Movie theaters and audiences settled for seconds this weekend. With no new wide releases on the schedule, a mob of holdovers sustained the North American box office, which was led by 鈥� 鈥� in its third week of release.
Amazon MGM Studios' Jason Statham actioner earned $7.4 million to take the No. 1 spot, according to studio estimates Sunday. It was down only 14% from the previous weekend and brings its running domestic total to $42.3 million. Globally, it has crossed $100 million.
Paramount's 鈥� 鈥� musical, which is also in its third weekend, was close behind, with $7.3 million. The movie has now earned $60.8 million in North America.
In third place, Warner Bros.' 鈥� " added $5.9 million in its seventh weekend as the inches closer to $200 million domestic. It's currently at $195.2 million in North America and $552 million globally.
Rounding out the top five were Universal and Illumination鈥檚 鈥淢igration,鈥� with $5.1 million, which pushed it over the $100 million mark domestically, and Sony's romantic comedy 鈥淎nyone But You,鈥� with $4.8 million, bringing its total to $71.2 million.
鈥淥verall, it鈥檚 a very slow weekend in terms of sheer box office but a fantastic weekend to be a moviegoer,鈥� said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore. 鈥淭he strikes created a lot of headwind, but the disruption to the release calendar is creating opportunities and potential. It鈥檚 an ever-changing ecosystem.鈥�
Those that benefited included the Hindi-language action film 鈥淔ighter,鈥� which debuted in sixth place with $3.7 million, 鈥淕odzilla Minus One,鈥� which was re-released in black and white for a week and cracked the top 10, and several awards contenders.
This was the first moviegoing weekend following . While many top contenders are , including 鈥淥ppenheimer,鈥� 鈥淏arbie,鈥� 鈥淜illers of the Flower Moon鈥� and 鈥淭he Holdovers,鈥� several films still in theaters got sizable boosts from the buzz. Amazon and MGM鈥檚 鈥淎merican Fiction,鈥� nominated for five awards, including best picture and best actor for Jeffrey Wright, got a 65% bump in its seventh week, with $2.9 million in ticket sales.
Searchlight鈥檚 鈥淧oor Things,鈥� nominated for 11 Oscars, including best picture, best director and best actress for Emma Stone, got a 43% boost from last weekend with an estimated $3 million. The Yorgos Lanthimos film has now earned $51.1 million globally.
鈥淭o have high-quality Oscar contenders rise above the noise is really important,鈥� Dergarabedian said. 鈥淏ecause it鈥檚 a quiet weekend, these films were really able to make their mark in the top 10.鈥�
A24鈥檚 鈥淭he Zone of Interest,鈥� which had five nominations, including best picture and best director for Jonathan Glazer, expanded to 317 screens, where it earned $1.1 million. The studio said most audiences in top markets were under 35.
Universal had leading Oscar nominee 鈥淥ppenheimer鈥� in 1,262 theaters, where it earned an additional million dollars this weekend. Focus Features also added 1,140 screens for its big Oscar contender, Alexander Payne's 鈥淭he Holdovers,鈥� which is also streaming on Peacock. It added an estimated $520,000, bringing its running total to $19.3 million. 鈥淭he Holdovers鈥� also earned $3.3 million internationally for a $31.2 million global total.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
1. 鈥淭he Beekeeper,鈥� $7.4 million.
2. 鈥淢ean Girls,鈥� $7.3 million.
3. 鈥淲onka,鈥� $5.9 million.
4. 鈥淢igration,鈥� $5.1 million.
5. 鈥淎nyone But You,鈥� $4.8 million.
6. 鈥淔ighter,鈥� $3.7 million.
7. 鈥淧oor Things,鈥� $3 million.
8. 鈥淎merican Fiction,鈥� $2.9 million.
9. 鈥淎quaman and the Lost Kingdom,鈥� $2.8 million.
10. 鈥淕odzilla Minus One,鈥� $2.6 million.
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This story has been updated to correct the spelling of director Glazer鈥檚 first name to Jonathan, instead of Johathan, and to correct a word in a quotation from Dergarabedian to 鈥渄isruption鈥� instead of 鈥渄estruction.鈥�
Lindsey Bahr, The Associated Press
