In its second weekend, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 maintained its reign at the box office as the #1 movie in America, amassing a staggering $60.5 million in just three days.
Despite whispers of the downfall of Marvel’s beloved Guardians franchise following last weekend’s $118 million debut, which was down by 19% from the $145 million premiere of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 in 2017, Vol. 3 showcases true resilience. Its 49% decline from opening to second weekend outshines both previous films’ drops in the series. Recent Marvel blockbusters have endured much steeper falls in their second weekends, such as Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness back in May 2022 plummeting by 67%, and Thor: Love and Thunder in July 2022 took a massive dive of 68%.
Universal’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie took 2nd place at the box office, raking in an impressive $13 million, although that’s a 30% decline from the previous weekend. The film has shattered expectations by amassing a whopping $536 million domestically in just six weekends and 38 days. As it stands, it claims the title of the highest-grossing film of 2023, a crown it might continue to wear as the year wraps up. Taking into account its $100 million production budget, Super Mario Bros. could even emerge as the single most lucrative movie of the year.
Focus ingeniously launched Book Club: The Next Chapter just in time for Mother’s Day, propelling it to a respectable 3rd place at the box office with an opening weekend revenue of $6.5 million. As a sequel to the 2018 hit Book Club, which debuted with $13.6 million and eventually pulled in $35.9 million domestically and $104.4 million globally on a humble budget of just $14 million, this follow-up carries on its predecessor’s success story.
In the sequel, Book Club: The Next Chapter, the same four best friends from the original Book Club take their book club to Italy for the fun girls trip they never had. When things go off the rails and secrets are revealed, their relaxing vacation turns into a once-in-a-lifetime cross-country adventure.The stellar lineup of Jane Fonda, Diane Keaton, Candice Bergen, and Mary Steenburgen return to dazzle us in their original roles, joined by an impressive cast featuring Andy Garcia, Don Johnson, and Craig T. Nelson. While critics appeared rather unenthusiastic with a 48% rotten score on Rotten Tomatoes, audiences were captivated and shared a resounding 80% audience score. To compare, the original Book Club garnered a 54% critic’s score and a surprisingly low audience score of 51%.
Over the weekend, Warner Bros.’ spine-chilling Evil Dead Rise secured the #4 spot at the box office, raking in $3.7 million, which is a 37% decrease from the previous weekend. As the screams and shrieks subside after 24 days, Evil Dead Rise boasts $60.1 million at the box office, and anticipates a staggering total of around $65 million domestically and $125 million globally. This frightful flick has triumphed over its predecessor, 2013’s Evil Dead , which earned $54 million at the box office and previously held the crown as the most successful installment among the horror quartet. With production costs reaching a mere $15 million, this terrifying series remains devilishly lucrative, ensuring that sequels will continue to haunt us in years to come.
Lionsgate’s heartwarming tale, Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret took the $5 spot at the box office with a weekend total of $2.5 million and a gentle decline of just 23%. So far, Margaret’s journey has brought in $16.5 million domestically. Audiences and critics alike shower praises over this movie with sky-high ratings of 99% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes and an audience score of 96%. Riding on this wave of glowing reviews and heartening chatter, Margaret is expected to maximize its earning potential by extending its stay until the buzz-filled Memorial Day weekend.
Securing the #6 spot, Hypnotic mesmerized audiences with a $2.4 million opening weekend gross. This captivating Sci-Fi action thriller features Ben Affleck and is brought to life by renowned director Robert Rodriguez who previously brought us Sin City, Spy Kids, and From Dusk Till Dawn. Delving into a riveting tale of a detective entangled in a perplexing case surrounding his vanished daughter and a clandestine government operation, Hypnotic has viewers on the edge of their seats. Despite the harsh reviews from critics, resulting in a mere 39% rotten score on Rotten Tomatoes, audiences have shown enthusiasm with a more favorable 56% rating. Building upon the success of Rodriguez’s previous venture, Alita: Battle Angel, which amassed $86 million domestic and $405 million global since its release in 2019, Hypnotic faces high expectations. With a $65 million production budget, this thriller will need to make waves in international markets to achieve profitability.
