It’s (still) good to be Tom Holland.
The 25-year-old actor has been all-but-singlehandedly propelling ticket sales at North American movie theaters, leading two films in the top three spots on domestic box office charts. Over the weekend, his action-adventure “Uncharted” repeated No. 1 as his comic book epic “Spider-Man: No Way Home” followed closely behind in third place.
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“Uncharted,” Sony’s long-in-the-works video game adaptation, brought in $23.2 million from 4,275 domestic venues in its second weekend of release, representing a 46% decline in revenues from its $44 million debut. That brings its domestic total to $83.3 million. For big-budget tentpoles, which tend to be front-loaded in terms of box office grosses, a 50% drop is standard. But making the hold for “Uncharted” a little more impressive, the film did not enjoy the rapturous reviews that greeted “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” meaning Holland’s star-power likely had a hand in selling movie stubs. It helps that “Uncharted” is based on an extremely popular video game series and caters to younger males, a demographic that has been reliably going to multiplexes during COVID-19.
Directed by Ruben Fleischer, “Uncharted” carries a $120 million price tag, so international ticket sales are key to getting out of the red. It’s already been a big draw overseas, delivering another $35 million from 64 foreign territories over the weekend. So far, “Uncharted” has generated $143 million at the international box office and $226.4 million globally — and that’s before it opens on March 14 in China, the biggest moviegoing market.
Meanwhile, another Sony blockbuster “Spider-Man: No Way Home” took the No. 3 spot with $5.7 million from 3,002 North American theaters, sliding only 23% in its 11th weekend in theaters. Since launching in December, the Spidey threequel has managed to stay within the top three on domestic box office charts every weekend– a rare feat with or without an industry-altering pandemic. Through Sunday, “No Way Home” has collected an enormous $779.8 million in total. Given the movie’s stellar week-to-week holds, “Spider-Man” could soon become the third movie ever to cross $800 million at the domestic box office. Globally, “Spider-Man: No Way Home” has passed $1.85 billion.
In second place, Channing Tatum’s PG-13 canine adventure “Dog” continued to draw solid attendance in its sophomore outing. The road-trip buddy comedy, from MGM, earned $10.1 million from 3,827 screens over the weekend, pushing its North American tally to $30.8 million. It’s a strong result for a film that carries a $15 million production budget. The movie, which was smartly marketed with the tagline “Don’t worry, the dog doesn’t die” in an attempt to win over anyone still reeling from the 2008 tear-jerker “Marley and Me,” continues to surpass expectations in America’s heartland. Midwestern and smaller cities have been leading ticket sales for “Dog” over west and east coast cities and other major domestic markets, which usually have the edge in the country’s box office receipts.
In an otherwise quiet weekend at the movies, two new releases, “Studio 666” and “Cyrano,” failed to make a notable dent on box office charts.
“Studio 666,” a gonzo-horror-comedy-musical-fantasy about Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl and his bandmates attempting to record their 10th studio album, landed in eighth place with $1.5 million from 2,306 North American theaters. The R-rated film got mixed reviews, though several film critics admitted “Studio 666” is at least fun to watch. Associated Press critic Jake Coyle likened the film to “a decent SNL sketch stretched to nearly two hours” and the New York Times critic at large Wesley Morris aptly described the movie as exuding “real ‘Scooby-Doo’-meets-‘The Shining’ vibes.”
David A. Gross, who runs the movie consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research, called “Studio 666” an “original oddity,” one that was built around Dave Grohl’s and the Foo Fighters band’s popularity. “This is a weak opening, he said, noting “there aren’t many horror comedies in general” at the box office. Open Road Films and Briarcliff Entertainment released “Studio 666.”
“Cyrano,” a romantic musical drama directed by Joe Wright and starring “Game of Thrones” actor Peter Dinklage, nabbed the No. 9 spot. The well-reviewed film, based on the 2018 stage musical and Edmond Rostand’s 1897 play “Cyrano de Bergerac” about a tragic love triangle, opened in just 797 locations and grossed $1.4 million. Nearly 60% of opening weekend audience members were female, according to exit polls. MGM will continue to expand the movie’s theatrical footprint in the coming weeks, but given its $30 million production budget, the profit margins for “Cyrano” could be more brutal than heartbreaking.
Holdovers “Death on the Nile” and “Jackass Forever” took spots four and five on domestic box office rankings.
Disney and 20th Century’s murder mystery “Death on the Nile” grossed $4.5 million from 3,420 screens. After three weekends in theaters, the movie has earned a so-so $32.8 million in North America. On a better note, “Death on the Nile” has been more popular among overseas audiences. It has generated $68 million at the international box office, taking its worldwide haul to $101 million. Directed by Kenneth Branagh, who stars in the movie alongside Armie Hammer, Gal Gadot and Letitia Wright, “Death on the Nile” cost a hefty $90 million to produce.
“Jackass Forever,” from Paramount Pictures, pulled in $3.1 million from 2,913 locations in its fourth weekend of release. The $10 million-budgeted slapstick comedy has been a surprise winner at the box office, grossing $52 million to date.
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