After a box office surge last weekend, a drop-off was expected with no major new release on the schedule. That’s exactly what happened as the weekend total came in at $86.1M compared with $136.4M for last weekend. In 2023, this same weekend produced one of the best results of the year, with a total gross of $204.6M.
This was mostly due to the success of THE SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE which produced $146.3M in its opening and $579.4M over its full theatrical run. The only movie that did better than MARIO in 2023 was BARBIE, which had a slightly higher $162M opening and $636.2M total run.
Given the volatility of the box office from weekend to weekend, it would be unwise to jump to conclusions after a sharp rise or fall in grosses from one weekend to the next, or comparing it to the same weekend in earlier years. Results depend on which specific films are in the market. Therefore, while this weekend was only 42% of the same weekend last year, we chalk that up to the amazing success of THE SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE rather than a long-term industry trend.
GODZILLA X KONG: THE NEW EMPIRE led all films in its second weekend by grossing $31.7M, a decline of 60% from its strong opening of $80.0M last weekend. It has now earned $103.3M in the first 7 days, which is only slightly lower than the $82.5M opening weekend and $111M opening week for DUNE: PART TWO, which remains the top-grossing movie of the year.
Warner Bros. is to be congratulated for the success of both films and their wisdom in fine-tuning the timing of these releases. WB moved up both release dates by several weeks, with DUNE 2 shifting from an original date of 3/15 to 3/1 and GODZILLA X KONG from 4/12 to 3/29. This resulted in maximizing ticket sales because of a relative lack of new movies in the market during the month and by taking full advantage of the Easter holiday weekend.
After its first ten days, GODZILLA X KONG has earned $135.0M domestic, which puts it in a league with GODZILLA from 2014, the current box office champ among all the Godzilla movies. Here is a look at how those two movies stack up.
- GODZILLA (5/16/2014) – 1st Weekend $93.2M, 1st Week $117.3M, 2nd Weekend $31.0M (-67%), 10-Day Total $148.3M, Total Run $200.7M
- GODZILLA X KONG: THE NEW EMPIRE (3/29/2024) – * 1st Weekend $80.0M, 1st Week $103.3M, 2nd Weekend $31.7M (-60%), 10-Day Total $135.0M, Total Run TBD
Universal’s MONKEY MAN opened in second place with a 3-day total of $10.1M. This is the directorial debut of Dev Patel who also stars in the movie. Patel rose to fame with his captivating performance in SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE in 2008. That film won a Best Picture Oscar in its year and grossed $378.4M worldwide.
In MONKEY MAN, Patel plays a young man who earns a meager living by performing as a fighter in an underground fight club, donning a gorilla mask to face off against more popular fighters who beat him bloody night after night. After years of this abusive life, he discovers a way to infiltrate the enclave of the sinister elite that controls his world and unleashes his fury to exact retribution.
The film has been warmly received by critics with an 86% score on Rotten Tomatoes, with audiences weighing in at a similar 85% score. The movie was produced by Jordan Peele and Dev Patel for a virtually risk-free $10M. With strong international appeal, grosses for the film will easily surpass the $25M necessary for it to reach profitability.
Finishing third was GHOSTBUSTERS: FROZEN EMPIRE which took in $9.0M and fell 42%. After 17 days, the totals for the sequel are $88.9M domestic and $127.0M worldwide. It should finish up with approximately $105M in domestic ticket sales.
However, the franchise seems to be in decline with the current movie producing the lowest domestic total for the series. After investing a sizeable amount of $100M in its production, Sony will now have to think carefully about whether Ghostbusters will get another shot at the big screen.
Twentieth Century’s THE FIRST OMEN finished fourth with an opening weekend of $8.4M. This film is a prequel to the 1976 horror classic THE OMEN which starred Gregory Peck and Lee Remick. The original was released almost 50 years ago on a then-typical production budget of $2.8M. It stuck a chord with audiences and became highly successful with a total box office of $60.9M in the U.S. and Canada.
The current prequel is the sixth feature in THE OMEN franchise and stars Nell Tiger Free, Sonia Braga, and Bill Nighy. Its story follows an American who arrives in Rome to work at a church where he uncovers a plot to bring about the birth of the Antichrist. On Rotten Tomatoes, critics give it a 78% score while audiences have been somewhat less impressed with a 66% rating. With a sizeable production budget of $30M, it will need to gross $75M worldwide to reach profitability and after a domestic opening of only $8.4M, it may struggle to reach that mark.
KUNG FU PANDA 4 finished fifth and took in $7.9M while dropping only 24%. The film continues to have the family animation market all to itself, generated a total of $166.1M domestic and $386.3M worldwide over the past month. PANDA 4 is on track to earn the second-highest total of the four films in the franchise, coming close to the $215.8M earned by the 2008 original. At a time when many franchises are suffering declines, the PANDA series is holding its own and should continue in the years ahead.