Box Office Update
The summer tent season has begun, and two new publications are making a strong opening. "Weapons" has taken the lead in its evening checkout duel against "Honorable Friday".
Strong Opening for "Weapons"
"Weapons" from Warner Bros. and New Line has added $18.2 million on Friday from 3,202 locations. The film has IMAX and most high-format auditors. Selected screenings began on Thursday afternoon, and the film has an ensemble line-up, including Julia Garner, Josh Brolin, Alden Ehrenreich, Austin Abrams, Benedict Wong, and Amy Madigan. The horror film now seems to be far ahead of forecasts from a week ago, which had it taking around $30 million.
A Great Start for the Original Film
This is a great start for the original R-rated film, which has a production budget of $38 million. It is also a huge spike from the last feature of director Zach Cregger, the low-budget "Barbar", which opened to $10 million in 2022 before rising to $40 million. The film has immediately established Cregger as an emerging voice in horror. New Line won "Weapons" in a subsequent bidding war, and their confidence in the project has achieved another summer mass victory for Warner Bros.
Positive Reviews for "Weapons"
"Weapons" has received positive reviews from critics, but the "A-" grade from CinemaScore is more encouraging. Horror films tend to get lower grades, which makes the high notes for "Weapons" all the more encouraging. As he did with "Barbar", Cregger seems to have made a film that will stay with the audience in the coming weeks.
Other Films at the Box Office
"Freakier Friday" Starts Well
Disney’s "Freakier Friday" also starts well, earning $12.7 million on Friday and preview from 3,975 websites. While "Weapons" gets IMAX, "Freakier" has part of other premium auditors with great format. The comedy continuation follows the permanent remake "Freaky Friday" from 2003, which starred Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis as a body-swapping daughter and mother.
A Good Start for "Freakier Friday"
With a production budget of $42 million, this is a good start for the PG-rated film. "Freakier Friday" also has positive reviews and a great "A" grade from Cinemascore – both promising signs for its prospects for the rest of the summer film season.
"The Fantastic Four: First Steps" Adds More
Disney’s "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" added another $4.5 million on Friday, which corresponds to a decrease of 62% compared to its daily total a week ago. The superhero adventure looks to be another steep drop after falling 67% last weekend in the second year.
"The Bad Guys 2" and "The Naked Gun"
Fourth at the box office is Universal’s "The Bad Guys 2", which added another $3 million on Friday and is heading for a second outing of $10.7 million. The continuation of the DreamWorks animation is transferred to a domestic amount of $43.7 million in the first 10 days of publication. The five "The Naked Gun" is rounded off, with the Liam Neeson comedy adding another $2.3 million on Friday and predicting $8.4 million for the weekend.
Other Films
Angel Studios opened the "Sketch" fantasy comedy at 2,006 locations this weekend, earning $3.2 million and likely to classify tenth place for the weekend. In its third frame, the Marvel Cinematic Universe entry "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" is promoted to $229 million North American total by Sunday.
