David A.Gross: Celebs Rumors

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter “The Exorcist: Believer,” a reboot in the legacy horror franchise, opened atop box office charts despite falling short of expectations. The film, from Universal and Blumhouse, collected $27.2 million from 3,663 North American venues over the weekend, below estimates that were closer to $35 million. “Believer” also opened at the international box office with $17.8 million for a global start of $45.1 million.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Universal and DreamWorks Animation’s “Kung Fu Panda 4” remained victorious at the domestic box office, collecting a solid $30 million in its second weekend of release. After 10 days on the big screen, the animated family film has grossed $107.7 million in North America and $176.5 million globally. Those ticket sales easily surpassed the debut of Mark Wahlberg’s canine drama “Arthur the King,” which opened in third place.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter “Kung Fu Panda 4” topped the domestic box office, earning a solid $58.3 million from 4,035 theaters in its opening weekend. It marks the biggest debut of the franchise since the original, 2008’s “Kung Fu Panda” ($60 million), overtaking the start of the two prior entries, 2016’s “Kung Fu Panda 3” ($41 million) and 2011’s “Kung Fu Panda 2” ($47.6 million), not adjusted for inflation. Internationally, the fourth film in the martial arts-inspired animated comedy collected $22 million from 41 markets for a global tally of $80 million.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter “Dune: Part Two” is riding those massive sandworms all the way to the top of box office charts. Director Denis Villeneuve‘s big-budget sequel has collected $81.5 million in its domestic debut and delivered a mighty, necessary jolt for struggling movie theaters. It’s the biggest opening weekend of the year and the largest since last October’s Taylor Swift concert film “The Eras Tour” ($93 million).

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Not too long ago, it would have been considered a box office suicide mission to pit any new release against a superhero movie. But this weekend’s showdown of Sony’s comic book adaptation “Madame Web” versus Paramount’s musical biopic “Bob Marley: One Love” demonstrates that’s no longer the case — superhero tentpoles no longer hold all the power. “One Love,” a PG-13 drama that’s aimed at older female audiences, towered over the newest Marvel (adjacent) flick, earning $51 million over the extended holiday weekend.

Barbie” and Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” ignited the summer box office, the blockbusters with twin release dates are bringing populist energy to the Oscars. Yet the one-two punch of “Barbie” ($1.445 billion globally) and “Oppenheimer” ($957 million), along with a valiant assist from Martin Scorsese’s crime epic “Killers of the Flower Moon” ($156 million), can’t compete with the box office power of last year’s contenders. Led by “Avatar: The Way of Water” ($2.3 billion) and “Top Gun: Maverick” ($1.5 billion), the 10 films up for best picture in 2023 were collectively the highest grossing in more than a decade, racking up $4.4 billion worldwide.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Have The Plastics met their match? It’s too soon to tell, but Paramount’s “Mean Girls” musical is virtually tied with Amazon MGM’s “The Beekeeper” for first place in this unusually close box office battle. Amazon MGM is reporting that “The Beekeeper” claimed the top spot with $7.4 million from 3,337 theaters in its third weekend of release. Meanwhile, Paramount is reporting that the “Mean Girls” musical has earned $7.3 million from 3,544 venues and could win the weekend for the third time… once final numbers are tabulated on Monday.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter The “Mean Girls” movie musical topped a sleepy box office as “I.S.S.,” a sci-fi thriller that takes place aboard the International Space Station, misfired in its opening weekend. “Mean Girls” added $11.7 million in its second weekend of release, bringing its domestic tally to $50 million. Ticket sales dropped a steep 59% from its debut.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter “Night Swim,” a supernatural thriller produced by horror mavens Jason Blum and James Wan, waded to second place in its debut. The film, marking the first nationwide release of the year, collected a moderate $12 million from 3,200 North American theaters. Those ticket sales weren’t enough to topple “Wonka,” which claimed first place again with $15 million in its fourth weekend of release.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter “Wonka,” a fantasy musical starring Timothée Chalamet as the eccentric chocolatier, charmed in its box office debut, collecting $39 million over the weekend. It’s a sweet start, as long as the $125 million-budgeted family film has momentum around the holidays. The good news for Warner Bros.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Queen Bey is the new box office queen. “Renaissance,” a concert film written, directed and produced by Beyoncé, topped the domestic box office with $21 million in its opening weekend, slightly ahead of expectations. These ticket sales rank as one of the best debuts for a concert film, joining the company of Taylor Swift’s “The Eras Tour” (far and away the biggest with $92.9 million), 2008’s “Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert” ($31.1 million), 2011’s “Justin Bieber: Never Say Never” and 2009’s “Michael Jackson: This Is It” ($23.2 million).

