LOS ANGELES (AP) – A mix of horror and humor is lighting up August.
This month has become quite the playground for Zack Cregger films. His latest horror project, “Weapons,” premiered to impressive numbers, raking in $42.5 million domestically from 3,202 theaters during its opening weekend, while adding $70 million internationally.
Warner Bros. Pictures, the distributor, celebrated its seventh highest opening with this film, marking it as the sixth one to debut with over $40 million domestically for the studio.
“It really took off on Friday,” commented Paul Dergarabedian, a senior media analyst at ComScore. Meanwhile, Disney’s sequel to the 2003 hit “Freaky Friday,” secured second place by earning $29 million across 3,975 North American theaters, bringing back Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis but with a new twist involving body swapping among a mother-daughter duo.
Dergarabedian noted the contrasting styles of the top two films made the weekend compelling for audiences. “It’s interesting how the films managed to attract viewers in real-time, especially through social media,” he added.
Set in a small town called Maybrook, “Weapons” tells the story of 17 children who mysteriously vanish at 2:17 AM, leaving their parents bewildered. The film delves into the lingering effects of trauma, blending horror with a touch of surreal humor, as noted in its reviews.
It’s worth mentioning that this film is a follow-up to Cregger’s directorial debut, the genre-bending horror flick “Barbarian.” Although that film had a slower start, it eventually made waves during its opening, generating $10 million domestically.
With an impressive 95% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, “Weapons” has sparked considerable discussion. “The buzz online has been overwhelming since Friday,” remarked Jeffrey Goldstein, president of Warner Bros.’ Global Distribution.
The success of this comedy-horror duo pushed “Fantastic Four: First Step,” down to third place, which made $15.5 million domestically. While superhero films often debut strongly, this particular one saw a decline in its second weekend after launching with an impressive $118 million.
“The Bad Guys 2” started strong at second place but fell to fourth with $10.4 million. Similarly, “Naked Gun” took fifth place with $8.4 million over the weekend.
As for the “Rebirth of Jurassic World,” NBC Universal anticipates it will hit $800 million globally by Monday after a successful run in theaters.
Even though Warner Bros. started the year slowly, they’ve found a comeback with several successful releases, including the blockbuster “Minecraft movie,” which opened to $157 million. Films like “The Sinner,” “Superman,” and “Weapons” added to this resurgence.
Dergarabedian noted that Warner Bros. has potentially created “a blueprint for how to curate the summer lineup successfully.”
“Weapons” also continues a trend of successful horror films this year, its opening numbers ranking just behind “Final Destination: Bloodline” and “The Sinner.”
Here’s a summary of the top 10 films by domestic box office revenue:
According to ComScore, this list reflects estimated ticket sales from Friday to Sunday in US and Canadian theaters, with final figures released on Monday.
1. “Weapons,” $42.5 million.
2. “Freakier Friday,” $29 million.
3. “Fantastic Four: First Step,” $105.5 million.
4. “The Bad Guys 2,” $10.4 million.
5. “Naked Gun,” $8.4 million.
6. “Superman,” $7.8 million.
7. “Rebirth of Jurassic World,” $4.7 million.
8. “F1: Movie,” $2.9 million.
9. “Together,” $2.6 million.
10. “Sketch,” $2.5 million.
