- Project Hail Mary (review)- $80M
Call it a Hail Mary if you want, but whatever it was, Amazon/MGM has a touchdown on its hands. Project Hail Mary scored the studio’s biggest opening weekend ever with $80M domestic, and $140M globally. That’s also the second biggest domestic debut for an original work/non-IP of the decade behind Oppenheimer‘s $82M. Other than Barbie‘s $162M, it’s also the second biggest launch for star Ryan Gosling, and the most for directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller. Furthermore, the film was a hit with both critics and audiences, with its Rotten Tomatoes score in the mid-90s for both. Clearly, audiences were dying for an uplifting, exciting original sci-fi film again.
2. Hoppers– $18M/$120.3M
3. Dhurandhar The Revenge– $9.5M/$13.5M
4. Ready or Not 2: Here I Come (review)- $9.1M
Searchlight Pictures dropped the anticipated genre sequel Ready or Not 2: Here I Come into 3,010 theaters and earned $9.1M, surpassing the $8M debut of the 2019 cult classic. Samara Weaving’s return as the former bride forced into yet another lethal game of Hide & Seek, also features Kathryn Newton, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Shawn Hatosy, and Elijah Wood, making for a slightly starrier cast. Critically, the film was favored by audiences with an 89% RT score, while critics kept it “Fresh” at 76%.
5. Reminders of Him– $8M/$33.1M
6. Scream 7– $4.3M/$114.5M
7. GOAT– $3.5M/$97.5M
8. undertone– $3M/$15.2M
9. Wuthering Heights– $475K/$83.3M
10. Avatar: Fire & Ash– $280K/$403.8M
Also…The Rose Byrne-led drama Tow (review), about a homeless woman who sues a corrupt towing company to get her car back, opened in 180 theaters for just $131K. So much for the buzz over her recent Oscar nomination rubbing off on this much smaller movie. [BoxOfficeMojo]