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Disney‘s Marvel Cinematic Universe is no longer a bulletproof box office franchise. That much is clear after “The Marvels” misfired with $47 million in its opening weekend to land the worst debut in MCU history. Initial tracking was closer to $75 million to $80 million, but those projections shrank dramatically in recent weeks to $60 million to $65 million.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter “Five Nights at Freddy’s” collapsed at the box office but still managed to emerge on top. Universal and Blumhouse’s fall sleeper hit has collected $19.4 million in its sophomore outing, resulting in a massive 76% decline from its debut. Universal and Blumhouse’s spooky video game adaptation, which takes place in a haunted Chuck E.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” is towering over the global box office with estimates of $126 million to $130 million in its first weekend of release. It’s a seismic start for any concert film, but this is particularly impressive because it was announced just six weeks ago and unspooled on the big screen with minimal marketing dollars. “The Eras Tour” which is produced by Swift and distributed by AMC Theatres, collected a projected $31 million to $33 million from 94 international markets.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter It’s another close race at the box office. The Warner Bros. thriller “The Nun II” is projected to ever-so-slightly outpace the competition with $14.7 million in its second weekend.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Denzel Washington’s bloody assassin-thriller “The Equalizer 3” debuted at the top of box office charts with $34.5 million over the weekend and an estimated $41 million through Monday’s Labor Day holiday. It’s the second-biggest Labor Day opening weekend in modern times, though the holiday isn’t known for bringing people to the movies. After the record-holder Marvel’s 2021 blockbuster “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” ($75 million for the three days, $94.6 million through Monday), the next highest-grossing Labor Day debut is Rob Zombie’s 2007 “Halloween” remake ($26 million for the three days, $30 million through Monday).

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter “Barbie” towered over the box office for the third consecutive weekend, taking down newcomers “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” and “Meg 2: The Trench.” Grega Gerwig’s fantasy comedy added a remarkable $52 million in its third weekend of release, a decline of just 43% from its prior frame. “Barbie” has generated $459 million in North America and will imminently cross the $1 billion mark globally. Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer,” too, stayed strong in its third outing with $28.7 million, dropping only 39% from last weekend and bringing domestic ticket sales to $228 million.

The runaway box office success of “Barbie” has set a new record that finds director Greta Gerwig making Hollywood history.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter “Barbenheimer” is more than just a meme. It’s a full-fledged box office phenomenon. Over the weekend, moviegoers turned out in force for Greta Gerwig’s neon-coated fantasy comedy “Barbie,” which smashed expectations with $155 million to land the biggest debut of the year. But they also showed up to see Christopher Nolan’s R-rated historical drama “Oppenheimer,” which collected a remarkable $80.5 million in its opening weekend. Hundreds of thousands of ticket buyers refused to choose between the seemingly different blockbusters with twin release dates. So they opted to attend same-day viewings of “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer,” turning the box office battle into a double feature for the ages. The craze known as “Barbenheimer” worked together to fuel the biggest collective box office weekend of the pandemic era, as well as the fourth-biggest overall weekend in history. It’s worth noting the top three weekends were led by the debuts of sequels in massive franchises, “Avengers: Endgame,” “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.”

