This weekend saw the release of five new films in North American theaters, featuring a variety of genres from a star-studded spy thriller by Steven Soderbergh to a family-friendly animated Looney Tunes movie. Despite the range of options, box office totals were disappointing, marking what is expected to be one of the lowest-grossing weekends of the year with approximately $54 million in ticket sales.
Leading the box office was “Novocaine,” which garnered $8.7 million. Starring Jack Quaid as a character who struggles with the inability to feel pain, the film opened in over 3,300 theaters thanks to Paramount Pictures. The movie received mainly positive reviews, holding an 82% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, although audience reactions were a bit more subdued, with a CinemaScore of B.
The sci-fi film “Mickey 17,” featuring Robert Pattinson, and Soderbergh’s “Black Bag” both earned around $7.5 million each, with “Mickey 17” having a slight advantage. Despite currently showing in nearly 3,800 theaters, it experienced a significant drop of 60% in ticket sales compared to its opening weekend. Overall, “Mickey 17” has brought in $33.3 million domestically and $90.5 million globally against a budget of $118 million.
“Black Bag,” which stars Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender, opened in about 2,700 theaters. It attracted a male audience (56%) predominantly over the age of 35 and received an impressive 97% on Rotten Tomatoes, along with a B CinemaScore.
Other notable new releases included “The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie,” which collected $3.2 million, and the faith-based film “The Last Supper,” weighing in at $2.8 million. Both fell behind Disney’s “Captain America: Brave New World,” which made $5.5 million in its fifth weekend.
Another new film from A24, titled “Opus,” debuted outside of the top 10, earning an estimated $1 million. Starring Ayo Edebiri and John Malkovich, the film tells the story of a long-lost pop star who tries to make a comeback after years away from the spotlight but received mostly negative reviews.
Overall, after a strong start to the year with a 22% increase in box office earnings, several recent weekends have seen totals fall short of $60 million, creating a 5% deficit for the domestic box office.
Industry analyst Paul Dergarabedian remarked on the current situation, expressing optimism about upcoming releases, including “Snow White,” which could help lift the box office again.
Here’s a look at the top 10 movies by domestic box office this weekend:
1. “Novocaine” – $8.7 million
2. “Mickey 17” – $7.5 million
3. “Black Bag” – $7.5 million
4. “Captain America: Brave New World” – $5.5 million
5. “The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie” – $3.2 million
6. “The Last Supper” – $2.8 million
7. “Paddington in Peru” – $2.8 million
8. “Dog Man” – $2.5 million
9. “The Monkey” – $2.5 million
10. “Last Breath” – $2.3 million