John Wick: Chapter 4 has been in theaters and the top ten list for 8 weeks now and has slipped one place from #6 to the #7 spot on the box office top ten list. Sony’s Love Again saw a 35% decline since last week’s premiere and has moved down the list from #5 to #8. MGM’s Air has remarkably held onto the top ten list now that it is also available on Amazon Prime. In its sixth week at the box office, Air is currently at #9.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, which is also available on premium video on demand, is tied for 10th place with IFC/Elevation’s BlackBerry which premiered this weekend. BlackBerry is a biographical comedy-drama film about the history of the BlackBerry line of mobile phones. It is directed by Matt Johnson from a script by Johnson and producer Matthew Miller, which was adapted from Jacquie McNish and Sean Silcoff’s book Losing the Signal: The Untold Story Behind the Extraordinary Rise and Spectacular Fall of BlackBerry, and stars Jay Baruchel and Glenn Howerton in the lead roles as Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie, respectively. It also stars Johnson, Rich Sommer, Michael Ironside, Martin Donovan, Michelle Giroux, SungWon Cho, Saul Rubinek, and Cary Elwes.
The box office witnessed an exhilarating weekend, raking in a staggering $100 million in revenue. This impressive figure surpasses last year’s $92 million, which is 29 percent higher year-to-date compared to 2022. With adrenaline-pumping Fast X and enchanting live action The Little Mermaid (Disney) set to hit the screens in the next two weeks, anticipation builds as we eagerly await to discover if this year’s box office performance will soar beyond expectations.
REELated:
1. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (Disney) Week 2; Last weekend #1
$60,500,000 (-49%) in 4,450 (no change) theaters; PTA (per theater average): $13,596; Cumulative: $213,200,000
2. The Super Mario Bros. Movie (Universal) Week 6; Last weekend #2
$13,000,000 (-30%) in 3,800 (-109) theaters; PTA: $3,421; Cumulative: $535,959,000
3. Book Club: The Next Chapter (Focus) NEW – Cinemascore: B; Metacritic: 48; Est. budget: $20 million
$6,500,000 in 3,508 theaters; PTA: $1,853; Cumulative: $6,500,000
4. Evil Dead Rise (Warner Bros. Discovery) Week 4; Last weekend #3; also on PVOD
$3,728,000 (-37%) in 2,821 (-215) theaters; PTA: $1,322; Cumulative: $60,188,000
5. Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret (Lionsgate) Week 3; Last weekend #4
$2,500,000 (-23%) in 2,359 (-984) theaters; PTA: $1,057; Cumulative: $16,476,000
6. Hypnotic (Ketchup) NEW – Cinemascore: C+; Metacritic: 53; Est. budget: $70 million
$2,355,000 in 2,118 theaters; PTA: $1,112; Cumulative: $2,355,000
7. John Wick: Chapter 4 (Lionsgate) Week 8; Last weekend #6
$1,930,000 (-18%) in 1,613 (-45) theaters; PTA: $1,197; Cumulative: $182,964,000
8. Love Again (Sony) Week 2; Last weekend #5
$1,550,000 (-35%) in 2,703 (no change) theaters; PTA: $573; Cumulative: $5,007,000
9. Air (MGM) Week 6; Last weekend #8; also streaming on Amazon Prime
$875,000 (-37%) in 1,210 (-422) theaters; PTA: $723; Cumulative: $51,710,000
10. (tie) BlackBerry (IFC/Elevation) NEW – Metacritic: 82
$740,000 in 623 theaters; PTA: $1,188; Cumulative: $740,000
10. (tie) Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (Paramount) Week 7; Last weekend #7; also on PVOD
$740,000 (-49%) in 934 (-817) theaters; PTA: $792; Cumulative: $92,170,000
