Box Office: ‘Longlegs’ Scores NEON’s Biggest Opening Ever, While ‘Fly Me To The Moon’ Is Grounded

  1. Despicable Me 4– $44.6M/$211M

It was another huge weekend for Despicable Me 4, which has now hit $438M worldwide and its second #1 placement in two weeks. But it was an even bigger weekend for Illumination, as Despicable Me/Minions became the first animated franchise to surpass $5B globally.

2. Longlegs (review)- $22.6M

After a deft marketing campaign of teaser clips, shadowy images, and mysterious clues, Neon’s serial killer film Longlegs broke records for the young studio with a $22.6M launch. That’s their highest ever, and the best for an original independent horror film over the last decade. So audiences were eager to check out Nicolas Cage and Maika Monroe in Oz Perkins’ film, but response has been mixed. The film currently has a C+ Cinemascore and only 66% on Rotten Tomatoes, suggesting this might not have a long theatrical run.

3. Inside Out 2-$20.7M/$572.5M

4. A Quiet Place: Day One– $11.8M/$116.2M

5. Fly Me to the Moon (review)- $10M

Not even the promise of Scarlett Johansson, Channing Tatum, and a rocket to the moon could lift Sony’s NASA rom-com Fly Me to the Moon. Despite the star wattage and reported $100M budget, the film’s $10M debut lagged behind an indie and weeks-old theatrical releases.

6. Bad Boys: Ride or Die– $4.4M/$184.8M

7. Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 1– $2.4M/$27M

8. MaXXXine– $2M/$11.7M

9. Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot– $1.3M/$9.7M

10. The Lion King (re-release)- $1M

[BoxOfficeMojo]

Travis Hopson has been reviewing movies before he even knew there was such a thing. Having grown up on a combination of bad '80s movies, pro wrestling, comic books, and hip-hop, Travis is uniquely positioned to geek out on just about everything under the sun. A vampire who walks during the day and refuses to sleep, Travis is the co-creator and lead writer for Punch Drunk Critics. He is also a contributor to Good Morning Washington, WBAL Morning News, and WETA Around Town. In the five minutes a day he's not working, Travis is also a voice actor, podcaster, and Twitch gamer. Travis is a voting member of the Critics Choice Association (CCA), Washington DC Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA), and Late Night programmer for the Lakefront Film Festival.