(AP) – “Parasite” film director Bong Jun Ho's original science fiction film “Mickey 17” has opened at number one on the North American box office charts. The Robert Pattinson-led film won $19.1 million in its first weekend in theaters, according to the studio's estimated Sunday.
Overseas, Mickey 17 has already made $34.2 million, bringing the total worldwide total of $53.3 million. But the profitability of films is a long way to go. This would cost $118 million to produce.
A week later Oscarwhere “Anora” filmmakerShawn Baker He gave a passionate speech on the importance of the theatrical experience – for filmmakers to continue making films for the big screen, distributors to focus on the release of the plays, and audiences to continue – “Mickey 17” is perhaps the perfect representation of this moment in business, or at least an interesting case study. This is an original film from a big-star-led Oscar-winning director, given a robust theatrical release by Warner Bros., given a robust budget and one of the few major studios remaining. But despite all of it and mostly positive reviews (79% at Rottenta Mart), viewers may not treat it as an event film and may struggle to beat it in the end.
The follow-up to Bongjunho's Oscar-winning “Parasite,” which was originally scheduled for release in March 2024, faced some delays. Hollywood is on a strike. Based on Edward Ashton's novel “Mickey 7,” Pattinson dies on a mission and plays a consumable employee that is repeated over and over again. Stephen Yen, Naomi Ackie, Toni Colette and Mark Ruffalo are also stars.
It opened in 3,807 locations across the country and performed best in New York and Los Angeles. The premium, large shows, including the IMAX screen, also account for almost half of the weekend's opening round. Internationally, it was particularly successful in Korea, earning an estimated $14.6 million.
“47% of the audience have seen it in premium format, indicating that there is a great deal of interest from movie fans to watch the film,” said Jeff Goldstein, who leads Warner Bros. domestic streaming.
“Director Bonn is one of the few marquee directors whose fans really drive movies along with Dennis Villeneuve, Quentin Tarantino and Chris Nolan,” he added.
Mickey 17 also has no major competition for weeks. The studio is watching a long game.
Second place went to “Captain America: Brave New World,” which added $8.5 million from 3,480 locations in North America and $9.2 million internationally. Its global total is currently $370.8 million. Walt Disney Studios became the first studio to surpass $1 billion this week in 2025.
Holdovers from “Last Breath,” “The Monkey,” and “Paddington in Peru” rounded out the top five. Over the weekend, there were several other newcomers in Paul WS Anderson's fantasy film starring Milla Jovovich and Dave Bautista about the Afghan girl on the robotics team, and In the Lost Lands, the fantasy film from Angel Studios' Rule Breaker.
Neon has increased the number of “Anola” theaters to around 2,000 screens after winning five Oscars on Sunday. It won an estimated $1.9 million (an increase of 595% from last weekend), bringing its total to $18.4 million.
Overall box office revenue for 2025 rose 1% this weekend from last year's location, down 34.2% from the box office year before the last pandemic in 2019, according to ComScore data.
“That's the roller coaster that's the box office,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at ComScore. “We have two or three weeks of downs, but it could have a big impact on revenue and benefits. But it's coming back again.”
Ticket estimates will be on sale from Friday to Sunday at US and Canadian theatres, according to ComScore. The final domestic figures will be released on Monday.
1. “Mickey 17” $19.1 million.
2. “Captain America: A Brave New World,” $8.5 million.
3. “The Last Breath,” $4.2 million.
4. “Monkey” $3.9 million.
5. “Peruvian Paddington,” $3.9 million.
6. “The Dog Man,” $3.5 million.
7. “Anora,” $1.9 million.
8. “Mufasa: The Lion King,” $1.7 million.
9. “Rule Breaker,” $1.6 million.
10. “On Lost Land,” $1 million.
