- The Little Mermaid (review)- $95.5M
Disney’s live-action The Little Mermaid made a big splash in its opening weekend, earning $95.5M domestic for three days and $117M across the four-day holiday, on the way to $185M worldwide. The international numbers are a bit softer than analysts projected, with some suggesting some shenanigans at foot. But if it continues, my prediction that this will be the biggest box office hit of the year is down the tubes. Audience reaction has been through the roof, with a 95% current Rotten Tomatoes score boosting what should be a lot of repeat business. Critically, the 67% number is on the low end, but higher than recent hits such as Aladdin and The Lion King.
2. Fast X– $23M/$107.9M
Of course, Fast X took a hit in its second weekend, dropping 65% and earning $23M. The good news is that it only took two weeks for it to cross $500M globally, while the franchise has passed $7B billion since it began in 2001.
3. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3– $19.9M/$299.4M
4. The Super Mario Bros Movie– $6.2M/$558.8M
5. The Machine– $4.9M/$7.9M
The first of two movies in the top 10 based on a stand-up comedian’s act, The Machine stars Bert Kreischer in a fictionalized version of himself, along with Mark Hamill. As you might’ve guesed, a lot of promo time was spent pushing Hamill’s presence. The $7.9M debut is pretty weak, but the comedy did well in markets where Kreischer is prominent, such as in the midwest.
6. About My Father (review)- $4.2M
Sebastian Maniscalco is a huge marquee name in comedy, but About My Father couldn’t draw in his fans even with Robert De Niro at his side.
7. Kandahar (review)- $2.4M
This one breaks my heart. Kandahar, the latest action film from Gerard Butler and director Ric Roman Waugh, opened with just $2.4M across three days and an estimated $3.1 through the holiday. Shot mostly in Saudi Arabi, an incredibly rare thing for many decades, it finds Butler as an undercover CIA agent who must escape Afghanistan with the help of his Afghan translator. Butler is still a fairly reliable star of mid-range thrillers, but I believe a major problem is the relative proximity to Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant, which looks very similar. Both movies are great, by the way.
8. You Hurt My Feelings (review)- $1.3M
Nicole Holofcener’s reunion with Julia Louis-Dreyfus, You Hurt My Feelings, opened in 912 locations for $1.3M. This is their first film together since 2013’s terrific Enough Said, which finished its run with $25M powered by awards buzz and the passing of co-star James Gandolfini.
9. Evil Dead Rise– $1M/$66.2M
10. Book Club: The Next Chapter– $920K/$16.1M