The Flash is currently No. 1 at the box office, although the numbers are not quite matching expectations.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter “The Flash,” a superhero adventure starring Ezra Miller, emerged victorious over Pixar’s “Elemental” in a battle of the box office lightweights. This weekend’s two new releases were once expected to ignite the summer box office but instead entirely missed the mark, as “The Flash” stumbled with $55 million and “Elemental” collected just $29.5 million in their respective debuts. Both of those films fell short of already-low expectations. And worse, they were pricy endeavors, costing $200 million to make and roughly $100 million to market, so they are shaping up to be huge disappointments in their theatrical runs. In the lead-up to “The Flash,” executives at Warner Bros. worked hard to convince the public that the film is “one of the greatest superhero movies ever made.” Directed by Andy Muschietti, the story picks up as Miller’s Barry Allen a.k.a The Flash travels back in time to prevent his mother’s murder and inadvertently cracks open the DC multiverse. (Cameos abound!) But its tepid “B” CinemaScore from opening weekend crowds suggests that the moviegoing masses didn’t entirely agree with the lavish praise bestowed on the film by the people who made it. Without positive audience scores or strong word-of-mouth, “The Flash” will struggle to rebound in the coming weeks, especially as summer season heats up with the release of “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” on June 30, “Mission: Impossible 7” on July 12 and Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” on July 21.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Spider-Man put up a good fight, but the Autobots came out on top. After an unusually close box office battle, Paramount’s “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” pulled ahead of “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” debuting in first place to $60.5 million from 3,678 theaters. Sony’s animated “Spider-Verse sequel still managed a mighty second weekend, landing in second place with $55.4 million from 4,332 theaters. Initial ticket sales for “Rise of the Beasts,” which is the seventh installment in the “Transformers” franchise,” were notably better than the prior two entries, 2018’s “Bumblebee” ($21.6 million) and 2017’s “The Last Knight” ($44.68 million). It’s an encouraging sign that Paramount’s action series isn’t yet running on fumes. That’s been a concern because the more recent chapters brought back diminishing returns after softer starts. Reviews for “Rise of the Beasts” were mixed, but audiences embraced the film with an “A-” CinemaScore.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” webbed up a stellar $120.5 million in its domestic box office debut. In beating expectations, it landed the second-biggest opening weekend of the year, behind only “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” with $146 million, as well as the third-biggest opening weekend for any “Spider-Man” film. Sony’s animated sequel is benefitting from great reviews and positive word-of-mouth, as well as goodwill from its predecessor, 2018’s Oscar-winning “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.” Initial ticket sales were significantly higher than the first film, which introduced audiences to Miles Morales and the idea that “anyone can wear the mask” and opened to just $35.5 million. But it stuck around in theaters for a while, ending its big-screen run with $190 million in North America and $384 million globally.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter “Fast X,” the 10th installment in Universal’s high-octane franchise, powered to $320 million worldwide, including an uninspired $67.5 million in its domestic debut. It secured the second-biggest global opening weekend of the year following another Universal title, “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” ($377 million). Even though “Fast X” arrived on the higher end of projections, the action-adventure saga has been experiencing diminishing returns in North America. In terms of opening weekend ticket sales, the 10th chapter landed behind the latest entry, 2021’s “F9: The Fast Saga,” which kicked off to $70 million. And that was at a time when COVID era restrictions meant only 80% of theaters were open and attendance hadn’t yet rebounded. Pre-pandemic “Fast” installments were far bigger in their starts, including 2017’s “The Fate of the Furious” ($98 million debut), 2015’s “Furious 7” (a series-high $148 million debut) and 2013’s “Fast and Furious 6” ($97 million debut).

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” the conclusion to Marvel’s trilogy about an intergalactic crew of misfits, kicked off with $114 million in its domestic box office debut. Those ticket sales rank as the second-biggest opening weekend of the year, behind “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” with $146 million. Despite the towering figure, the film ever-so-slightly missed expectations of $120 million and arrived considerably behind its predecessor, 2017’s “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” with $146 million. It’s a jump on the first “Guardians of the Galaxy,” which introduced the world to Chris Pratt’s Star Lord and his friends and opened to $94 million in 2014.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” left its box office competitors in the dust, scoring a massive $87 million in its second weekend of release. Ticket sales declined just 41% from its debut, resulting in the best sophomore outings ever for an animated film. So far, the video game adaptation has grossed $347.8 million in North America and $678 million globally. “Mario” stayed strong even as several new movies entered the theatrical race, to varying results. In a surprise finish, Universal’s wacky horror-comedy “Renfield,” which sees Nicolas Cage as Count Dracula and Nicholas Hoult as his rebelling henchmen, landed in fourth place with a disappointing $7.7 million from 3,375 locations. The film arrived behind Sony’s R-rated demonic thriller “The Pope’s Exorcist,” which also fell slightly short of expectations with $9.1 million.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter “Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves,” an adaptation of the popular role-playing game, ignited at the international box office with $33 million from 60 markets. Paramount and eOne’s film also opened in North America with $38.5 million, bringing its global tally to $71 million. It’s a good start, especially considering Hollywood’s track record in adapting games for the big screen. But “Dungeons and Dragons” needs to keep playing in theaters to justify its $150 million price tag before marketing. Overseas audiences will be key to the success of “D&D.” The film, directed Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley and starring Chris Pine and Regé-Jean Page, enjoyed the biggest start in China with $5 million, followed by the U.K. with $4.3 million, Mexico with $2.4 million, Australia with $2.4 million, and Germany with $2 million.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” emerged victorious at the box office, rolling $38.5 million from 3,855 North American theaters in its opening weekend. Buoyed by positive reviews and enthusiastic word-of-mouth, Paramount and eOne’s adaptation of the popular role-playing game landed on the higher end of expectations of $30 million to $40 million. And the ticket sales for the $150 million-budgeted film are expected to remain strong in the coming weeks. Inaugural audiences may be hardcore D&D players, but analysts believe it’ll appeal to broader audiences, who may not know as much about the game, as it continues its run on the big screen. “The opening weekend performance of ‘Dungeons & Dragons’ is just the first step in the journey for this well-reviewed film,” says Paul Dergarabedian, a senior Comscore analyst.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter “John Wick: Chapter 4” knocked down the box office competition, collecting a remarkable $73.5 million in its opening weekend. Boosted by positive reviews and enthusiastic word-of-mouth, the fourth installment in Lionsgate’s action series, led by Keanu Reeves as a legendary assassin, landed the best start of the franchise. It’s one of the rare original properties to keep growing and improving upon the last, in terms of box office ticket sales. The original “John Wick” opened to a modest $14 million in 2014, its sequel “John Wick: Chapter 2” took in $30.4 million to start in 2017, and the third film “John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum” previously held the opening weekend record with $56.8 million in 2019. 

