Wow, get the cameras ready. Another power couple behind the scenes can produce commanding numbers when standing before the camera. Arguably the best weekend in their careers for momentous announcements, Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds had a spectacular time rocking their socks off in another high-octane battleground for box office supremacy and comebacks. This is the first time in 34 years that a married couple took the top two spots and the first August weekend with two $50 million+ earners.
Kicking it off with gold, Deadpool & Wolverine has passed the $1 billion mark by earning $54.175 million in its third weekend (44% drop). In doing so, it’s the ninth feature this decade to pass this coveted benchmark, the third Disney release to do so after Inside Out 2 and Avatar: Way of the Water (previously owned by Fox before the acquisition in 2019), and the first MCU film since Spider-Man: No Way Home in December 2021 (that, checks notes, welcomed back Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield to take on the past, present, and future for the web-slinger series).
Once it passes the lifetime total of Joker ($1.073 billion in 2019, not accounting for inflation), Ryan Reynold’s third ride as the Merc with the Mouth (and Hugh Jackman’s umpteenth time as the Clawed Wolverine) will become the highest-earning R-rated film of all time. It’ll pass $500 million domestic sometime tomorrow and be on pace to finish its domestic run between $615-630 million. Worldwide, it has a genuine shot of clawing for the late Chadwick Boseman’s Black Panther and its $1.345 billion tally. Either way, the newest title of the MCU will get to join a nice pack of IP/nostalgic comebacks along the likes of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Barbie, Top Gun: Maverick, and Inside Out 2 for the decade. Bob Iger is panning out another roadmap to cash out on 2000-2010s era Disney nostalgia before the cow runs dry by announcing the next slew of Pixar sequels (i.e., Toy Story 5 and The Incredibles 3), MCU blockbusters (the return of Robert Downey Jr. for the subsequent Avengers sequels), and whatever James Cameron has on hand for Avatar 3 and beyond. Fantasties galore; buckle up for the joy ride but wait in the shadows to see who will take over the Mouse House once the well dampens.
In silver place, It Ends With Us took a substantial $50 million domestic total, courtesy of solid reviews and a career-best opening for Blake Lively (far outpacing her runs with The Age of Adaline, The Shallows, and A Simple Favor). Yes, basing your source material on another grim book can mean serious business, and this is a non-superheroine, non-action melodrama feature showcasing Lively does have marquee power along with the likes of Julia Roberts and Sandra Bullock.
Twisters continues to pull its weight domestically (not worldwide, though not much fault of its own) and has passed $300 million worldwide. It should have sufficient catastrophes to wrap its run around $340-360 million worldwide. The overseas blemishes will be a pestiferous battle to announce the follow-up sequel, even with reservations that Glen Powell should be treated as the next great movie star. In this case, retaining its theatrical glory is refraining from discussing its overseas catastrophes.
Newcomer (finally debuting) Borderlands is a miss on every level, opening with horrendous reviews and a petty $8.8 million. It’s a harkening back to the old days of “curses of the video game movie” with a generic video game adaptation that was devoid of genuine surprises and catharsis. Even with a stacked roster of actors (Cate Blanchett, Jack Black, Kevin Hart), it bombed on every level possible. Lionsgate will have to labor on these pitfalls and delays that continued to hamper the product as it arrived in the multiplex, reeking of damaged goods.
Despicable Me 4 has passed $800 million worldwide, Trap will pass $50 million globally sometime by Wednesday, and Inside Out 2 will pass $1.6 billion imminently. Harold and the Purple Crayon held well for a second weekend, earning $3.1 million, even though this Sony product collapsed faster than Zachary Levi’s comments on Shazam 2‘s, erm, box office devastation. Shoutout to Neon’s Cuckoo and Longlegs, which earned $3 million (in its debut) and $2 million, respectively.
Next weekend, we will see the release of Alien: Romulus, The Union (on Netflix), Rob Peace, Skincare, and Jackpot! (on Amazon Prime).
