Romulus Falls Short: We Miss the $100 Million Weekend

This weekend’s box office haul of $92 million marks a notable point for the domestic film industry, hinting that August’s earnings might match those of 2023, a feat last observed in March. Much of this success can be attributed to holdover films, as three new wide releases collectively drew $19 million, making up roughly 20% of the weekend’s earnings.

“Blink Twice” (Amazon MGM), directed by Zoë Kravitz and featuring Channing Tatum, emerged as the top new release. It finished fourth, pulling in an underwhelming $7.3 million. Despite its $20 million budget and upcoming Amazon streaming option, this edgy narrative about a billionaire hosting young women at his island hideout struggled to make a significant splash in theaters.

Disney’s two major titles swapped positions this week. “Deadpool & Wolverine” saw a minimal decline of 39% in its fifth week, earning $18.3 million and bringing its domestic total to $577 million. This figure surpasses expectations, making it the highest-grossing Marvel title since “Avengers: Endgame.” Projections suggest it will hit $625 million to $640 million, making it the summer’s second-highest grosser behind “Inside Out 2” both domestically and internationally.

Another Disney title, “Alien: Romulus,” saw a larger drop of 61%, coming in second with $16.2 million, taking its domestic total to $72 million. However, strong international revenue, standing at $153 million, suggests profitability for this $80 million-budgeted sequel.

“It Ends with Us” (Sony), considered the summer’s unexpected success, came in third place with just under $12 million, a 50% decrease in its third weekend. This film now boasts a domestic total of $121 million, matched by its international earnings—an impressive performance for a $25 million movie appealing primarily to female audiences.

“The Forge”

Sony’s “The Forge,” from “Fireproof” writer-director Alex Kendrick and distributed through its faith-based partner Affirm, claimed the fifth spot with $6.6 million. Despite having 1,249 fewer theaters than “Blink Twice,” this $5 million-budget film managed almost similar earnings, thanks to its compelling story about a high-school graduate who undergoes a transformation upon finding faith. It earned an A+ Cinemascore, a hallmark for the genre.

In contrast, “The Crow” (Lionsgate) fared the worst among the new releases, securing the eighth spot with $4.6 million. This remake of the Brandon Lee comic book adaptation was hampered by its $50 million budget. Even so, Lionsgate, which owns domestic rights, is optimistic that future revenues will render it profitable. Remarkably, it earned less than the second week of Fathom’s “Coraline” reissue.

Other notable films include “Twisters,” “Despicable Me 4,” and “Inside Out 2,” all of which saw less than a 40% decline and are available on PVOD while continuing their successful theater runs.

Two critically acclaimed independent films, “Strange Darling” (Magenta Light) and “Between the Temples” (Sony Pictures Classics), opted for wider releases but failed to generate significant numbers. “Strange Darling,” a non-linear thriller, earned $1.14 million from 1,135 theaters, and “Between the Temples,” featuring Jason Schwartzman and Carol Kane, brought in $678,000 across 576 theaters. The success of these strategies will become clearer in the coming weeks.

This nuanced performance has prompted a slight annual box-office decline of 14%, the smallest gap since early in the year. The anticipation for strong late-summer releases, starting with “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” on September 6, suggests that the goal of reaching $8 billion in 2024 remains attainable.

Top 10

1. Deadpool & Wolverine (Disney) Week 5; Last weekend #2 $18,300,000 (-39%) in 3,840 (-120) theaters; PTA (per theater average): $4,766; Cumulative: $577,203,000

2. Alien: Romulus (Disney) Week 2; Last week #1 $16,200,000 (-61%) in 3,915 (+30) theaters; PTA: $4,138; Cumulative: $72,639,000

3. It Ends with Us (Sony) Week 3; Last weekend #3 $11,850,000 (-50%) in 3,839 (+100) theaters; PTA: $3,087; Cumulative: $120,824,000

4. Blink Twice (Amazon MGM) NEW – Cinemascore: B-; Metacritic:66; Est. budget: $20 million $7,300,000 in 3,067 theaters; PTA: $2,388; Cumulative: $7,300,000

5. The Forge (Sony) NEW – Cinemascore: A+; Est. budget: $5 million $6,600,000 in 1,818 theaters; PTA: $3,630; Cumulative: $6,600,000

6. Twisters (Universal) Week 6; Last weekend #4; also on PVOD $6,200,000 (-38%) in 3,206 (-277) theaters; PTA: $1,934; Cumulative: $248,670,000

7. Coraline (Fathom/Focus) REISSUE Week 2; Last weekend #5; also on VOD $5,006,000 (-49%) in 1,600 (+168) theaters; PTA: $3,521; Cumulative (adjusted): (est.) $134,100,000

8. The Crow (Lionsgate) NEW – Cinemascore: B-; Metacritic: 29; Est. budget: $50 million $4,600,000 in 2,752 theaters; PTA: $1,672; Cumulative: $4,600,000

9. Despicable Me 4 (Universal) Week 8; Last weekend #6; also on PVOD $4,400,000 (-30%) in 2,788 (-221) theaters; PTA: $1,698; Cumulative: $348,280,000

10. Inside Out 2 (Disney) Week 10; Last weekend #8; also on PVOD $2,100,000 (-39%) in 1,850 (-350) theaters; PTA: $1,346; Cumulative: $646,311,000

‘Strange Darling’ © Magenta Light Studios / courtesy Everett Collection

Other specialized/independent titles

Films (limited, expansions of limited) are listed by week in release, starting with those opened this week; after the first three weeks, only films with grosses over $5,000 are listed. Metacritic scores and initial film festivals recorded when available.

Strange Darling (Magenta Light) NEW – Metacritic: 83; Festivals include: Frightfest 2023 $1,144,182 in 1,135 theaters; PTA: $1,008

Between the Temples (Sony Pictures Classics) NEW – Metacritic: 82; Festivals include: Sundance, Berlin, Tribeca 2024 $677,948 in 576 theaters; PTA: $1,177

My Penguin Friend (Roadside Attractions) Week 2 $454,200 in 760 (-323) theaters; PTA: $519; Cumulative: $2,047,000

Mountains (Music Box) Week 2 $11,478 in 5 theaters; PTA: $2,296; Cumulative: $20,569

Cuckoo (Neon) Week 3 $177,100 in 250 (-1,151) theaters; Cumulative: $6,050,000

Good One (Metrograph) Week 3 $52,200 in 31 (+18) theaters; Cumulative: $157,700

Kneecap (Sony Pictures Classics) Week 4 $27,150 in 34 (-24) theaters; Cumulative: $1,010,000

CatVideoFest 2024 (Oscilloscope) Week 4 $35,110 in 32 (-29) theaters; Cumulative: $586,780

Didi (Focus) Week 5 $470,000 in 435 (+8) theaters; PTA: $1,079; Cumulative: $3,611,000

Widow Cliquot (Vertical) Week 6; also on PVOD $27,500 in 44 (-5) theaters; Cumulative: $866,170

Sing Sing (A24) Week 7 $241,118 in 119 (+7) theaters; PTA: $1,262; Cumulative: $1,598,000

Longlegs (Neon) Week 7; also on PVOD $320,590 in 375 (-270) theaters; Cumulative: $73,586,000