Summer movie magic continues to unfold as the unstoppable Barbie keeps raking in big bucks, adding a staggering $53.0 million to her treasure chest this past weekend. That’s a drop of only 43%.
While the “Barbenheimer” bid for a third consecutive week at the box office throne was thwarted, Meg 2: The Trench managed to squeeze past Oppenheimer to secure the #2 spot, knocking Oppenheimer down to the #3 spot at the box office. AMC, Regal, and Cinemark are celebrating record-breaking revenues, signaling a promising resurgence since the Covid-19 pandemic decimated the box office.
This is Barbie’s third weekend at the box office and third weekend holding onto the #1 spot. The pink-themed sensation has turned heads and captivated audiences, earning the title of the second-highest-grossing movie of the year, boasting a domestic gross of $459.4 million in just 24 days and over $1 billion worldwide! This marks the first time a solo female director has accomplished this feat. Congrats to Greta Gerwig!
The only film ahead of it is Universal’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which raked in a whopping $574.2 million domestically, signaling the second quarter’s triumphant return to post-pandemic heights.
The astounding part is that Barbie has already climbed to the 24th spot in the all-time domestic release list, nipping at the heels of the iconic Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope, which kickstarted the legendary Star Wars franchise and earned a total box office haul of $461.0 million. At this rate, Barbie is on track to surpass The Super Mario Bros. Movie and claim the crown as the top-earning movie of 2023, leaving audiences in awe of its unstoppable charm and enduring appeal.
When comparing Barbie to The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Barbie has surged ahead with a remarkable domestic gross of $459.4 million, firmly establishing its cinematic presence. On the other hand, The Super Mario Bros. Movie has accumulated an impressive $436.0 million within the same timeframe. While Barbie leads the race, the question of whether there’s enough summer movie enthusiasm left to propel its ascent to the top lingers.
It’s worth noting that The Super Mario Bros. Movie, having debuted on April 5th, was only just beginning its summer journey in the theaters during these initial three weeks. In comparison, Barbie still has a target of $115 million to surpass The Super Mario Bros. Movie‘s gross.
What’s even more astonishing is Barbie’s global impact, with its worldwide gross soaring past the $1 billion mark. This remarkable achievement places it among the ranks of the 53rd highest-grossing films of all time, with an impressive 6th place in the post-pandemic era.
Despite Barbie’s quintessentially American image, it’s evident that Mattel has masterfully tailored her appeal for the global stage. A significant 53% of the movie’s total box office revenue has been contributed by theaters outside the United States and Canada, underlining its widespread international popularity. With this momentum, Barbie could very well maintain its leading position until Labor Day Weekend, when The Equalizer 3 makes its debut, promising yet another thrilling cinematic showdown.
Sony’s Meg 2: The Trench made an unexpected splash, surprisingly securing the #2 spot with an impressive $30 million in its opening weekend. A surprising turn of events considering its predecessor, The Meg, had debuted on August 4, 2018, and exceeded expectations with a staggering $45.5 million in its opening weekend. The first installment featured Jason Statham as the leader of a team of scientists embarking on a perilous underwater expedition to the Marianas Trench, where they encounter the awe-inspiring Megalodon, the most colossal ocean predator to have ever roamed.
This aquatic adventure managed to reel in a substantial $145.5 million in the U.S. and Canada, but it was the astounding international haul of $385.0 million, constituting 72.5% of its $530.5 million global earnings, that truly captured attention.
Astonishingly, even with a hefty production budget of $130 million, The Meg’s box office triumph propelled it to soar past four times its expenses, establishing it as a resounding financial triumph for the studio backers. This accomplishment aligns with the well-known Hollywood principle that a movie achieving 2.5 times its production budget in box office revenue is indeed profitable.
In light of this undeniable financial success, a sequel to this summer’s aquatic thriller was a logical decision. Sony embarked on a similar investment for the new film, reuniting Jason Statham in the lead role along with the original writers and producers. This new narrative sees Statham’s Jonas Taylor spearheading another expedition into the mysterious ocean abyss, where they encounter a malevolent mining operation that poses not only a threat to their mission but also to their very survival.
Despite its second-place finish, Meg 2: The Trench garnered only two-thirds of the box office gross achieved by its predecessor, The Meg. Interestingly, despite its financial triumph, The Meg didn’t leave audiences raving; it received a lukewarm reception, with a paltry 43% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. This could explain the apparent lack of enthusiasm for a reboot, especially one that revisits a similar storyline. Critics, true to their discerning nature, are particularly critical of Meg 2, bestowing it a 28% “rotten” rating. Conversely, general audiences who’ve experienced the film seem to find themselves in the middle ground, with a 72% audience approval rating.
Oppenheimer remains a robust contributor to the summer box office narrative, securing its position with a formidable $28.7 million and a closely contested #3 place finish. Impressively, this achievement comes on the heels of a modest 39% decline from the previous weekend’s performance.
A noteworthy addition to the summer spectacle is Universal’s collaboration with renowned filmmaker Christopher Nolan, a partnership that has exceeded all projections. Particularly, its screening in IMAX theaters has shattered records within that format, serving as a testament to its cinematic prowess.
With a mere 17 days under its belt, Oppenheimer has amassed a domestic earning of $228.6 million, while its global success story paints a picture of $423 million in worldwide box office revenue. Parallel to the trajectory of Barbie, Oppenheimer’s international performance has been particularly strong, with a substantial 54% of its global earnings hailing from international markets.
