Weekend Box Office Report

LOS ANGELES (AP) — During a quiet summer weekend at the box office, established films continued to dominate while new releases struggled to make an impact.

“Deadpool & Wolverine” held onto the top spot at the North American box office for the fifth consecutive weekend, earning $18.3 million. The film’s worldwide earnings have now surpassed $1.2 billion.

The Walt Disney Co., which owns 20th Century Studios, secured the top two positions on the box office charts for the second weekend in a row. Following closely behind the irreverent superhero film was “Alien: Romulus”, the latest addition to the iconic franchise, which brought in $16.2 million in its second weekend after a strong debut. Disney’s “Inside Out 2” also maintained its presence in theaters, earning $2.1 million domestically in its 11th weekend, with global earnings now exceeding $1.6 billion.

Paul Dergarabedian, a senior media analyst for Comscore, commented, “This is an incredible turnaround for Disney, who surprisingly struggled last year and during the pandemic. They’ve already released several billion-dollar films this year, and with ‘Moana 2’ on the way, it’s clear that this is a significant comeback year for them.”

Top Charting Films

The romantic drama “It Ends With Us,” featuring Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni (who also directed), secured third place for the second week in a row with $11.9 million. The film has amassed a total of $242.6 million globally while being produced on a budget of just $25 million.

New releases faced tough competition in a crowded market, leading to what Dergarabedian described as “box office déjà vu,” where familiar titles overshadowed newcomers, making it difficult for them to gain traction. However, he anticipates that the upcoming Labor Day holiday will assist newer films as positive word-of-mouth spreads and more moviegoers visit theaters during the long weekend.

Another newcomer, “Blink Twice,” directed by Zoë Kravitz and starring her partner Channing Tatum, opened modestly at fourth place with $7.3 million. This psychological thriller from Amazon MGM Studios follows Tatum as Slater King, a tech billionaire who takes two women to his private island. Initially, it seems like a perfect getaway, but darker truths soon emerge. The film was produced with a budget of around $20 million.

Although reviews have been mixed, audiences gave it a B- CinemaScore and it achieved a Certified Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes with a score of 79%.

Completing the top five was “The Forge,” a faith-based coming-of-age film that opened with $6.6 million. This movie, which explores a young man’s journey through Christianity, received an impressive A+ CinemaScore from viewers and was released by Affirm Films, Sony’s faith-oriented label.

Another new release, “The Crow,” struggled against “Twisters” and “Coraline” in the rankings. “Twisters,” now in its sixth week, earned $6.2 million, while “Coraline,” which was re-released to celebrate its 15th anniversary, brought in $5.1 million during its second weekend.

Lionsgate’s “The Crow,” an R-rated adaptation of the celebrated graphic novel and a remake of the 1994 film, opened with $4.6 million. The studio also experienced difficulties in August with “Borderlands,” which, despite its $120 million budget, only grossed $15.2 million over three weekends.

Final Box Office Rankings

To wrap up Dergarabedian’s “tale of the holdovers,” “Despicable Me 4” and “Inside Out 2” rounded out the top 10 films, earning $4.4 million and $2.1 million, respectively. “Inside Out 2” has now spent 11 weekends in the box office charts and remains the highest-grossing animated film of all time worldwide.

Estimated ticket sales for the weekend from Friday to Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, as reported by Comscore, are as follows. Final domestic figures will be released on Monday:

• 1. “Deadpool & Wolverine,” $18.3 million
• 2. “Alien: Romulus,” $16.2 million
• 3. “It Ends With Us,” $11.9 million
• 4. “Blink Twice,” $7.3 million
• 5. “The Forge,” $6.6 million
• 6. “Twisters,” $6.2 million
• 7. “Coraline,” $5.1 million
• 8. “The Crow,” $4.6 million
• 9. “Despicable Me 4,” $4.4 million
• 10. “Inside Out 2,” $2.1 million