty film, another industry that was struggling theatrically during the pandemic. “Everything Everywhere at Once” made $5.4 million in its fifth week. This is a drop of only 12% from the previous week.
The biggest leap in theaters this April was for family moviegoing. This is a good time for the movie industry, which will gather in Las Vegas this week for CinemaCon. It’s the annual convention and trade fair for trumpeting theatrical production. You can expect plenty of announcements that movie theaters will be back.
According to Comscore, Friday through Sunday ticket sales were estimated at U.S. theaters and Canadian theatres. Monday will see the release of final domestic figures.
1. $24 Million for “The Bad Guys”
2. “Sonic the Hedgehog 2,” $15.2 Million
3. “Fantastic Beasts – The Secrets of Dumbledore,” $14 Million
4. “The Northman,” $12 million.
5. “The Unbearable Mass of Massive Talent,” $7.2 Million
6. “Everything Everywhere All At Once”, $5.4 Million
7. “The Lost City”, $4.4 Million
8. “Father Stu,” $3.4 million.
9. “Morbius,” $2.3 million.
10. “Ambulance,” $1.8 million.