Just as we predicted earlier this week, the anime smash Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle easily held off the Jordan Peele-produced horror flick Him, taking the top spot with $17.3 million. While that represents a massive 76% week-to-week drop (anime movies are always front-loaded as fans rush to see opening night), it still passed $104 million this weekend, making it by a wide margin the highest-grossing anime release in North America—ever.
As for Him, which was produced (but not directed) by Jordan Peele, poor reviews—including one from our own Tyler Nichols—doomed it to a mediocre $13 million opening. With a terrible C-minus CinemaScore, it seems audiences didn’t connect with this football-horror take on Faust. It will likely lose most of its business next weekend, though its opening isn’t disastrous.
The real surprise came from The Conjuring: Last Rites, which gave Him a genuine battle for second place, earning a better-than-expected $12.95 million in its third weekend. Its box office total now stands at a superb $151.7 million, making it the highest-grossing film in the Conjuring universe.
Lionsgate’s The Long Walk experienced a more modest-than-expected 46% drop in week two, earning $6.3 million for a $22.7 million total. It should be able to reach a $30 million domestic total, which, combined with foreign grosses and streaming sales, should help it turn a nice profit.
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale also performed well, tying with The Long Walk for third place with $6.3 million, bringing its total to $31.6 million. It should come close to matching its predecessor, A New Era, which topped out at $44.1 million domestically.
As for the weekend’s biggest disaster, that title goes to the Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell-led A Big Bold Beautiful Journey, which opened to just $3.5 million. With a $50 million budget, this will go down as one of the year’s biggest box office disappointments, particularly given the talent involved. That said, the stars likely have better things ahead: Farrell with The Batman 2 and Robbie with the upcoming Withering Heights remake, which should perform well.
Angel Studios delivered a crowd-pleaser with The Senior (which we loved), earning an A CinemaScore and $2.7 million. Toy Story’s 30th Anniversary re-release continued to earn, bringing in $1.4 million for a $5.8 million total. The live stage production Noah didn’t quite match Disney’s recent Hamilton, but still appeared in the top 10 with $1.386 million, while Weapons closed out its run in tenth place with $1.26 million, just shy of a $150 million total (a mark it is expected to surpass this week).
Next weekend promises to be interesting with the release of One Battle After Another, one of the best-reviewed films of the year. Will it be enough to top the box office and recoup its huge budget? Let us know in the comments!
| # | MOVIE TITLE | WKND $ | TOTAL $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle | $17.3 M | $104.73 M |
| 2 | Him | $13.5 M | $13.5 M |
| 3 | The Conjuring: Last Rites | $12.95 M | $151.17 M |
| 4 | The Long Walk | $6.3 M | $22.7 M |
| 5 | Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale | $6.3 M | $31.6 M |
| 6 | A Big Bold Beauitful Journey | $3.5 M | $3.5 M |
| 7 | The Senior | $2.7 M | $2.7 M |
| 8 | Toy Story (30th Anniversary) | $1.4 M | $5.8 M |
| 9 | NOAH - LIVE! | $1.386 M | $1.6 M |
| 10 | Weapons | $1.26 M | $149.7 M |
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