Bullet Trains gets $30 million

For the weekend of August 5-7, 2022, Brad Pitt proved his movie-star bonafides by helping Bullet Train open to #1. Reviews have been mixed, but the only other new wide release (Easter Sunday) had a much lower marketing budget and no one who'd classify as a star.

In limited release, Bodies Bodies Bodies enjoyed a $37,765 per screen average.

The box office should take a big dip over the next few weeks until it's rescued by September titles like See How They Run, The Woman King and Don't Worry Darling.

Opens August 12

MACK & RITA with Diane Keaton and Loretta Devine

EMILY THE CRIMINAL with Aubrey Plaza and Theo Rossi.

Thor still #1, Crawdads #3 at box office

For the weekend of July 15-17, 2022, Thor Love & Thunder didn't have to face any blockbusters in its second week and thus was able to easily continue its rule. A 68% drop isn't surprising, but it shows it's not going to catch the most recent installments of Spider-Man or Doctor Strange.

Of the new releases, Where the Crawdads Sing was able to get book-club members everywhere into the theater. Reviews were mixed so I don't expect it to have long legs. Paws of Fury was long delayed, and I expect it to be on Paramount's streaming service sooner rather than later.

Top Gun Maverick only having a 22% drop in its eighth week is amazing. It'll jump The Avengers and The Last Jedi sometime this week to become the 9th highest grossing movie of all time.

Jordan Peele's Nope opens this week, and that should toppled Thor in its third week.

Opens July 22

NOPE with Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer and Steven Yuen.

Minions: Rise of Gru exceeds $100 million

For the weekend of July 1-3, 2022, Minions: The Rise of Gru was the big winner. It's outperformed all other animated fare this year, and it was the second highest opening in the Despicable Me franchise.

The other new release was Mr. Malcolm's List. It felt like a limited release that was given wide-release treatment in hopes that the popularity of Bridgerton and Downton Abbey might get people out, but it backfired.

Meanwhile, on Tom Cruise's 60th birthday, he can enjoy Top Gun: Maverick still being in second place.

Opens July 8 

THOR: LOVE & THUNDER with Chris Hemsworth, Christian Bale and Natalie Portman.

Jurassic World still #1, Lightyear #2

For the weekend of June 17-19, 2022, Jurassic World Dominion managed to stay ahead of Pixar's Lightyear. JWD didn't have as steep drop as anticipated with its negative reviews, and it still looks favored to join other sequels Doctor Strange 2 and Top Gun Maverick to hit the $400 million domestic mark. It'll at least catch The Batman's $369 million domestic.

Lightyear's stumble out of the gate could mean any number of things. Are animated movies in trouble in these economic times? Other post-pandemic animated movies have been hits (Sing 2) although with lower opening and long legs. Disney's Encanto was beloved but never made $100 million domestic. Would anyone have predicted last year that Sonic the Hedgehog 2 would be more successful than Lightyear? Maybe families know Lightyear will be on DisneyPlus in 2-3 months and have patience. Maybe replacing Tim Allen affected more conservative parents. It's a better opening for Pixar than their last theatrical release 2020's Onward ($39 million) but a far cry from 2019's Toy Story 4's $120 million opening. This makes me more intrigued how Minions: The Rise of Gru will do.

Meanwhile this is the first time since the weekend of June 21, 2013, that the top 3 films each grossed over $40 million (Monsters University, World War Z, and Man of Steel in its second week).

Opens June 24

ELVIS with Austin Butler, Tom Hanks, Olivia DeJonge and Kodi Smit-McPhee.

BLACK PHONE with Ethan Hawke, Jeremy Davies and James Ransone.

MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON with the voices of Jenny Slate and Isaella Rosselini.

Jurassic World Dominion is #1

For the weekend of June 10-12, 2022, Jurassic World Dominion managed to out-open The Batman and Top Gun Maverick to be the second largest opening of 2022, behind only Doctor Strange 2. The sixth installment, billed as the final one of the Jurassic franchise, opened just barely below Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom's numbers, but Universal has to be thrilled, especially since it's receiving the worst reviews of the six, even below Jurassic Park III. It will face immediate competition this Friday with Pixar's Lightyear, the first Pixar movie to not go straight-to-DisneyPlus since Onward.

Paramount's pleased with the long legs of Maverick, its third $100 million grosser of 2022 and it'll easily get to $400 million and has an outside shot at $500 million domestic. It's already by far the highest domestic grosser of Tom Cruise's career and will soon pass Mission Impossible Fallout as his highest worldwide grosser.

