1.Barbie– $53M/$459.3M
It’s a Barbie world and we’re all just living in it. Greta Gerwig’s blockbuster smash continues to pack houses which must be a dream to exhibitors everywhere. Add another $53M to the domestic total, which is now up to $459M. But worldwide it has already surpassed $1B billion after just three weeks, making Gerwig the first female director to ever do so on a solo project.
2. Meg 2: The Trench (review)- $30M
It was a huge debut for Meg 2: The Trench. Here’s the thing; with writers and actors on strike and not doing any press, movies that have an established audience or recognizable brand are going to thrive. Barbie is a popualar brand, Christopher Nolan is a brand unto himself, and The Meg was a $530M summer hit just a couple of years ago. That has meant a lot, obviously, because the sequel opened with $30M domestic and a worldwide haul of $142M without Jason Statham out there doing any press.
3. Oppenheimer– $28.7M/$228.5M
Not one to be ignored in the Barbenheimer craze, Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer has hit $552M worldwide.
4. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (review)– $28M/$43M
The Turtles are back! Just seven years after the second of the live-action Michael Bay-produced films, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem arrived with a $43M 5-day opening weekend. That’s a huge win for Paramount/Nickelodeon and the $70M animated film, which takes the popular Turtles in a direction that has been sorely missing: by leaning into the youthful teenage aspect of the characters. The decision to bring on Seth Rogen, perpetually a big kid with an obvious love of the franchise, was a smart move. As well was the decision to really hype the film at Comic-Con last month when so many studios stayed home.
5. Haunted Mansion– $8.9M/$42M
$59M worldwide after two weeks is a rickety start for Disney’s Haunted Mansion. Perhaps it’s time to give up on this one?
6. Sound of Freedom– $7M/$163.4M
7. Mission: Impossible-Dead Reckoning Part 1– $6.4M/$151M
8. Talk to Me– $6.2M/$22.1M
9. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny– $1.5M/$170.6M
10. Elemental– $1.2M/$148.2M
