Solo: A Star Wars Story imploded in its second weekend at the box office, plunging to a disappointing $29.2 million. That was enough to hold off three new films and Deadpool 2, which wise-cracked its way to $23.3 million in its third week, to hold on to the top spot in North America. But that’s a precipitous 65% falloff from Solo‘s Friday–Sunday take during the Memorial Day holiday weekend, during which it made $84 million domestically. After two weekends Solo has taken in $149 million at home and $115 million abroad, giving it an underwhelming $264 million total globally for Disney, Lucasfilm and Imagine Entertainment.
(Photo by Walt Disney Studios)
A final worldwide total between $330 million and $350 million seems likely for Solo – that would be the worst ever for a Star Wars live action release – so this king is dead financially. It joins the list of Mouse House megabombs that includes Mars Needs Moms in 2011, John Carter in 2012 and The Lone Ranger in 2013. Most of the Solo red ink that will splash onto Disney’s earnings report in the next few months flows from costly reshoots after directors Chris Miller and Phil Lord were dismissed and replaced by Ron Howard in June of 2017. The budget figure remains closely guarded, but reports put the production and marketing costs at more than $450 million.
(Photo by Walt Disney Studios)
Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War provided some solace for Disney, as it became the top-grossing Marvel release ever with $1.96 billion worldwide. In its sixth weekend, Infinity War was sixth domestically with $10.4 million and added another $25 million from overseas, including its fourth straight weekend at No. 1 in China. It’s now the all-time top-grossing non-Chinese film there with $356 million.
(Photo by Kirsty Griffin/STX Entertainment)
Adrift, the lost-at-sea saga from STX starring Shailene Woodley and Sam Claflin and directed by Baltasar Kormakur (2 Guns), did the best of the newcomers with $11.5 million for third place. Upgrade, a a micro-budget sci-fi horror tale written and directed by Leigh Whannel (Saw, Insidious) and produced by low-budget horrormeister Jason Blum, brought in an impressive $4.4 for sixth place. Action Point, a Paramount action comedy starring Johnny Knoxville, was DOA with $2.3 million. That’s a far cry from the $32 million that Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa debuted to in 2013.
The trio of openers landed about where analysts had them pegged. In terms of critics and moviegoers, Adrift was Fresh on the Tomatometer at 71% and received significantly higher marks from audiences at 84%. Likewise, Upgrade earned 85% on the Tomatometer and received a 91% rating by moviegoers. Action Point was judged Rotten by the critics at 17%, but fans were far more forgiving at 43%.
(Photo by Diyah Pera/Pantelion)
Overboard, the Eugenio Derbez comedy from Pantelion and Lionsgate, added $1.9 million – actually enough to sneak into the top 10 this week – to push its domestic total to $45.5 million. That makes it Pantelion’s top-grossing film ever, ahead of Derbez’s 2013 hit Instructions Not Included. And RBG, the documentary about Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, kept rolling with $1.1 million in limited release. That ups its domestic total to $7.8 million, making it Magnolia Pictures’ all-time top earner.
(Photo by Warner Bros.)
Warner Bros. Wonder Woman exploded for $103 million in its post-Memorial Day weekend debut, which is more than this weekend’s top 12 films combined brought in ($99 million).
(Photo by Barry Wetcher/Warner Bros.)
Females could fuel the box office next weekend when Oceans 8 rolls out in a 4,000-plus theaters for Warner Bros. Gary Ross directs and Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, and Rihanna top a femme-heavy ensemble in the latest installment of the action caper franchise. The critics favorite next week (98%), however, is the horror film Hereditary, toplined by Toni Collette. The other wide release is Hotel Artemis, a thriller starring Jodie Foster, Zachary Quinto and Jeff Goldblum, written and directed by Drew Pearce (Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation). The critics haven’t weighed in yet, but its Want-To-See rating stands at 97%.
[box office figures via Box Office Mojo]
