“Barbie” (Warner Bros.) and “Oppenheimer” (Universal) remain strong in their fifth weekends, but a modest $25.4 million opening for “Blue Beetle” (WB) at #1 contributed to a total gross of around $100 million. This weekend tied with the summer’s lowest.
“Blue Beetle” is also this year’s lowest-grossing #1 since February’s Super Bowl weekend. With a pre-marketing expense of $120 million, and high hopes for spotlighting a Latino story and creative team, the initial result is disappointing.
It attracted a 40 percent Latino audience, which is significantly located in the areas where a tropical storm was expected Sunday afternoon; its impact could reduce gross totals. This point in August normally sees a drop in grosses, although over $100 million was the norm through Labor Day pre-2020.
“Blue Beetle” grossed three times as much as “Strays” (Universal), the R-rated talking dog comedy with a voice cast that included Will Ferrell and Jamie Foxx. It came in at #5 with $8.3 million — not great against a $46 million budget.
These two films have the unfortunate distinction of being the first major openings to feel the marketing impact of the actors’ strike. It reflects the essential role actors play in promotion, but in the short term it may inspire studios to delay major releases.
This summer should achieve about $4 billion through Labor Day. With two weeks remaining, it has a little over $200 million to go. “Gran Turismo” (Sony) on August 25 and “Equalizer 3” (Sony) on September 1 could put grosses over the top.
“Barbie” held significantly better than “Oppenheimer.” Greta Gerwig’s film (#2, $21.5 million) fell only 36 percent to achieve $567 million. Christopher Nolan’s at #3 with $10.6 million and dropped 44 percent for a $285 million total.
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” (Paramount) is fourth with $8.4 million, down 45 percent and $88 million in. “Talk to Me”(A24) is off only 37 percent at #7, up from last week with an impressive $37 million in for the low-budget Australian horror film.
“The Last Voyage of the Demeter” (Universal), weak from the start, dropped 62 percent in its second week. At #10, it barely edged out “Sound of Freedom” (Angel), which dropped out of the top 10 for the first time. It has passed $177 million.
The specialized world saw limited action with multiple companies choosing not to report. Top performer was Neon’s reissue of Park Chan-wook’s “Oldboy.” It began Wednesday with some event showings, with a five-day total of $880,000. With 250 dates, it grossed $235,000.
MGM had a limited national opening for Sundance 2023 premiere “Landscape with Limited Hand.” It managed $93,000 in 304 theaters.
The Top 10
1. Blue Beetle (Warner Bros.) NEW – Cinemascore: B+; Metacritic: 77; Est. budget: $120 million
$25,400,000 in 3,871 theaters; PTA (per theater average): $6,562; Cumulative: $25,400,000
2. Barbie (Warner Bros.) Week 5; Last weekend #1
$21,500,000 (-36%) in 4,003 (-175) theaters; PTA: $5,371; Cumulative: $567,283,000
3. Oppenheimer (Universal) Week 5; Last weekend #2
$10,600,000 (-44%) in 3,321 (-440) theaters; PTA: $; Cumulative: $285,232,000
4. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (Paramount) Week 3; Last weekend #3
$8,425,000 (-45%) in 3,477 (-473) theaters; PTA: $2,805; Cumulative: $88,130,000
5. The Strays (Universal) NEW – Cinemascore: B+; Metacritic: 55; Est. budget: $46 million
$8,300,000 in 3,223 theaters; PTA: $2,575; Cumulative: $8,300,000
6. Meg 2: The Trench (Warner Bros.) Week 3; Last weekend #4
$6,730,000 (-48%) in 3,402 (-202) theaters; PTA: $1,978; Cumulative: $66,567,000
7. Talk to Me (A24) Week 4; Last weekend #8
$3,157,000 (-37%) in 1,789 (-590) theaters; PTA: $1,328; Cumulative: $37,366,000
8. Haunted Mansion (Disney) Week 4; Last weekend #6
$3,000,000 (-48%) in 2,180 (-680) theaters; PTA: $1,376; Cumulative: $58,832,000
9. Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning: Part One (Paramount) Week 6; Last weekend #9
$2,725,000 (-41%) in 1,608 (-527) theaters; PTA: $1,415; Cumulative: $164,614,000
10. The Last Voyage of the Demeter (Universal) Week 2; Last week #5
$2,500,000 (-62%) in 2,175 theaters; PTA: $; Cumulative: $11,362,00
Other specialized titles
Films (limited, expansions of limited, as well as awards-oriented releases) are listed by week in release, starting with those opened this week; after the first three weeks, only films with grosses over $5,000 are listed.
Oldboy (Neon) REISSUE
$235,000 in 250 theaters; PTA: $940; Cumulative: $2.117,000 (adjusted)
Landscape with Invisible Hand (MGM) NEW – Metacritic: 53; Festivals include: Sundance 2023
$93,000 in 304 theaters; PTA: $305
Jules (Bleecker Street) Week 2
$221,435 in 645 (-135) theaters; PTA: $343; Cumulative: $1,549,000
Day by Day (Utopia) Week 2
$22,557 in18 (+11) theaters; PTA: $1,253; Cumulative: $72,018
Shortcomings (Sony Pictures Classics) Week 3
$16,870 in 24 (-186) theaters; Cumulative: $635,610
CatVideoFest 2023 (Oscilloscope) Week 3
$61,200 in 24 (-4) theaters; Cumulative: $320,144
The First Slam Dunk (GKids) Week 4
$20,379 in 14 theaters (-12); Cumulative: $1,240,000
The Unknown Country (Music Box) Week 4
$4,419 in 6 (-2) theaters; Cumulative: $33,517
Theater Camp (Searchlight) Week 6
$132,000 in 130 (-280) theaters; Cumulative: $3,424,000
The Miracle Club (Sony Pictures Classics) Week 6
$96,866 in 224 (+163) theaters; Cumulative: $1,960,000
Have You Got It Yet? (Abramorama) Week 6
$4,418 in 7 (+1) theaters; Cumulative: $98978
Sound of Freedom (Angel) Week 7; Last weekend #7
$2,458,000 (-50%) in 2,100 (-703); Cumulative: $177,616,000
