In a surprising turn of events at the box office, the Jason Statham thriller "A Working Man" emerged as the top film, dethroning the rapidly declining "Snow White." This latest development comes as studio estimates released on Sunday revealed that "A Working Man" exceeded expectations with a robust debut, earning $15.2 million over the weekend.
The live-action remake of "Snow White," produced by Walt Disney Co., was initially expected to maintain its position at the box office despite a lackluster opening last week. However, following a tumultuous second weekend plagued by negative reviews and backlash, the film suffered a staggering 66% drop in ticket sales. Directed by Marc Webb and featuring Rachel Zegler in the leading role, "Snow White" has struggled to recover, accumulating a meager global tally of $143.1 million against its production budget exceeding $250 million.
"A Working Man," directed by David Ayer and co-written by Sylvester Stallone, represents a continuation of the successful partnership between Statham and Ayer, following their previous project, "The Beekeeper," which grossed $162 million worldwide. This time, Statham portrays a construction worker with a formidable military history, resonating with audiences despite mixed reviews and a "B" CinemaScore rating.
The industry is also closely watching the release of the upcoming "Minecraft Movie" from Warner Bros., anticipated to target family audiences and potentially shift the box office dynamics. Several newcomers, including A24's "Death of a Unicorn," Universal and Blumhouse's "The Woman in the Yard," and Fathom's "Chosen: The Last Supper," debuted over the same weekend, but none made a substantial impact on ticket sales.
"The Chosen: The Last Supper," a film derived from the popular Christian television series, saw the most success among the new entries, grossing $11.5 million across 2,235 theaters. In contrast, "Death of a Unicorn," a horror-comedy featuring Jenna Ortega and Paul Rudd, only managed to earn $5.8 million from over 3,050 screens.
Blumhouse's "The Woman in the Yard," a horror film starring Danielle Deadwyler, performed slightly better, debuting with $9.4 million from 2,842 cinemas, but received negative critical feedback, despite its relatively low production costs of $12 million.
In a notable comeback, the 1997 Studio Ghibli classic "Princess Mononoke" earned a commendable $4 million across just 347 IMAX screens, with distributor GKids highlighting it as a triumph for artistic integrity. The film's release coincided with an innovative version of ChatGPT that allows users to generate images reminiscent of Studio Ghibli’s animation style.
Sony Pictures Classic's "The Penguin Lesson," featuring Steve Coogan and Jonathan Pryce, opened with a modest $1.2 million from 1,017 theaters, telling the story of an Englishman who saves a penguin during an oil spill in Argentina in 1976.
As the box office grapples with sluggish ticket sales overall, Hollywood has recorded a significant box-office deficit for the first quarter of 2025, with ticket sales down 11% compared to the same period in 2024, and nearly 40% lower than in 2019, according to Comscore. Industry analyst Paul Dergarabedian expressed hope that "Minecraft" could reinvigorate movie theaters that have faced several underwhelming weekends, emphasizing the need for a positive turnaround at the multiplex.
As of the latest domestic box office estimates for the weekend, the top ten films are as follows:
- 1. "A Working Man" - $15.2 million
- 2. "Snow White" - $14.2 million
- 3. "The Chosen: Last Supper" - $11.5 million
- 4. "The Woman in the Yard" - $9.5 million
- 5. "Death of a Unicorn" - $5.8 million
- 6. "Princess Mononoke" - $4 million
- 7. "Captain America: Brave New World" - $2.8 million
- 8. "Black Bag" - $2.2 million
- 9. "Mickey 17" - $1.9 million
- 10. "Novocaine" - $1.5 million