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter “Scream VI” is slaying at the international box office, generating $22.6 million from 53 markets. According to Paramount, those ticket sales mark the biggest overseas opening weekend of the “Scream” franchise, ahead of prior installments by 60% for comparable markets. The latest “Scream” also set a new record in North America with its $44.5 million debut, bringing its global tally to $67 million. “Scream VI” established new high-watermarks for the long-running series in 29 international territories, including the United Kingdom ($3.6 million), France ($2.5 million), Australia ($2 million), Mexico ($2 million) and Brazil ($1.8 million).

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter “Scream VI” collected $44.5 million in its opening weekend, a scary-good start for Paramount and Spyglass Media’s long-running slasher series. Those ticket sales were enough to top domestic box office charts over two newcomers, Sony’s prehistoric sci-fi thriller “65” and the Focus Features heartwarming comedy “Champions,” as well as last weekend’s victor “Creed III.” The initial haul for “Scream VI” is frighteningly strong for the sixth installment in a franchise. Not only did it greatly improve upon the start of last year’s hit reboot “Scream,” which scored with $30 million, but it crushed the all-time opening weekend record previously set by 2000’s “Scream 3” with $34 million. And, “Scream VI” cost $35 million so it’ll easily turn a profit in its theatrical run.

“Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” set a new record over the weekend, but not for the reason Marvel would want.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Disney’s “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” buzzed to $110 million at the domestic box office, beating expectations and scoring by far the biggest opening weekend in the pint-sized Marvel trilogy. The superhero adventure, starring Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly as the titular Ant-Man and the Wasp, is expected to bring in $118 million or $120 million from 4,345 North American theaters by President’s Day on Monday. It’s the first $100 million domestic debut of 2023. The film added $121 million at the international box office, bringing its global tally to $225 million. “’Ant-Man’ is the first new Hollywood blockbuster out of the gate in 2023,” says Imax’s CEO Rich Gelfond, noting that $24 million came from the company’s premium-format screens.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter “Halloween Ends” slayed the box office competition, collecting $41.25 million from 3,901 North American theaters in its opening weekend. The movie had a softer start than expected (projections were closer to $50 million to $55 million) but it’s still impressive considering its simultaneous release on Peacock likely cut into ticket sales. “Halloween Ends” also faced unexpectedly steep competition from Paramount’s creepy thriller “Smile,” which continued its killer run with $12.4 million (a minimal 33% decline) in its third weekend of release. The R-rated “Smile” has grossed $71.1 million in North America to date, a scary-good result since it cost $17 million to produce. At a time when movie theaters have been struggling to bounce back from COVID, horror has been a consistent bright spot.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter There are plenty of valid reasons to be skeptical about “Avatar: The Way of Water.” It’s been more than a decade since James Cameron’s otherworldly sci-fi epic “Avatar” opened in theaters in 2009, smashing expectations on its way to becoming the biggest movie in history with $2.85 billion in global ticket sales. But times, tastes and box office expectations have changed drastically since moviegoers first made contact with the Na’vi. In the ensuing years, theater owners have developed a greater reliance on big-budget comic book spectacles, and 3D technology (despite Cameron’s best efforts) failed to take off in the way the filmmaker had hoped. Especially since the pandemic, billion-dollar hits outside of the superhero space have been few and far between.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter “The Woman King,” a historical action epic starring Viola Davis, ruled over domestic box office charts in its opening weekend. Bolstered by stellar reviews and positive word-of-mouth, the movie collected $19 million from 3,765 North American cinemas over the weekend, arriving at the higher end of expectations. Independent tracking services projected “The Woman King” would kick off with $15 million to $18 million, while Sony estimated a debut closer to $12 million. Sony is lucky the film exceeded its ultra-conservative forecasts. “The Woman King” cost $50 million to produce, not including the tens of millions in marketing expenses, including a stop at the Toronto International Film Festival.