Jordan Peele’s Nope passed $100 million domestic on Tuesday, August 9th, meaning it is the first to pass that milestone since Bad Boys for Life in January 2020. Halloween Kills couldn’t get the job done because A) the feature was filler, and B) it fell 71% in its second weekend as it simultaneously dropped on Peacock. Sure, we are talking about one lackluster feature that was 3.5x cheaper than Nope, but money is money.
Not all hope is lost yet, as Peele’s third feature gets its overseas/IMAX treatment this weekend, meaning it still can get to between $170-200 million globally. Sorry, but it won’t be coming near Peele’s other features ($255 globally for Get Out and Us) unless it has miraculous legs for the next month or so. Secondary revenue will cover its foundations once it hits PVOD, most likely at the end of September/beginning of October. And once again, Peele’s works have become a sensational treat as he channels on valuable themes and insights into humanity’s woes. Lastly, Nope should be getting some Oscar treatment (after his Us feature became bafflingly omitted from the 2020 nominations race). Most of us will be waiting for his fourth installment (maybe a demon of sorts surfaces from the ocean, who knows).
Marvel Studios’ Thor: Love and Thunder passed $700 million on Wednesday, meaning it’ll be crawling as close to $725 million before it ends up on Disney+ shortly. Again, it’s a simple reminder that not every Marvel feature from Disney must top $1 billion every time they thrust one out. Black Panther and Captain Marvel skewed the results for standalone tales. Simultaneously, Avengers 3 and 4, plus the recent nostalgic event of Spider-Man 3 Version 2.0, changed ideals as to how Disney brings about its global revenue.
Thor 4 played similarly to how Ragnarok played without a penny from China or Russia, so it’s about as “good” as one can preach. For those raising concerns that superhero fatigue has kicked in since last year, that only depends on the results of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’s performances within the following year. If they collapse and are not well-received, folks may start panicking. Remember that Marvel already distributed plans for Avengers 5 and 6, so they should be blossoming forward for those times once 2025 hits. Both team-up features tell the world if Endgame was the apex of superhero cinema back in 2019.
Bullet Train is nearing $75 million worldwide by the end of this sentence, so it’ll take a dip in its second weekend but get past $100 million once the weekend concludes. The David Leitch/Brad Pitt feature contains a top-tier, star-rich cast and frenetic action amidst a clumsy narrative. Minions: The Rise of Gru is getting a China release next weekend, potentially pushing it past Jurassic World 3 and Doctor Strange 2. And Top Gun: Maverick’s continued legs promise more future collaboration and success between Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie.