Opens June 10

LIGHTYEAR with the voices of Chris Evans, Keke Palmer and Taika Waititi.

Top Gun Maverick #1 in 2nd week

For the weekend of June 3-5, 2022, Top Gun: Maverick held strong, dropping a mere 32.1% its second week. In fact it's the 8th best second weekend in box office history. It's well on its way to become Paramount's second highest grosser ever, and with these legs, it could catch Titanic. 

But it also benefitted from not much competition. No new big-budget releases this week, only horror flicks and arthouse fare. David Cronenberg's Crimes of the Future failed to find an audience, even with Viggo Mortensen and Kristen Stewart headlining it. Vikram, a 3-hour action thriller from India, wound up doing best.

Opens June 10

JURASSIC WORLD: DOMINION with Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard and Jeff Goldblum.

Doctor Strange 2 is #1 for 3rd Week

For the weekend of May 20-22, 2022, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness continued to dominate in its third week. It portends well for the blockbusters coming later this summer that this will at least be better than 2020 or 2021. 

Of the new releases, Downton Abbey: A New Era didn't open as well as the first one, but with its modest budget that may not matter. They'd be justified in greenlighting a third if they so chose.

Men was a low opener for Alex Garland (Annihilation, Ex Machina) but I wonder how much better it would have done with a bigger name in its lead. Jessie Buckley (The Lost Daughter) may be an Academy-Award nominee, but how many casual moviegoers knew that or even know who she is?

Opens May 27

TOP GUN MAVERICK with Tom Cruise, Jennifer Connelly, Miles Teller and Jon Hamm.

THE BOB'S BURGERS MOVIE with the voices of H. Jon Benjamin and Kristen Schaal.

Jackass Forever is #1

For the weekend of February 4-6, 2022, Jackass Forever managed to dethrone Spider-Man, raking in $23 million, which is just a little better than what the original Jackass movie debuted to 20 years ago. It also had a modest budget of $10 million. Moonfall, meanwhile, came in second, and with its reported $150 million budget, well, this doesn't bode well for future popcorn disaster movies.

Spider-Man: No Way Home is on its way to pass Avatar for third-highest grosser of all time, but its momentum is slowing down to where Avengers: Endgame's $858 million for second place seems out of reach. January is usually a dead zone for movies, but February has at least one major movie opening each week.

I don't think anything's been announced, but I'd be surprised if we don't get a Sing 3 greenlit.

Opens February 11

DEATH ON THE NILE with Kenneth Branagh, Gal Gadot, Armie Hammer and Annette Bening.

MARRY ME with Jennifer Lopez, Owen Wilson, Utkarsh Ambudkar and John Bradley.

BLACKLIGHT with Liam Neeson, Aidan Quinn, Emmy Raver-Lampman and Yael Stone.

Spider-Man still #1, The 355 is #3

For the weekend of January 7-9, 2022, Spider-Man: No Way Home continues to dominate while audiences steered clear of The 355, the only wide-release debut. Spidey will pass Avengers: Infinity War sometime this week to become the fifth-highest domestic grosser of all-time.

Opens This Week

SCREAM 5 with Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, David Arquette and Jack Quaid.

BELLE with the voices of Kaho Nakamura, Ryo Narita and Shoti Sometani.

Spider-Man passes $610 million domestic

For the weekend of December 31, 2021 - January 2, 2022, Spider-Man: No Way Home continued to dominate and it looks like it's on its way to be the third-highest domestic grosser of all time. Not sure if it has the legs to reach #1 The Force Awakens or #2 Avengers Endgame, but I do think it'll pass #3 Avatar.

Of everything else, Sing 2 has to be happy. It'll outgross Encanto this week and be the first and only animated movie of 2021 to pass the $100 million mark. Only 14 movies at all passed or will pass $100 million. (Compare that to 2019 when 31 movies did that.) The only non-sequel or non-Marvel movies to pass $100 million were Free Guy, Jungle Cruise and Dune.

Nothing else was able to catch fire. The Matrix Resurrections had mixed reviews and was also available on HBOMax, so its 68% drop-off is steep for a New Years Day weekend. The Colin Firth-less King's Man will disappear quickly. Some of these titles at least have the benefit of not too many new movies opening in January.

Opens This Week

THE 355 with Jessica Chastain, Penelope Cruz, Lupita Nyong'o and Diane Kruger.

Opens January 14

SCREAM 5 with Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, David Arquette and Jack Quaid.

