DC and Warner Bros.鈥� opened to $55 million in its first three days in North American theaters, according to studio estimates on Sunday.
Though a fair amount of money by normal standards, a sizable jump from DC鈥檚 last release, , and enough for a first place start, it鈥檚 also muted by superhero standards where $100 million debut weekends are almost commonplace. The weekend also saw Pixar get its worst three-day opening ever with a $29.5 million bow by 鈥淓lemental."
It was a crowded weekend at the multiplex overall. In addition to 鈥淭he Flash鈥� and 鈥淓lemental," the horror-comedy 鈥淭he Blackening" also opened wide. The only big win was Wes Anderson鈥檚 starry 鈥淎steroid City鈥� which earned $720,000 from just six theaters and the distinction of having the highest per-theater average ($132,211) since the start of the pandemic.
鈥淭he Flash鈥� faced more complications than marketplace conditions. In addition to 鈥淭he Flash鈥� and 鈥淓lemental,鈥� the horror-comedy 鈥淭he Blackening鈥� also opened wide. It has been in the headlines often over the past year, not because of the movie itself but because of its star Ezra Miller鈥檚 off-screen troubles, , and . and said they are seeking mental health treatment. They also bowed out of participating in the normal publicity circuit, except for the premiere.
The studio鈥檚 leadership remained bullish on releasing their $200 million movie, however, and importance to . The movie introduces the multiverse, which allowed for the return of Michael Keaton's Batman in a movie that also had Ben Affleck's Batman.
Going into the weekend analysts expected 鈥淭he Flash鈥� to earn at least $70 million in its first three days, playing in 4,234 locations domestically. Now, it's projected to net out with $64 million in its first four, including Monday's Juneteenth holiday. Internationally, it made $75 million, giving it a $139 million global start.
鈥淚 think Warners did a fantastic job of dealing with the situation they had,鈥� said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a very interesting case study of what can happen when the title character of a huge movie has these very public controversies. But it's hard to reverse engineer it to know what effect it may have had."
Another obstacle was that some of the main promotional outlets 鈥� late night talk shows 鈥� are still shut down as the Writers Strike continues. Also, with the knowledge that DC is undergoing a major reset, fans might have decided to move on and wait for that.
Critics were mixed but more positive than not, with a 67% on Rotten Tomatoes. that despite some 鈥渂reezily clever and entertaining鈥� moments, 鈥渢he final act bogs down in what feels like an endless, generic CGI battle and a kitchen-sink resolution."
Audiences polled for CinemaScore only gave the film a B, which has not historically been great news for word-of-mouth potential and longevity.
But there is a bit of a gap in the schedule before the next major blockbuster comes in 鈥� ,鈥� which opens on June 30. Next week鈥檚 biggest offering is the R-rated Jennifer Lawrence comedy 鈥� 鈥� and the nationwide expansion of 鈥淎steroid City.鈥�
Second place went to 鈥淓lemental鈥� with an estimated $29.5 million from 4,035 locations in North America 鈥� a new low for Pixar鈥檚 three-day openings. Before, that title belonged to 鈥淭he Good Dinosaur鈥� and 鈥淥nward,鈥� which both debuted to $39 million." Previous Pixar lows were 鈥淭he Good Dinosaur鈥� and 鈥淥nward," which both debuted to $39 million.
"Elemental鈥� was greeted positively by critics, with a 76% on Rotten Tomatoes, and audiences (A CinemaScore). that it鈥檚 鈥減robably in the lower half鈥� of the Pixar cannon but 鈥漵incere and clever, with a splash of dazzle,鈥� it, 鈥渃omes closer to rekindling some of the old Pixar magic than 鈥� Including $15 million from 17 international territories, 鈥淓lemental鈥� launched to $44.5 million globally.
鈥淪pider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse鈥� was a very close third, in its third weekend, with $27.8 million. Sony is projecting that its domestic total will have reached $285 million through Monday.
It's possible, Dergarabedian said, that Spider-Man's formidable holding power 鈥� bolstered by reviews and word of mouth 鈥� ate into 鈥淓lemental's鈥� launch. Both are also rated PG.
鈥淭ransformers: Rise of the Beasts鈥� dropped a steep 67% in its second weekend, adding $20 million to take fourth place. 鈥淭he Little Mermaid鈥� settled into fifth place with $11.6 million in its fourth weekend.
鈥淭he Blackening鈥� was the other big release this weekend 鈥� a bit of counterprogramming to the bigger branded releases with an original horror-comedy about a group of friends, who are Black, who get together for a weekend away and find themselves on the run from a killer. Lionsgate and MRC acquired the $5 million movie from director Tim Story after it debuted to positive reviews at the Toronto International Film Festival. Released in 1,775 theaters, 鈥淭he Blackening鈥� made an estimated $6 million.
鈥淭his is a fantastic weekend for movie theaters because there鈥檚 a depth and breadth of content that is amazing, but that means they鈥檙e sharing the wealth," said Dergarabedian. 鈥淭he collective box office was incredibly strong. But it's creating a very competitive environment.鈥�
鈥淎steroid City鈥� was an undeniable bright spot in limited release. Focus Features set up 鈥淎steroid City鈥� pop-up experiences at theaters in New York and Los Angeles to help draw audiences.
鈥淲es Anderson is the pinnacle of specialty film. He鈥檚 the Marvel," said Lisa Bunnell, Focus' president of distribution. 鈥淭his is a great shot in the arm for art theaters."
Next week, 鈥淎steroid City鈥� jumps from 6 to about 1,500 theaters.
鈥淎fter COVID, we鈥檙e trying to do things that are out of the box,鈥� Bunnell added. 鈥淲e feel like to get specialty films back on track again, you sort of need a new playbook.鈥�
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
1. 鈥淭he Flash,鈥� $55 million.
2. 鈥淓lemental,鈥� $29.5 million.
3. 鈥淪pider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,鈥� $27.8 million.
4. 鈥淭ransformers: Rise of the Beasts,鈥� $20 million.
5. 鈥淭he Little Mermaid,鈥� $11.6 million.
6. 鈥淭he Blackening,鈥� $6 million.
7. 鈥淕uardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,鈥� $5 million.
8. 鈥淭he Boogeyman,鈥� $3.8 million.
9. 鈥淔ast X,鈥� $2 million.
10. 鈥淎dipurush,鈥� $1.6 million.
鈥�-
Follow AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr: www.twitter.com/ldbahr.
Lindsey Bahr, The Associated Press
