This weekend, five new movies were released widely in North American theaters, including a star-studded spy film by Steven Soderbergh, an A24 thriller, a Looney Tunes film, and a high-concept action-comedy featuring “The Boys” star Jack Quaid. Despite a wealth of new options, the weekend's box office performance is projected to be the lowest of the year thus far, with total ticket sales around $54 million.
The leading film of the weekend was “Novocaine,” which grossed $8.7 million, slightly below expectations. Released by Paramount Pictures in 3,365 locations, the film stars Jack Quaid as a man who literally cannot feel pain. The studio also held early access showings the weekend prior, which contributed to its total. The R-rated film, directed by Dan Berk and Robert Olsen, garnered generally positive reviews, achieving an 82% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Exit polls were moderately favorable, yielding a 4/5 on PostTrak and a B on the CinemaScore. Additionally, it earned $1.8 million from 19 international territories, bringing the weekend total to $10.5 million.
Trailing closely were “Mickey 17,” directed by Bong Joon Ho and starring Robert Pattinson, and Soderbergh’s “Black Bag,” both of which reported $7.5 million at the box office. “Mickey 17” had the slight advantage, playing in 3,807 theaters but suffering a significant 60% drop from its opening weekend. This brought its domestic total to $33.3 million and its global total to $90.5 million, against a reported budget of $118 million.
On the other hand, “Black Bag” opened in 2,705 theaters and received acclaim from critics, holding a remarkable 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The audience demographic skewed male (56%) and predominantly over the age of 35 (59%). The Focus Features release also received a B CinemaScore.
Other newcomers included “The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie,” an animated film featuring Porky Pig and Daffy Duck, which was initially intended for the streaming service Max. It was released theatrically in 2,827 theaters by Ketchup Entertainment, earning $3.2 million. Additionally, the faith-based film “The Last Supper” was released by Pinnacle Peak Pictures in 1,575 locations, bringing in $2.8 million. Both of these films placed behind Disney and Marvel’s “Captain America: Brave New World,” which continued to perform well in its fifth weekend, taking in $5.5 million.
The new A24 film “Opus” opened outside the top 10 with an estimated $1 million from 1,764 screens. Starring Ayo Edebiri and John Malkovich as a legendary pop star who resurfaces after decades, “Opus” premiered at the Sundance Film Festival but received generally poor reviews. This marks the debut film for writer-director Mark Anthony Green.
After a robust start to the year with a 22% increase in box office sales, several subsequent slow weekends have led to a 5% deficit in the domestic box office. Paul Dergarabedian, a senior media analyst for Comscore, remarked, “It’s a momentum business.” He expressed optimism that box office revenues would rebound with the release of “Snow White” next weekend, suggesting that significant low-grossing weekends like this one might not reoccur until August.
The top 10 movies by domestic box office for the weekend, based on estimated ticket sales from Friday to Sunday in U.S. and Canadian theaters, were as follows:
- “Novocaine,” $8.7 million.
- “Mickey 17,” $7.5 million.
- “Black Bag,” $7.5 million.
- “Captain America: Brave New World,” $5.5 million.
- “The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie,” $3.2 million.
- “The Last Supper,” $2.8 million.
- “Paddington in Peru,” $2.8 million.
- “Dog Man,” $2.5 million.
- “The Monkey,” $2.5 million.
- “Last Breath,” $2.3 million.
