It looks like Dan Trachtenberg’s Predator: Badlands has the makings of a solid hit for Disney and 20th Century Studios. While most (including us) predicted the movie wouldn’t open north of $25 million this weekend, the film overperformed, grossing $40 million domestically (plus another $40 million overseas for a strong $80 million global debut). That’s better than the previous record holder in the series, Alien vs. Predator, which opened with $38.2 million. However, adjusted for inflation, that movie remains the franchise champ, having topped out at $80 million domestically. There’s a good chance Predator: Badlands could exceed that total, especially with its solid A– CinemaScore.
It’s definite proof for Disney that the franchise can still sustain a big-screen, theatrical release—especially after its predecessor, Prey, premiered exclusively on Hulu. Whether the PG-13 rating brought in a younger audience remains to be seen, though the rating system will be put to the test next weekend when Paramount’s The Running Man, which carries an R rating, hits theatres.
Otherwise, the box office proved to be slow this weekend. Regretting You was a distant second-place finisher with $7.125 million—a drop of only 9% from last week, which is rare in a third weekend. It seems Colleen Hoover fans are continuing to discover this one, as it closes in on a $40 million domestic total. The Black Phone 2—which coincidentally shares a star with Regretting You, Mason Thames—earned $5.3 million for a strong $70 million haul. The Amazon/MGM biographical drama Sarah’s Oil did well in a lower-key release, making $4.45 million and outperforming all other indie openers this weekend. Nuremberg didn’t do badly either with $4.14 million, though streaming will likely be where this courtroom drama finds its audience.
Chainsaw Man: The Movie continued to perform well as it wraps up its run with $3.8 million and a $38 million domestic total. Yorgos Lanthimos’s Bugonia sputtered out a bit this weekend, earning only $3.5 million for an underwhelming $12 million total. It seems unlikely to make more than $20 million all in.
Two star-driven indie movies had disastrous openings this weekend. Die My Love, starring Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson, made an atrocious $2.8 million (Mubi paid $24 million for it—though it may find an audience on streaming). Its CinemaScore was an abysmal D+. Still, that’s better than Sydney Sweeney’s Christy, which opened disastrously outside the top ten with just $1.3 million and a $649 per-screen average. Ouch. Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowherewrapped up its underwhelming run with $2.2 million and a $20 million domestic total, as it lost over 1,000 theatres. Rounding out the top ten was Tron: Ares, which made $1.8 million for a $71 million domestic haul.
Next weekend sees the release of three fairly big movies — The Running Man, Now You See Me: Now You Don’t, and Osgood Perkins’ Keeper. Which one are you seeing? Let us know in the comments!
| # | MOVIE TITLE | WKND $ | TOTAL $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Predator: Badlands | $40 M | $40 M |
| 2 | Regretting You | $7.125 M | $38.59 M |
| 3 | The Black Phone 2 | $5.3 M | $70.1 M |
| 4 | Sarah's Oil | $4.46 M | $4.46 M |
| 5 | Nuremberg | $4.14 M | $4.14 M |
| 6 | Chainsaw Man: The Movie | $3.6 M | $38 M |
| 7 | Bugonia | $3.5 M | $12.3 M |
| 8 | Die My Love | $2.8 M | $2.8 M |
| 9 | Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere | $2.2 M | $20.4 M |
| 10 | Tron: Ares | $1.8 M | $71.26 M |