Eternals is #1 at box office

For the weekend of November 5-7, 2021, Eternals isn't exactly a bomb for Marvel, but it's not at the level the MCU is used to. Considering that Venom 2 opened to $90 million, and that this opened lower than Shang-Chi ($75), it could be a combination of superhero saturation and that many people still aren't going back to the movies. It doesn't help that Eternals has the lowest score ever for an MCU title (48%). In fact, it's the only MCU title that hasn't had at least 66%.

Kristen Stewart's Spencer wasn't expected to be a hit, so its modest opening is about what was expected.

Speaking on Venom 2, it's on its way to join Shang-Chi as the second movie of 2021 to hit $200 million domestic.

Opens This Week

CLIFFORD THE BIG RED DOG with Rosie Perez, John Cleese and Sienna Guillory.

BELFAST with Caitriona Balfe, Jude Hill, Jamie Dornan and Lewis McAskie.

Worldwide grosses for US films in 2021:

1. F9: The Fast Saga - $721.07 million

2. No Time to Die - $667.46

3. Godzilla v. Kong - $467.86

4. Shang-Chi - $427.85

5. Venom 2 - $424.61

6. Black Widow - $379.63

7. Free Guy - $331.15

8. Dune - $330.44

9. A Quiet Place II - $297.65

10. Cruella - $233.27

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.

F9 is #1 at box office

For the weekend of June 25-27, 2021, F9: The Fast Saga was the big winner, and its $70 million haul indicates that the box office is indeed on the road to recovery. Its opening wasn't as big at the eighth installment's $98 million opening, but it did open better than the Hobbs & Shaw spinoff. Audiences are making their way back to the multiplexes, and we're retuning to normalcy. F9 will inevitably join Godzilla vs. Kong and A Quiet Place Part II as the third movie of 2021 to pass the $100 million domestic mark.

Opens Next Week

THE FOREVER PURGE with Ana de la Reguera and Josh Lucas.

THE BOSS BABY 2 with the voices of Alec Baldwin and James Marsden.

Opens July 9

BLACK WIDOW with Scarlett Johansson and Florence Pugh.

Opens July 16

SPACE JAM 2 with LeBron James and Don CHeadle.

Opens July 23

OLD with Gael Garcia Bernal and Rufus Sewell.

GI JOE ORIGINS: SNAKE EYES with Henry Golding and Samara Weaving.

THE COMEBACK TRAIL with Robert DeNiro and Morgan Freeman.

Opens July 30

JUNGLE CRUISE with Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt.

STILLWATER with Matt Damon and Abigail Breslin.

THE GREEN KNIGHT with Dev Patel and Alicia Vikander.

Spiral wins box-office weekend

For the weekend of May 14-16, 2021, Hollywood's slowly getting back into things. Spiral was an attempt to reboot the Saw franchise with a different direction, and unlikely lead in Chris Rock. In a normal year, this would be viewed as a big disappointment. As is, it opened about as well as Jason Statham's Wrath of Man the week before.

Meanwhile a movie starring Angelina Jolie and directed by Taylor Sheridan (Wind River) should have done better in any other year, but since it's also available on HBOMax, that could have affected its success.

I'm rooting for Godzilla vs. Kong to be the first movie of 2021 to cross the $100 million mark domestically.

Sonic holds off Call of the Wild to stay #1

For the weekend of February 21-23, 2020, Sonic the Hedgehog held on to stay #1. It’s the highest opening ever for a movie based on a video game, and it’s on track to be the highest-grossing movie in the same category. Got to think Nintendo’s looking at this and figuring out how to make a different Super Mario Bros. movie. (It’s in development, but now they really have to be encouraged.)

The Call of the Wild was the winner of the new releases. It didn’t have a lot of competition besides Sonic, but maybe it’s a testament to Harrison Ford and the classic title that got people to come out. Most of the reviews I’ve read that were positive still had a problem with the CGI dog.

Brahms: The Boy II wasn’t screened for critics and fell flat on its face. 

Out of nowhere, the Impractical Jokers movie came out on 357 screens and had the best per-screen average of anything in the top 20. What?

Among the limited releases, Emma. did the best. Yes, the title has a period in it.

Opens February 28

THE INVISIBLE MAN with Elisabeth Moss, Aldis Hodge and Oliver Jackson-Cohen.

Birds of Prey is #1

For the weekend of February 7-9, 2020, Birds of Prey was the easy #1. Can’t help but think WB expected more from it, but the marketing wasn’t great. Good thing the reviews are. Word-of-mouth should help keep it afloat, but this is a movie that should have opened to $50 million.

