It was, in some ways, a pretty uneventful weekend at the box office — or so it seemed on the surface. We had a repeat of the previous weekend, with “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” again taking the top spot (now for the fourth week in a row) with very little drop. The animated film has already surpassed $1 billion worldwide, becoming the fifth film in the pandemic era to do so. Meanwhile, “Evil Dead Rise” once again came in at number two, dropping just 50% to add $12.2 million domestically. Overall, it sits at $86 million and will soon surpass 2013’s “Evil Dead.” Most interesting of all though: “Star Wars” is back in the top five of the charts.
Yes, Disney decided to re-release “Return of the Jedi” in theaters to honor the film’s upcoming 40th anniversary, and at the end of the day, audiences still really love the original trilogy. According to The Numbers, the 1983 blockbuster added $4.69 million (from just 475 screens) to its ever-growing total. It now sits at $479 million worldwide thanks to its various re-releases, including 1997’s 20th anniversary “Special Edition” release, which was a massive bargain. If nothing else, it shows there’s still a pretty healthy appetite for “Star Wars” in theaters.
George Lucas’ finale to the original trilogy actually pushed “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” (which added just over $4 million in its fifth weekend) out of the top five. This film’s disappointing run is really starting to plateau at $194 million worldwide. Against a $150 million budget, that’s not what Paramount or Hasbro had in mind, especially since the fantasy film received overwhelmingly positive reviews from critics and audiences alike. So it’s okay sometimes.
Many newcomers struggle to do this
Moving on to new movies that quietly hit theaters this weekend, Lionsgate’s “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.” rounded out the top three with a decent but not so good start of $6.8 million. Based on the seminal book of the same name by Judy Blume, the film received rave reviews (read our review here), but failed to connect with a wider audience. With a budget of $30 million, it’ll need good word of mouth to turn a profit in theaters – though this one could do well on VOD in the long run. Still, it won’t be a theatrical success, that’s for sure.
Lionsgate actually released two films this weekend, with the WWII action film “Sisu” also making its debut. It landed at number 10 with a modest $3.25 million. However, against a budget of $6.5 million, this should suffice in the long run. More interestingly, the take was just enough to push Sony’s much more expensive biopic “Big George Foreman” out of the top 10, with the boxing film landing at number 11 with just $3 million. This one won’t be rolling in the wake of “Creed III,” it seems.
Indian blockbuster “Ponniyin Selvan: Part Two” snuck in at number eight with $3.81 million. Nothing out of the ordinary, but it proves that post-“RRR” Indian cinema really does have a place in North America, which is good. Unfortunately, Focus Features’ highly acclaimed “Polite Society” went down the drain, earning just $800,000 from 927 screens for a measly average of $862 per screen. / The film’s own Ben Pearson reviewed it at Sundance, giving the film an 8.5 out of 10. That’s just not good news for the interesting and original films, the $35 million budget announced by the film is now very, very important.
And the rest…
In more positive news, “John Wick: Chapter 4” landed in fourth place with an additional $5 million. Its worldwide total now stands at $402.1 million, making it Lionsgate’s biggest movie ever tied to “Hunger Games” or “Twilight.” Meanwhile, Ben Affleck’s “Air” continued to post strong numbers, taking in $3.98 million. Again, Amazon won’t make a profit in theaters, but $75 million worldwide to date is nothing to sneeze at, which should help set it up for better showing on Prime Video in the coming weeks. coming.
Back in bomb town, Guy Ritchie’s war flick “The Covenant” grossed just $3.6 million in its second weekend, dropping to ninth place. MGM’s $55 million budget outing grossed just under $13 million in total domestically, which is nothing short of terrible. This one is going to be a big loss for everyone involved, sad to say. Looking ahead, we have a big one hitting theaters this weekend in the form of “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” which means Mario will finally have to give up the throne. The biggest question for Marvel’s latest will be how it comes out – not so much opening weekend, because that’s guaranteed to be big.
Top 10 films at the box office from April 28 to 30, 2023:
1. “The Super Mario Bros. Movie. – $40 million
2. “Evil Dead Rise” – $12.2 million
3. “Are you there God? It’s me, Margaret.” — $6.8 million
4. “John Wick: Chapter 4” – $5 million
5. “Star Wars: Return of the Jedi” — $4.69 million
6. “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” – $4.09 million
7. “Aerial” — $3.98 million
8. “Ponniyin Selvan: Part Two” – $3.81 million
9. “The Covenant” – $3.6 million
10. “Sisu” – $3.25 million
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