In a healthy sign for studios and distributors, two new mid-range hits arrived at the box office this weekend. Overperforming tracking projections was Zach Cregger’s “Weapons,” which earned a stellar $42.5 million in just 3,202 theaters. Right behind it was the nostalgia-fueled “Freakier Friday,” which found a fantastic $29 million from a completely different audience.
Critically acclaimed, “Weapons” is another big win for the New Line Cinema division of Warner Bros., following “Final Destination Bloodlines,” which earned a massive $285 million worldwide earlier this summer. Not only does it truly place Cregger on the horror auteur map after 2022’s “Barbarian,” but it demonstrates Julia Garner’s potential star power, “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” aside, after the disappointing run of “Wolf Man” in January. At a reported production cost of $38 million and a $70 million worldwide gross so far, this is another notable win for WB’s theatrical division.
“Freakier Friday” also earned positive reviews as well as a stellar A Cinemascore (“Weapons” defied its genre with an A- grade). At a budget reportedly in the $40-45 million range, “Friday” looks like a very positive double down the line for Disney. Especially with a current global take of $45 million so far. This is all a bit lower than pre-release tracking (an issue for Disney lately), but it’s possible “Weapons” stole some of the female audience that was initially interested in “Friday.” Will the movie’s success lead to a big-screen renaissance for current streaming star Lindsay Lohan? Dare to dream.
Coming in third place was “Fantastic Four” with another $15.5 million, down a disturbing 60% from last weekend, for $230 million to date domestically and $434 million worldwide. As with “Thunderbolts*,” the Marvel Studios release has disappointed compared to pre-release expectations at the box office, but should still be relatively profitable for the Mouse House. Emphasis on “relatively.”
“The Bad Guys 2” came in fourth with another $10.4 million and $43.4 million to date. At $83.9 million so far worldwide, it seems unlikely this DreamWorks Animation sequel will reach the $250 million threshold the first installment earned. At a reported $80 million production cost, breaking even theatrically will be a close call.
Dropping 50% in its second weekend was “The Naked Gun,” a reboot that has already hit cult status after 10 days in theaters. With another $8.3 million, the Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson comedy is currently at $33 million domestic and $56.5 million worldwide. It’s on track to barely recoup its $42 million production cost, but will that be enough for the new Paramount-Skydance regime to greenlight a sequel? Debatable.
Angel Studios distributed the family comedy “Sketch,” which took in $5 million in five days following a Wednesday opening. A world premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival, the Tony Hale and D’Arcy Carden reportedly cost under $10 million to produce.
Notably, “Jurassic World: Rebirth” is less than a day away from hitting $800 million worldwide. The current end-of-Sunday estimate is at $799,984,075. It will be the fourth movie to earn over $800 million so far this year after “Ne Zha II,” “Lilo & Stitch,” and “A Minecraft Movie.”
Wide releases opening on Friday include “Nobody 2,” “Highest 2 Lowest,” and, in theory, “East of Wall.”
Follow Gregory Ellwood on Bluesky
Follow Gregory Ellwood on Threads
Follow Gregory Ellwood on Instagram
Sign Up For The Breakdown Newsletter
