by Nathaniel R
A deflating weekend for Hollywood, proving once again that if you don't put enough new glitzy stuff in theaters (and don't promote them well) people don't show up! But for what it's worth, here's what the weekend was like...
| Weekend Box Office August 26th-28th 🔺 = new or expanding / ★ = Recommended links if we've written about it |
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| WIDE (OVER 800 SCREENS) | LIMITED / PLATFORM |
 THE INVITATION |
 ORPHAN: FIRST KILL |
| 1 🔺 THE INVITATION $6.8 *NEW* |
1 🔺 ROGUE ONE (2016) *rerelease* $1.0 *NEW* |
| 2 BULLET TRAIN $5.6 (cum. $78.2) |
2 ★ ORPHAN FIRST KILL $918k (cum. $3.3) |
| 3 BEAST $4.8 (cum. $20) |
3 LAAL SINGH CHADDHA $160k (cum. $3.3) |
| 4 ★ TOP GUN MAVERICK $4.7 (cum. $691.1) |
4 EMILY THE CRIMINAL $136k (cum. $1.7) |
| 5 DRAGON BALL SUPER HERO $4.6 (cum. $30.8) |
5 MARCEL THE SHELL... $103k (cum. $5.8) |
| 6 DC LEAGUE OF SUPER PETS $4.1 (cum. $74) |
6 🔺 ALIENOID $73k *NEW* |
 3000 YEARS OF LONGING |
 THE TERRITORY |
| 7 🔺 ★ 3000 THOUSAND YEARS OF LONGING $2.9 *NEW* | 7 🔺 ★ THE TERRITORY (Doc) $43k (cum. $69k) *EXPANDING* |
|
8 MINIONS: THE RISE OF GRU $2.7 (cum. $354.7) |
8 HALLELUJAH LEONARDO COHEN (Doc) $41k (cum. $852k) |
| 9 THOR: LOVE & THUNDER $2.6 (cum. $336.5) |
9 ★ ET (1982) *rerelease* $41k (cum. $2.0) |
| 10 WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING $2.3 (cum. $81.8) |
10 HANSAN RISING DRAGON (South Korea) $30k (cum. $767k) |
| 11 ★ NOPE $2.1 (cum. $117.6) |
11 ★ FIRE OF LOVE (Doc) $28k (cum. $986k) |
| 12 ★ ELVIS $1.4 (cum. $147.3) |
12 THE GOOD BOSS (Spain) $26k *NEW* |
| 13 BODIES BODIES BODIES $1 (cum. $9.7) |
13 EMERGENCY DECLARATION (South Korea) $24k (cum. $332k) |
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14 🔺★ BREAKING $985k *NEW* |
14 ★ A LOVE SONG $21k (cum. $214k) |
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15 JURASSIC WORLD DOMINION $733k (cum. $347.8) |
15 🔺 ★ THREE MINUTES A LENGTHENING (Doc) $17k (cum. $28k) *EXPANDING* |
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16 FALL $436k (cum. $5.9) 16 total movies in wide release, up from last week since 3 new films opened and Jurassic World added back in nearly 800 screens (presumably discount theaters) |
16 ★ MY OLD SCHOOL (Doc) $8k (cum. $82k)
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NOTES
• If you don't count the two pandemic years, The Invitation's first place bow is the lowest gross for a first place finisher in 19 years (!)
• Bullet Train got off to a so-so start a month ago but it's been holding well enough and its overseas peformance is strong enough that it will be profitable in theatrical release. The power of Brad Pitt and action thrill rides in general.
• With two new films in two weeks, both underperforming, Idris Elba hasn't proven to be very bankable. He's not alone in this problem! Many very well liked stars in the modern era have trouble putting butts in seats for original films in the age of "I'm only interested in IP" brand loyalty and stay-at-home to streaming habits.
• Though Elvis had strong legs over the summer it will likely fall short of the $150 million mark it probably could have reached since it's now available on VOD and hits HBOMax this Friday. Still, it's been a success story for Baz Luhrmann, Austin Butler, Elvis fanatics, and Warner Bros. By next weekend (possibly its last hurrah) it'll become the 8th biggest grosser of 2022, behind Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and just barely ahead of Uncharted with Nope trailing behind in tenth. Will Oscar voters remember Elvis early next year? We shall see!
NEXT WEEKEND
Jaws gets a rerelease on IMAX screens, Spider-Man No Way Home get a rerelease with extra footage thrown in, and the comedy Honk For Jesus Save Your Soul opens for the typically quiet long Labor Day Weekend
What did you see this weekend? I caught up with Bruce LaBruce's recent effort Saint Narcisse which was a filthy fun.