Many assumed that this weekend would find“Avatar: Fire & Ash’s” reign at no. 1 at the U.S. box office come to an end. That was not to be the case. The James Cameron blockbuster remained on top for its fifth straight weekend with another $17.2 million for a $367 million domestic tally. The 20th Century Studios release has now reached $1.32 billion worldwide.
READ MORE: “28 Years Later” Review: Nia DaCosta Out-Rages Danny Boyle In The Beautiful & Brutal ‘Bone Temple’
Right behind was Nina Da Costa’s “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple” with $15 million over the four-day frame. That’s below pre-release tracking, which originally indicated a close to $20 million opening. This is a big head scratcher, considering the film’s great post-release audience polling (A- on CinemaScore, 4.5 out of 5 on PostTrak) and incredible reviews (a stellar 80 on Metacritic, 94% on Rotten Tomatoes). Why it underperformed is up for debate. Was six months between franchise chapters too soon for the third installment in the franchise? Did the marketing look too similar to this past summer’s “28 Years Later”? Should Sony have shown all critics earlier to help with word-of-mouth? (Comparably, Disney is showing Sam Raimi’s “Send Help” a week and a day before opening for review, rare for a studio release and a sign of massive confidence). The studio did hold fan screenings across the country starting last month, but somehow it didn’t generate more enthusiasm. Maybe the holidays were too much of a distraction? Perhaps the franchise is a better summer draw? Lots for the execs at Sony to ponder if the fourth installment does move forward as previously announced.
Worldwide, “The Bone Temple” has taken in $31.2 million so far. Comparably, that’s what “28 Years Later” opened to last summer in the U.S. alone. It reportedly cost $63 million. Sony Pictures will have to hope that great word of mouth gets it close to breaking even at the box office.
New Line Cinema and Fathom Entertainment partnered to bring the original “Lord of the Rings” films back to theaters. “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” was meant to screen on just Friday, “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers” on Saturday, and “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” on Sunday. On Friday alone, “Fellowship of the Ring” took in $3.1 million in just 1,686 screens. Theater owners then decided to add more showings of “Fellowship.” The final tallies for the three days were $4 million for “Fellowship of the Ring” and $2.9 million for “The Two Towers.” “The Return of the King” made $2.5 million. Overall, the event pulled in over $9 million. A massive moneymaker for all involved.
Among other releases, “Zootopia 2” hit $393 million domestic and $1.7 billion worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing Walt Disney Animated film in history. Speaking of records, “Marty Supreme” is now the highest-grossing U.S. release for A24 ever at $80 million with $100 million in its sights. “The Housemaid” has cleaned up $108 million domestic and over $245 million global.
“Primate” hit $20.5 million, and “Greenland 2: The Migration” is now at $14 million in the U.S. alone. “Song Sung Blue” has hit $35 million domestic and $48 million global, while “Hamnet” is now at $17 million in the U.S. and $27 million worldwide.
On Friday, Amazon MGM Studios’ “Mercy” with Chris Pratt opens wide while Oscar players such as “Hamnet” expand nationwide.
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