Box Office: Death on the Nile sets sail at number one over quiet Super Bowl weekend

The Super Bowl is just about everyone’s priority today but Death on the Nile let its mystery unfold over the weekend to a number one finish ahead of the big game.

Death on the Nile took the top spot with a gross of $12.8 million. Box office analytics corp EntTelligence shows that Death on the Nile drew 1M admission over the weekend, with 42% coming out between the primetime hours of 6-9 PM. The movie also lured older female moviegoers in a similar fashion as last November’s House of Gucci and the studio is hoping for a Valentine’s Day boost, with the holiday falling tomorrow. Overseas, Death on the Nile grossed $20.7 million from 47 international markets and brought its global opening total to $33.5 million.

Falling to second is Jackass Forever with a gross of $8.05 million. That’s a decline of 65% which was to be expected since a film like this is extremely frontloaded due to fans seeking the movie out early over opening weekend. Paramount Pictures isn’t complaining since this one cost a mere $10 million to make and it has already grossed $37.4 million to date. The film has also taken in an additional $10 million from 9 international markets.

Landing in third is Marry Me with a gross of $8 million. I honestly think also debuting the film on the Peacock streaming service cut into its opening weekend grosses but maybe Universal Pictures will be happy with how it performs at home. Universal domestic distribution boss Jim Orr said about Marry Me, “We are incredibly proud of Marry Me, the filmmakers, and the cast led by the incomparable Jennifer Lopez. Audience reaction scores are rightly enthusiastic for this modern love story, pointing to a sustained run at the domestic box office and on Peacock as the feel-good romantic comedy this Valentine’s Day and beyond.” The film earned a “B+” CinemaScore from opening day audiences and it has a 93% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s very possible that Marry Me will have legs and it will definitely get a Valentine’s Day assist.

In fourth place, we find Spider-Man: No Way Home with a gross of $7.1 million. That’s another slim drop of 25% as the Marvel/Sony film continues to get repeat business from moviegoers. The endgame here for Spider-Man: No Way Home is looking at around $785 million and it’s a slim $1 million from overtaking Avatar on the all-time domestic chart.

Rounding out the top five is the latest Liam Neeson action effort, Blacklight, with a gross of $3.6 million. That’s not that far from what previous Neeson pandemic titles, Honest Thief ($4.1 million) and The Marksman ($3.1 million), opened to — and that’s when a majority of movie theaters, including New York and LA, were closed down. Critics have had enough of the Neeson doing this formula as it earned a horrible 6% on Rotten Tomatoes. Needless to say, we won’t be hearing much from Blacklight after this weekend.

What are YOUR thoughts on this weekend’s box office results?