Securing #4 at the box office was Paramount’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, making a bold entrance with a $28.0 million debut over its opening weekend, while also amassing a commendable five-day total of $43.1 million. The origins of the Ninja Turtles trace back to 1984 when they first emerged as characters in comic books.
Since then, their legacy has expanded, giving rise to seven feature films, five television series, and an array of video games, toys, and a myriad of merchandise. The cumulative impact of these theatrical releases has translated into a global haul of $1.1 billion. Notably, the most recent addition to the series, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out Of The Shadows, commenced its journey on June 3, 2016, by pulling in a substantial $35.3 million during its opening weekend. By the time its cinematic journey concluded, it had earned $135.3 million in the U.S. and Canada and an impressive $245.6 million worldwide, all against a production budget of $135 million.
With Nickelodeon’s green light in 2020, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem was set in motion, bringing in none other than Seth Rogen—self-proclaimed devotee of the franchise—to steer the project. Rogen donned multiple hats, not just as a star but also as a writer and producer, infusing his passion and creativity into the movie. Rogen’s vision aimed to explore the teenage facet of the turtle heroes, a dimension he believed hadn’t been fully emphasized in prior renditions.
The plot unfolds as the turtle brothers endeavor to win over the hearts of New Yorkers, a mission they embark upon after years of keeping themselves insulated from the human world. Alongside Rogen, the film features an ensemble cast including Ice Cube, Paul Rudd, Maya Rudolph, and Jackie Chan. What sets this sequel apart from its predecessors is the overwhelming acclaim it has garnered from both critics and audiences alike, with critics declaring it 96% “fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes. This unified enthusiasm is almost mirrored in the audience score, which stands at 92%.
Disney’s Haunted Mansion stumbled into the #5 spot over the weekend, mustering a mere $8.9 million, which is an alarming plummet of 63% from the already lackluster $24.2 million of the previous weekend. This unfortunate turn of events solidifies the project’s unfortunate flop status, an outcome that looms even larger when considering the hefty $150 million invested in its production.
Haunted Mansion was kind of doomed from the start and there are several factors that contributed to its failure at the box office. Unfortunately the ill-timed release, merely one week after “Barbenheimer’s” spotlight, ensured that Haunted Mansion remained overshadowed, struggling to garner the attention it deserved from both the media and moviegoers.
The actors’ strike cast a shadow over the film’s promotional efforts, rendering the stars powerless to generate the buzz and excitement necessary for a successful launch. A 40% “rotten” critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes prompted potential ticket buyers to think twice, with reservations about the film’s quality dampening their enthusiasm. That being said, even with the abysmal ticket sales, the audience score is significantly higher at 84%.
At #6 at the box office. Sound of Freedom from Angel experienced a 43% decrease, reporting an accumulated $163 million so far. Claiming the #7 spot, Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One from Paramount saw a 39% decline. Despite crossing the $500 million mark worldwide, it’s in a race against time, as its 2018 predecessor Fallout reached nearly $800 million.
Earning the #8 position at the box office, Talk to Me from A24 displayed a drop of only 40% for a horror film, contributing an additional $6.2 million. Coming in at a close #9, Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani from Moviegoer in India secured over $1.5 million in just 270 theaters, experiencing only a minor nine percent dip. In a disappointing turn of events for Disney, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny experienced a 62% drop and slipped down the top ten list from #7 to #10, rounding out the box office top ten list for the week.
REELated:
The Top 10
1. Barbie (Warner Bros. Discovery) Week 3; Last weekend #1
$53,000,000 (-43%) in 4,178 (-159) theaters; PTA (per theater average): $12,685; Cumulative: $459,381,000
2. Meg 2: The Trench (Warner Bros.) NEW – Cinemascore: B-; Metacritic: 40; Est. budget: $130 million
$30,000,000 in 3,503 theaters; PTA: $8,564; Cumulative: $30,000,000
3. Oppenheimer (Universal) Week 3; Last weekend #2
$28,700,000 (-39%) in 3,612 (-35) theaters; PTA: $7,946; Cumulative: $228,569,000
4. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (Paramount) NEW – Cinemascore: A; Metacritic: 74; Est. budget: $70 million
$28,000,000 in 3,858 theaters; PTA: $7,258; Cumulative: $43,073,000
5. Haunted Mansion (Disney) Week 2; Last weekend #3
$8,971,000 (-63%) in 3,740 (no change) theaters; PTA: $2,399; Cumulative: $42,021,000
6. Sound of Freedom (Angel) Week 5; Last weekend #4
$7,032,000 (-45%) in 3,001 (-310) theaters); PTA: $2,364; Cumulative: $163,473,000
7. Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning: Part One (Paramount) Week 4; Last weekend #5
$6,450,000 (-39%) in 2,422 (-749) theaters; PTA: $2,663; Cumulative: $151,003,000
8. Talk to Me (A24) Week 2; Last weekend #6
$6,272,000 (-40%) in 2,370 (+30) theaters; PTA: $2,646; Cumulative: $22,135,000
9. Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani (Moviegoer) Week 2; Last weekend #10
$1,530,000 (-9%) in 270 (+5) theaters; PTA: $5,666; Cumulative: $3,204,000
10. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (Disney) Week 6; Last weekend #7
$1,521,000 (-62%) in 1,190 (-975) theaters; PTA: $1,278; Cumulative: $170,640,000
The collective box office for all the movies in theaters this past weekend amounted to $176.4 million domestically, marking a significant increase from the $92.0 million earned during the same period last year. It’s worth noting that during this corresponding weekend last year, Bullet Train debuted with an opening of $30.0 million.
