‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ Tops Box Office Again; ‘Am I Racist’ in Top 5

This weekend, moviegoers gave a hearty endorsement to the sequel “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” which once again dominated the domestic box office. The film raked in an impressive $51.6 million, according to studio estimates released on Sunday. This marks a mere 54% drop from its opening weekend, bringing its North American gross to a remarkable $188 million. On the international front, the film contributed an additional $28.7 million, culminating in a staggering global total of $264.3 million.

Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Comscore, shared that such a modest decline is quite remarkable and reflects strong word-of-mouth from audiences. “People are enjoying the film,” he noted.

While “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” showed strong legs at the box office, it faced little major competition in its second week. New releases included the James McAvoy-led horror film “Speak No Evil,” a satirical documentary on right-wing podcaster Matt Walsh, and the action film “The Killer’s Game” starring Dave Bautista.

“Speak No Evil,” a remake of a Danish horror film from 2022, took second place over the weekend. The film focuses on an unsuspecting family that spends a weekend with newfound friends in a rural setting. It garnered positive reviews and was strategically released on Friday the 13th, yielding an estimated $11.5 million across 3,375 theaters.

In third place was “Deadpool & Wolverine,” which continued to hold strong in its eighth weekend. The Disney and Marvel blockbuster earned an additional $5.2 million, pushing its North American total to $621.5 million and its global earnings to an impressive $1.3 billion.

The Daily Wire film “Am I Racist?” landed in fourth position, ringing up roughly $4.8 million from only 1,517 theaters. This mockumentary features Walsh going undercover as a “DEI trainee,” in a format likened to “Borat.” Directed by Justin Folk, Walsh previously used a similar gimmick in the 2022 film “What is a Woman?”

“Am I Racist?” had a reported production cost of $3 million. The Daily Wire, co-founded by Ben Shapiro, partnered with SDG Releasing, aimed at reducing distribution fees, to bring this film to audiences. Promoting films appealing to conservative viewers, the trailer lineup before “Am I Racist?” included Dinesh D’Souza’s upcoming release “Vindicating Trump.”

Completing the top five was “Reagan,” which features Dennis Quaid portraying the former president. It accumulated another $3 million during its third weekend, raising its total domestic earnings to $23.3 million.

“The Killer’s Game” made its debut in sixth place, with a lackluster performance that saw it pull in $2.6 million. In this action comedy, Bautista portrays a hitman confronted with a terminal illness. The film received poor reviews upon release.

In the faith-based category, “God’s Not Dead: In God We Trust” entered the top ten with a $1.5 million opening.

Meanwhile, Amazon MGM Studios continued its limited release for the Sundance hit “My Old Ass,” featuring Maisy Stella. The film opened in seven theaters across New York, Los Angeles, and Austin, collectively earning $171,242, and will expand to a nationwide release on September 27.

Looking ahead to the next weekend, theaters are set to welcome the new “Transformers” film, “Transformers One.” However, the box office may experience a lull in activity until the release of “Joker: Folie à Deux” arrives on October 4.

Here are the estimated ticket sales for U.S. and Canadian theaters from Friday through Sunday, as reported by Comscore:

1. “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” $51.6 million.

2. “Speak No Evil,” $11.5 million.

3. “Deadpool & Wolverine,” $5.2 million.

4. “Am I Racist?” $4.8 million.

5. “Reagan,” $3 million.

6. “The Killer’s Game,” $2.6 million.

7. “Alien: Romulus,” $2.4 million.

8. “It Ends With Us,” $2 million.

9. “The Forge,” $2 million.

10. “God’s Not Dead: In God We Trust,” $1.5 million.