The box office was full of surprises this weekend. Sam Raimi and Rachel McAdams scored another no. 1 with “Send Help.” “Iron Lung” demonstrated that self-distributed films can soar, Black Bear had its first pseudo-win with “Shelter,” and the controversial documentary “Melania” proved the First Lady has red state pull. Overall, the weekend was up % from 2025, a nice win for theater owners.
READ MORE: “Send Help” Review: Sam Raimi’s Bonkers Survival Horror Comedy Is Deliriously Demented
“Send Help” earned $20 million domestically and $28 million so far worldwide. It landed just a B+ on CinemaScore, but 20th Century Studios is hoping word of mouth and positive reviews can help recoup its $40 million production budget. At worst, it’s a sign that McAdams still has box office appeal. Her last true leading role in wide release was “Game Night” in 2018.
Mark Fischbach‘s video game adaptation “Iron Lung” reportedly cost $3 million. It’s arguably already profitable with $18 million in the U.S. with a minimal marketing cost. A huge win for the popular YouTuber turned filmmaker who bet on himself and his fans and won.
Somewhat unexpectedly, Brett Ranter’s Melania Trump documentary “Melania” pulled in $7 million in just 1,778 theaters. In many ways, the movie played like a top-end Angel Studios or faith-based release, performing best in conservative states such as Texas, Florida, and Ohio. That audience of Trump supporters also gave the critically slammed film (a 7 grade on Metacritic, 11% on Rotten Tomatoes) a big thumbs up with an A on CinemaScore, proving fanaticism knows no bounds.
Black Bear’s second theatrical release, “Shelter,” took in $5.5 million in 2,726 theaters. The Jason Statham-led action film earned mixed reviews and a B+ on CinemaScore. At a reported $50 million production budget, Black Bear will need either significant overseas box office (it’s pulled in $7.5 million so far), have pre-sold a ton of international markets or substantial VOD business to break even.
A24 opened Aidan Zimiri’s “The Moment,” a fictional narrative starring Charli XCX as herself, in 4 theaters for $427,000 or a $106,985 per screen. That’s the third best per screen since the pandemic, following “Marty Supreme’s” $145,8K in December and Focus Features’ “Asteroid City” $142,000 in 2025. “The Moment” will expand nationwide on Friday.
Other notable box office tallies include “Marty Supreme” at $90 million in the U.S., “Hamnet” hitting $57.6 million worldwide, “Song Sung Blue” at $54 million worldwide, “The Housemaid” at $309 million global, “No Other Choice” crossing the $9 million mark domestically, and $34 million global, and “David” on the verge of $80 million in the U.S.
New movies arriving next weekend include “The Strangers: Chapter 3,” Vertical Entertainment’s “Dracula,” Angel Studios’ “Solo Mio,” and an absolute ton of limited releases.
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