Well, Avatar: Fire and Ash has topped the box office for five weekends in a row since The Wretched in 2020. And so, for a more conservative Martin Luther King Jr. Weekend, it earned $13.32 million, bringing the total to $363.5 million domestically and is past $1.319 billion. Conventional rate of descent will probably have it “just” slithering towards $400 million domestically and $1.425 billion. Yeah, domestic figures are swaying down, but the overseas are playing as much as you’d expect for a James Cameron film. Common courtesy would ask why Disney would throw even more money into this threequel, when, if it were more conservative, there wouldn’t be any plans to halt the fourth and fifth chapters from ever seeing the light of day? Well, the fourth and fifth films will arrive in 2029 and 2031, so let’s see what Cameron has up his sleeve to pounce once more.
For the major newcomer release this weekend, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, didn’t quite fit the bill. The predecessor earned more in one single day than this projected Friday-Monday debut (only $13 million for the Friday-Sunday opening). Yeah, it has already surpassed $30 million worldwide, and Nia DaCosta has been building a reputation for stronger films despite murkier screenplays. But 28 Days Later is not a bankable IP nor one that could be perceived as the reboot of the decade, a la Jurassic World, Scream, Bad Boys, or even Final Destination. Folks were interested enough last summer, but this is one too many forceful pushes of “here we go again.” Hollywood still seems to think that because The Lord of the Rings could set the template for a coveted trilogy, that means we keep backing up more titles to warrant it as such. Cult fandom is not a demand for franchises, da** it!
Zootopia 2 passed $1.7 billion worldwide, so Disney can claim “they’re the leaders on the front” even as folks are still sketchy about Netflix’s “damage control” in the wake of the WB acquisition news. That means the sequel is the second-biggest-grossing animated film ever, behind Ne Zha 2, and will probably finish between $1.75 and $ 1.8 billion.
Meanwhile, The Housemaid is making a resurgence in theaters and will pass $110 million domestically and $250 million worldwide by tomorrow. I think the jury will be returning to state that Sydney Sweeney has the tools now to be considered a movie star/draw at the box office, when, funnily enough, paired alongside Amanda Seyfried, who is a generational star from her films such as Veronica Mars, Mean Girls, Mamma Mia, Jennifer’s Body, and Les Misérables. Sweeney already has three titles to her resume for non-IP originals that made the big bucks, including Anyone But You and Immaculate. Putting a popular actor in a low-budget star vehicle for a generally good time at the theaters means good results, and quite frankly, Sweeney’s last outing is overperforming. Great stuff and a slap in the face to critics of the “pun-focused jean commercials equate to eugenics.”
A24’s Marty Supreme has become the studio’s biggest domestic earner, and with the Oscars season approaching, it might reach $100 million domestically. Primate should be past $25 million worldwide by tomorrow, and it held up well for the many holdovers this weekend. Greenland 2: Migration will earn $4.4 million for the weekend once Monday’s totals are counted. Anaconda will be passing $125 million worldwide by the end of Monday night/Tuesday morning. Search for SquarePants will pass $150 million globally later this week. No Other Choice expanded into 580 theaters for a $2.63 million MLK weekend. And Song Sung Blue has passed $35 million at the domestic box office.
Next weekend sees the release of Mercy, Clika, Return to Silent Hill, and H Is for Hawk.
