Free Guy holds on to #1, Paw Patrol #2

For the weekend of August 20-22, 2021, Free Guy managed to hold off all newcomers and remain #1 for its second week. It's a win for Ryan Reynolds, it's a win for 20th Century Studios, and it's one of the lone bright spots for a box office that is retreating in the wake of the Delta variant of COVID pushing people back to February levels of cases and caution.

Of the new titles, many felt like end-of-summer dumps, with Paramount managing to find the most success with Paw Patrol: The Movie, considering that it's also available on Paramount+.

Opens This Friday

CANDYMAN with Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Teyonah Parris and Colman Domingo.

DEATH RIDER IN THE HOUSE OF VAMPIRES with Devon Sawa and Julian Sands.

Opens September 3

SHANG-CHI with Simu Liu, Tony Leung, Awkwafina, Michelle Yeoh and Tim Roth.

Opens September 10

MALIGNANT with Annabelle Wallis, Maddie Hasson and George Young.

THE CARD COUNTER with Oscar Isaac and Willem Dafoe.

Opens September 17

CRY MACHO with Clint Eastwood, Dwight Yoakam and Fernanda Urrejola.

THE EYES OF TAMMY FAYE with Jessica Chastain and Andrew Garfield.

COPSHOP with Gerard Butler, Frank Grillo and Toby Huss.

The Suicide Squad is #1

For the weekend of August 6-8, 2021, The Suicide Squad had great reviews and no other wide releases as its competition, and yet the $26.5 million opening can't be seen as anything but disappointing. Perhaps because HBOMax subscribers could see it for free, or the R-rating, but mostly the growing COVID numbers, the Delta variant fears, and the US cases/deaths numbers back to February levels have to be factors in the box office numbers overall. It makes me wonder if some upcoming releases are going to be postponed again.

Opens Next Week

FREE GUY with Ryan Reynolds, Jodie Comer, Taika Waititi and Joe Keery.

RESPECT with Jennifer Hudson, Forest Whitaker and Audra McDonald.

DON'T BREATHE 2 with Stephen Lang, Brendan Sexton III and Madelyn Grace.

Opens August 20

REMINISCENCE with Hugh Jackman, Rebecca Ferguson and Thandiwe Newton.

THE NIGHT HOUSE with Rebecca Hall, Sarah Goldberg and Evan Jonigkeit.

THE PROTEGE with Michael Keaton, Maggie Q and Samuel L. Jackson.

Opens August 27

CANDYMAN with Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Teyonah Parris and Colman Domingo.

Opens September 3

SHANG-CHI with Simu Liu, Tony Leung, Awkwafina, Michelle Yeoh and Tim Roth.