Several new films hit theaters across the country this weekend, from a carefree trip to Italy with Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen, Diane Keaton and Mary Steenbergen to a detective thriller starring Ben Affleck. However, Marvel and Mario again claimed the top two spots.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 grossed $60.5 million from theaters in North America on its second weekend, the studio estimated on Sunday. That’s a marginal 49% drop since its opening, which is rare for big superhero movies, which tend to be pre-loaded and have big second-weekend drops of 60% or more. As Marvel’s smallest drop since the start of the pandemic, it also answers the “superhero fatigue” question some raised over the weekend. Including $91.9 million from international screenings of Vol. 3 has already grossed over $528.8 million worldwide.
Second place went to The Super Mario Bros. Movie” with $13 million in its sixth weekend, bringing its domestic gross to just $536 million. Families with young children have had few other options in theaters since Mario appeared in the film, leading to repeat screenings and his continued dominance at the box office, where he still plays in 3,800 locations domestically. Globally, it is $1.2 billion.
With Chris Pratt topping chart-topping films as Star-Lord in Guardians and the voice of Mario, a debate ensued about the extent to which star power is more important than brand power.
It has been a particularly busy weekend for new films, both wide open and limited in all genres and qualities.
“Traditionally speaking, the second weekend in May is very remarkable because it bridges the gap between the big summer movie (Guardians 3) and the next big blockbuster (Fast and the Furious X),” said Paul Dergarabedian, Senior Media Analyst. for Komcor. “Everyone in the business knew that Guardians would dominate the weekend, but it opened up a lot of films that hit the sweet spot between the two behemoths.”
Book Club: The Next Chapter topped the charts with $6.5 million in 3,508 spots. The sequel, released by Focus Features on Mother’s Day weekend, reunites the cast with director Bill Holderman and co-writer Erin Simms. The audience consisted mostly of women (77%), Caucasians (59%) and over 45s (66%), and it is hoped that there will be a decent boost and decent headroom for a $20 million production by Mother’s Day. Older viewers usually take their time on the first weekend. The first film opened with $13.5 million in 2018 and grossed over $104 million.
“Hypnotic” by Robert Rodriguez, meanwhile, is bombing. The mystery with Affleck as a detective whose daughter went missing cost $65 million. It received poor reviews over the weekend (32% on Rotten Tomatoes) and limited marketing from distributor Ketchup Entertainment and earned only $2.4 million from 2,118 locations.
Other mid-range releases didn’t make much of a splash, including Charlie Day’s Hollywood satire Fool’s Paradise, which made $443,140 from 784 theaters, and the anime-inspired Knights of the Zodiac, which grossed just $535,000 from 586 theaters.
BlackBerry, Matt Johnson’s well-received portrait of the rise and fall of his beloved smartphone starring Glenn Howerton and Jay Baruchel, opened with $473,000 from 450 theaters.
Sony Pictures Classics also launched its Yogi Berra documentary It’s Not Over in 99 theaters, earning $106,000.
Dergarabedian noted that several independent films flourished this weekend with solid averages across theaters, including IFC’s Monica ($26,500 at two theaters) and Bleecker Street’s Starling Girl ($27,736 at four theaters). ).
“If you are a movie buff, you have plenty to choose from right now,” Dergarabedian said.
There was also plenty of competition on home screens, from Michael J. Fox’s Apple TV+ documentary to Jennifer Lopez’s action thriller Mother on Netflix. Air, which is still in the top 10 after six weekends in theaters, also debuted on Prime Video.
Things will improve significantly next weekend as Fast and Furious X enters the summer box office run, followed by The Little Mermaid on May 26.
Estimated Friday through Sunday ticket sales in US and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final internal data will be published on Monday.
1. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, $60.5 million
2. Super Mario Bros. Movie, $13 million
3. Book Club: The Next Chapter, $6.5 million
4. Rise of the Evil Dead, $3.7 million
5. “Are you there, God? It’s me, Margaret.” 2.5 million dollars.
6. Hypnotic, $2.4 million
7. John Wick: Chapter 4, $1.9 million
8. Love Again, $1.6 million
9. Air, $875,357
10. Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, $740,000.
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Follow AP Film writer Lindsey Bahr on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ldbahr.
