NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� 鈥淐ivil War,鈥� remained the top film in theaters in its second week of release, according to studio estimates Sunday.
The A24 election-year gamble, the indie studio鈥檚 biggest budgeted film yet, took in $11.1 million in ticket sales at 3,929 theaters over the weekend. The $50 million film, set in a near-future U.S. in which Texas and California have joined in rebellion against a fascist president, has grossed $44.9 million in two weeks.
Its provocative premise 鈥� and A24鈥檚 marketing, which included images of U.S. cities ravaged by war 鈥� helped .
But it was a painfully slow weekend in theaters 鈥� the kind sure to add to concern over what鈥檚 thus far been a down year for Hollywood at the box office. Year-to-date ticket sales are down almost 20% compared to last year, according to Comscore.
Going into the weekend, Universal Pictures鈥� 鈥淎bigail,鈥� a about the daughter of Dracula, had been expected to lead ticket sales. It came in second with $10.2 million in 3,384 theaters.
That was still a fair result for a film that cost a modest $28 million to make. 鈥淎bigail,鈥� which remakes the 1936 monster film 鈥淒racula鈥檚 Daughter,鈥� is about a 12-year-old girl taken by kidnappers who soon realize they鈥檝e made a poor choice of hostage. It鈥檚 directed by the duo Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett whose production company goes by the name Radio Silence.
More concerning was the overall tepid response for a handful of new wide releases 鈥� and the likelihood that there will be more similar weekends throughout 2024. which had a prolonged effect on the movie pipeline, exacerbated holes in Hollywood鈥檚 release schedule.
Horror films, in recent years among the most reliable cash cows in theaters, also haven鈥檛 thus far been doing the automatic business they previous did. According to David A. Gross, who runs the consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research, horror releases accounted for $2 billion in worldwide sales in 2023.
Guy Ritchie鈥檚 debuted with $9 million in 2,845 theaters. In the based-on-a-true-story Lionsgate release, which reportedly cost $60 million to produce, Henry Cavill leads a World War II mission off the coast of West Africa.
Though Ritchie has been behind numerous box-office hits, including the live-action 鈥淎laddin鈥� and a pair of Sherlock Holmes films, his recent movies have struggled to find big audiences. The Lionsgate spy comedy 鈥淥peration Fortune: Ruse de Guerre鈥� grossed $48 million against a $50 million budget, while MGM鈥檚 鈥淭he Covenant,鈥� also released last year, made $21 million while costing $55 million to make.
A bright sign for 鈥淭he Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare鈥�: audiences liked it. The film earned an A-minus CinemaScore.
The anime 鈥淪py x Family Code: White,鈥� from Sony鈥檚 Crunchyroll, also struggled to stand out with audiences. Though the adaptation of the Tatsuya Endo manga TV series 鈥淪py x Family鈥� has already been a hit with international moviegoers, it debuted below expectations with $4.9 million in 2,009 U.S. theaters.
The mightiest film globally, though, continues to be The Warner Bros. monster movie has for the past month led worldwide ticket sales. It added another $9.5 million domestically and $21.6 million internationally to bring its four-week global total to $485.2 million.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
1. 鈥淐ivil War,鈥� $11.1 million.
2. 鈥淎bigail,鈥� $10.2 million.
3. 鈥淕odzilla x Kong: The New Empire,鈥� $9.5 million.
4. 鈥淭he Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare,鈥� $9 million.
5. 鈥淪py x Family Code: White,鈥� $4.9 million.
6. 鈥淜ung Fu Panda 4," $4.6 million.
7. 鈥淕hostbusters: Frozen Empire,鈥� $4.4 million.
8. 鈥淒une: Part Two,鈥� $2.9 million.
9. 鈥淢onkey Man,鈥� $2.2 million.
10. 鈥淭he First Omen,鈥� $1.7 million.
Jake Coyle, The Associated Press
