- The Nun II– $8.4M/$69.2M
Proving to be quite a resilient demon, The Nun II held on to the top spot with $8.4M, despite a close threat by Expend4bles. But once again horror fans turned out where action fans haven’t of late. The latest entry in The Conjuring Universe now has $204M worldwide, $69M of that stateside after three weeks.
2. Expend4bles (review)- $8.3M
The only thing more expendable than Expend4bles is the space this unwanted sequel occupies in the minds of moviegoers. At just $8.3M, this is the lowest grossing debut for the franchise, and it shouldn’t come as a shock. Sylvester Stallone, who has been the face of it since the first movie in 2010, publicly tried to exit it but came back on the stipulation it would be his last. So the pivot was made to co-star Jason Statham, putting the focus on him at the expense of the cast, which no longer boasts the old school heroes that were always the major draw. You’re not going to attract folks with 50 Cent, Megan Fox, and Andy Garcia, sorry. And with a reported $100M budget, this could be a significant “L” for Lionsgate to eat. It should also be noted this is the lowest opening for Stallone since the abysmal Bullet to the Head in 2012.
3. A Haunting in Venice– $6.3M/$25.3M
Kenneth Branagh’s third Hercule Poirot mystery, A Haunting in Venice. slid to third with $6.3M and $25M domestically. Worldwide, the $71M total seems a bit low, especially considering its predecessor, Death On the Nile, legged it out to $131M during pandemic times.
4. The Equalizer 3– $4.7M/$81.2M
5. Barbie– $3.2M/$630.4M
Ya’ll know it’s been on digital for a while, right? Then again, Barbie is also being re-released into IMAX theaters for a week so this number might go up some more. As of right now, it stands at an incredible $1.4B worldwide.
6. My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3– $3M/$23.8M
7. It Lives Inside (review)- $2.6M
NEON has found another buzzy indie to turn into a hit. The Bishal Dutta-directed horror It Lives Inside about an Indian-American teen whose shunning of her cultural identity unleashes a demon into existence opened with $2.6M in just over 2000 theaters.
8. Dumb Money (review)- $2.5M/$2.8M
Cashing in on an additional 600 theaters is the Gamestop stock drama Dumb Money with $2.5M. The star-studded film led by Paul Dano, Pete Davidson, Seth Rogen, America Ferrera, and more will see a further expansion beginning next week, and could be driven by awards season buzz.
9. Blue Beetle– $1.8M/$69.8M
10. Oppenheimer– $1.6M/$321.2M
