Several new movies infiltrated theaters nationwide this weekend, from a lighthearted trip to Italy with Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen, Diane Keaton and Mary Steenburgen to a Ben Affleck-fronted detective thriller. The two top spots were once again claimed by Marvel and Mario, however.
In its second weekend, 鈥淕uardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3鈥� added $60.5 million from North American theaters, according to studio estimates on Sunday. That鈥檚 a slim 49% drop from its opening, which is rare for big superhero films that tend to be front-loaded and have big second weekend drops of 60% or more. As the smallest Marvel drop since the beginning of the pandemic, it also answers the 鈥� 鈥� question that some floated last weekend. Including $91.9 million from international showings, 鈥淰ol. 3鈥� has already grossed over $528.8 million worldwide.
Second place went to 鈥淭he Super Mario Bros. Movie鈥� with $13 million in its sixth weekend, bringing its domestic grosses just shy of $536 million. Families with younger children have had almost no other options at the theaters since Mario entered the picture, resulting in repeat viewings and its continued dominance at the box office, where it is still playing in 3,800 locations domestically. Globally, it鈥檚 at $1.2 billion.
With Chris Pratt in the leading positions of chart-topping movies, as Star Lord in 鈥淕uardians鈥� and the voice of Mario, debates have ensued about how much of the draw is star power versus brand power.
It was an especially crowded weekend for new movies, opening both wide and limited in all genres and of all qualities.
鈥淭he second weekend in May is very notable, traditionally speaking, because it bridges the gap between a big summer kickoff movie ("Guardians 3") and the next big blockbuster ("Fast X"),鈥� said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Comscore. 鈥淓veryone in the business knew Guardians would dominate the weekend but it provided an opportunity for a lot of movies to get out there that hit that sweet spot between two behemoths.鈥�
鈥� 鈥� fared the best on the charts with $6.5 million from 3,508 locations. The sequel, released by Focus Features on Mother鈥檚 Day weekend, reunites the cast with director Bill Holderman and his co-writer Erin Simms. Audiences were heavily female (77%), Caucasian (59%) and over 45 (66%) and the hope is that there will be a Mother鈥檚 Day boost and decent holdover for the $20 million production. Older audiences typically don鈥檛 rush out on opening weekend. The first film opened to $13.5 million in 2018 and went on to gross over $104 million.
Robert Rodriguez鈥檚 鈥淗ypnotic,鈥� meanwhile, is bombing. The mystery starring Affleck as a detective whose daughter is missing cost a reported $65 million to make. It went into the weekend with poor reviews (32% on Rotten Tomatoes) and limited marketing from distributor Ketchup Entertainment, and earned just $2.4 million from 2,118 locations.
Other mid-level releases failed to make a big splash, including Charlie Day鈥檚 Hollywood satire 鈥淔ool鈥檚 Paradise,鈥� which earned $443,140 from 784 locations, and the anime-inspired 鈥淜nights of the Zodiac,鈥� which made only $535,000 from 586 theaters.
鈥淏lackBerry,鈥� Matt Johnson鈥檚 well-reviewed portrait about the rise and fall of the beloved smartphone starring Glenn Howerton and Jay Baruchel, got off to a bumpy start with $473,000 from 450 theaters.
Sony Pictures Classics also launched its Yogi Berra documentary 鈥淚t Ain鈥檛 Over鈥� in 99 theaters, making $106,000.
Dergarabedian noted that several independent films thrived this weekend with solid per theater averages, including IFC鈥檚 鈥淢onica鈥� ($26,500 from two theaters) and Bleecker Street鈥檚 鈥淭he Starling Girl鈥� ($27,736 from four theaters).
鈥淚f you鈥檙e a moviegoer, you have a lot to choose from right now,鈥� Dergarabedian said.
There was also quite a bit of competition on home screens, from on Apple TV+ to the Jennifer Lopez action pic 鈥淭he Mother鈥� on Netflix. 鈥淎ir,鈥� which is still in the top 10 after six weekends in theaters, also made its debut on Prime Video.
Things are going to pick up considerably next weekend when 鈥淔ast X鈥� enters the , followed by the live-action 鈥淭he Little Mermaid鈥� on May 26.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
1. 鈥淕uardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,鈥� $60.5 million.
2. 鈥淭he Super Mario Bros. Movie,鈥� $13 million.
3. 鈥淏ook Club: The Next Chapter,鈥� $6.5 million.
4. 鈥淓vil Dead Rise,鈥� $3.7 million.
5. 鈥淎re You There God? It鈥檚 Me, Margaret.鈥� $2.5 million.
6. 鈥淗ypnotic,鈥� $2.4 million.
7. 鈥淛ohn Wick: Chapter 4,鈥� $1.9 million.
8. 鈥淟ove Again,鈥� $1.6 million.
9. 鈥淎ir,鈥� $875,357.
10. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves,鈥� $740,000.
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Follow AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ldbahr.
Lindsey Bahr, The Associated Press
