The importance of the theatrical experience was exemplified this past weekend as audiences across the nation reacted fervently during the premiere of New Line’s original horror film Weapons.
Acclaimed by both critics and viewers, director Zach Cregger’s film exceeded expectations by over $10 million, securing the weekend’s top spot with a remarkable $42.5 million—the latest triumph for New Line and its parent company Warner Bros. This success also underscores the growing appetite for original narratives in the film landscape. Internationally, Weapons added an impressive $27.5 million, culminating in a global debut of $70 million. Notably, the film resonated well in traditionally challenging markets in Europe and Latin America, which tend to be less receptive to the horror genre.
It is now the seventh release from Warners this year to open at number one, a record-breaking achievement, as well as its sixth consecutive title to launch with over $40 million at the domestic box office.
The weekend also saw Disney’s body-swapping comedy Freakier Friday exceed expectations, debuting at $29 million domestically. This figure marks the highest August opening for both PG-rated and G-rated films. It also gathered $15.5 million internationally, resulting in a total global take of $44.5 million—just shy of its $45 million budget, emphasizing its potential profitability. Much like Weapons, the film found considerable success in Latin America.
This marks the second consecutive success for larger studio comedies, particularly following Paramount’s release of Naked Gun. Both films thrived better than Disney and Marvel’s latest superhero offering, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which experienced a significant second-week drop of approximately 60 percent, earning an estimated $15.5 million and bringing its domestic total to $240.3 million.
Prior to the weekend, predictions indicated openings between $25 and $30 million for both Weapons and Freakier Friday. However, Weapons surged ahead, aided by its impressive 96 percent critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes and an A- CinemaScore—a rarity for a horror film, positioning it alongside Jordan Peele’s critically acclaimed Get Out.
The screenplay for Weapons was highly sought after before being produced, leading to New Line and Warner Bros. securing it for $38 million, which included a $10 million deal for Cregger, who had previously gained recognition for his directorial debut with Barbarian.
Featuring a predominantly male cast, Weapons stars Julia Garner as a teacher confronting a disturbing mystery when most of her classroom vanishes overnight, alongside Josh Brolin, who plays a father searching for his missing child, convinced that Garner’s character may hold the key to the puzzle.
Concerning marketing strategies, rival studios commend Warner’s campaign as exceptionally well-crafted, ensuring that the film’s surprising elements were preserved for audiences.
Further demonstrating its appeal, Freakier Friday, reuniting Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis, achieved a stellar A CinemaScore and boasts a 93 percent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. This sequel capitalizes on nostalgia, capturing both family audiences and young cinema-goers, with parents and kids alike rating it a perfect five out of five stars on exit polling.
Directed by Nisha Ganatra, the film further explores the narrative established in the first film, introducing characters in a new body-swapping twist involving Anna and her mother, shifting perspectives to their respective daughter and future stepdaughter.
The franchise has proven its worth since its roots in the 1976 classic, continuously leveraging nostalgia effectively. Disney’s strategy has successfully attracted young adults in their 20s and 30s, showcased by its recent releases that cater to family audiences.
In other box office news, Universal and DreamWorks Animation’s Bad Guys 2 followed Fantastic Four closely in fourth place, with a modest drop of 53 percent in its second week, accumulating $10.4 million and reaching a total of $43.4 million domestically.
The R-rated comedy Naked Gun also performed admirably, yielding $8.4 million for a domestic total of $33 million. Both films signify that theatrical comedies can successfully find an audience again.
This follows a remarkable showing for Superman, which exhibited strong legs in its fifth week, taking in $7.8 million and surpassing $331.2 million domestically.
In stark contrast, the upcoming Jurassic World Rebirth continues to thrive, projected to be a summer highlight, with a remarkable total nearing $800 million globally, proving that audiences still crave dinosaur-themed entertainment.
As the weekend concluded, the overall box office still fell short of the same period last year when It Ends With Us opened to a remarkable $50.1 million, a film which subsequently stirred significant controversy due to its off-screen dealings.
Based on reporting by Hollywood Reporter. Read the full story at Hollywood Reporter.
