Despite a hefty 61.4% drop, “Eternals” was able to stay atop the box office in its second-weekend open. It grossed $27.5 million; which is more than $10 million than the next highest. Its domestic haul is already at $118,765,255; though that is the lowest out of the three MCU movies released this year at this point. “Black Widow” had grossed $131,609,167 while “Shang-Chi” had made $144,516,211 in the same amount of time. It is important to note, however, that “Eternals” didn’t have the summer season or Labor Day weekend to supplement its earnings.
Coming in hot in second place was the new release “Clifford the Big Red Dog,” a live-action adaptation of the children’s series. It grossed $16,420,000 in 3,700 theaters while also being released simultaneously on Paramount+. If you add in the Wednesday and Thursday preview showings, “Clifford the Big Red Dog” grossed a total of $22,000,775 in its debut week while also being available on a streaming platform.
“Dune” held steady in third place this week, grossing $5.5 million. More notable is the fact that it crossed $350 million worldwide. The “Dune” sequel has been greenlit, but seeing signs of life at the box office is always great. Speaking of sequels, “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” grossed just $4 million in its seventh week open, but crossed the $200 million mark domestically.
“Belfast” was the hot new release for its awards potential and a $1.8 million debut in only 580 theaters is a great sign for Kenneth Branagh’s latest. A per-theater average of $3,103 was only behind “Eternals,” “Clifford the Big Red Dog,” and “Julia.” The first two are franchise movies while “Julia” was only open in 5 theaters.
There are two new wide releases coming next weekend: “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” and “King Richard.” The former is a sequel in a well-established franchise that could potentially end the reign of “Eternals,” while the latter is another film with awards hopes, especially in its lead actor of Will Smith. Other notable independent releases are “C’mon C’mon,” A24’s latest film starring Joaquin Phoenix, and “India Sweets and Spices,” which we have an interview with the lead actress, Sophia Ali, here.