Bad Boys for Life keeps dominating, absolutely terrific for Will Smith. 1917 also has long legs and should get a boost next after it wins an Oscar or two tonight. Some of the other ones still hanging on by their fingernails in theaters (Parasite! Jojo Rabbit!) are hoping for some award boosts too.

Next week, the #1 spot should go to Sonic the Hedgehog.

Opens February 14

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG with Jim Carrey, James Marsden and Tika Sumpter.

FANTASY ISLAND with Michael Pena, Lucy Hale, Maggie Q and Portia Doubleday.

THE PHOTOGRAPH with LaKeith Stanfield, Issa Rae and Courtney B. Vance.

1917 is #1 at box office

For the weekend of January 10-12, 2020, the expansion of 1917 was the big winner. I can’t help but think all of the award buzz helped, but I think mainly audiences were ready for the next “good movie” to go see.

The Rise of Skywalker should cross the $1 billion mark worldwide sometime this week.

Of the brand-new releases, Like A Boss bested Underwater.

Opens January 17

BAD BOYS FOR LIFE with Will Smith, Martin Lawrence and Vanessa Hudgens.

DOLITTLE with Robert Downey Jr., Antonio Banderas and Michael Sheen.

Rise of Skywalker still #1 at box office

For the weekend of January 3-5, 2020, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker continues to rule. It’s now made over $915 million worldwide and should cross the $1 billion mark sometime next week. It’s not the force that Force Awakens was, but it should wind up grossing about as much as The Last Jedi. I also think the decision to not have another Star Wars movie for a good three years is a smart one. People can get their fix from DisneyPlus.

The only new wide release was The Grudge, a reboot that critics hated it, and so the quick $11 million opening it got means it should sink quickly, and so studios have tried and failed again to revive a horror franchise. Meanwhile we have reboots of Saw and Candyman coming this summer.

Of the holdovers, Jumanji: Next Level is doing quite well, thank you, at over $600 million worldwide, and if they want to make another one, the box office receipts are there to justify it.

Frozen II has passed $1.3 billion worldwide.

1917 is doing great in limited release. Just Mercy is doing decently, but it could use more award buzz around Jamie Foxx to bolster its box office potential.

Golden Globes are tonight!

Opens January 10

LIKE A BOSS with Tiffany Haddish, Rose Byrne and Salma Hayek.

UNDERWATER with Kristen Stewart, Vincent Cassel, Jessica Henwick and TJ Miller.

(wide) 1917 with George Mackey, Dean-Charles Chapman and Colin Firth.

(wide) JUST MERCY with Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Foxx and Brie Larsen.

Joker opens to $93 million

For the weekend of October 4-6, 2019, Joker opened to $93 million, the highest October opening ever, breaking the record set by Venom last year. Joker was unafraid to go for an R rating and eschew many conventions of “comic book movies” in this take on the Joker’s origin. It’s the highest opening ever for Joaquin Phoenix as well. In fact he hasn’t been in a movie that passed the $93 million domestic mark since 2005’s Walk the Line.

In limited release, Pain & Glory starring Penelope Cruz did well, while Lucy in the Sky starring Natalie Portman bombed.

Joker will have some competition next weekend but it’s still expected to hold on to the top spot while Gemini Man and The Addams Family duke it out for #2.

Opens October 11

THE ADDAMS FAMILY with the voices of Oscar Isaac, Charlize Theron and Chloe Grace Moretz.

GEMINI MAN with Will Smith, Clive Owen, Mary Elizabeth Instead and Benedict Wong.

JEXI with Adam Devine, Rose Byrne, Michael Pena and Wanda Sykes.

Good Boys is #1, Hobbs & Shaw #2 at box office

For the weekend of August 16-18, 2019, Good Boys managed to emerge from a crowded field as the #1 movie. The “Superbad for 12-year-olds” comedy gives Jacob Tremblay (Room, Wonder) his first hit where he stands on his own two feet, and it showed an audience for comedy can still be found.

Of the other new releases, The Angry Birds Movie 2 fizzled out of the gate, despite better reviews than its predecessor. 47 Meters Down 2, which doesn’t have anything to do with the first movie, didn’t perform well either, though the low budget means it won’t lose money. Blinded by the Light didn’t go anywhere. I can’t help but think this movie should have been pushed to next year after Yesterday was a sleeper hit. Where’d You Go Bernadette was going to flop no matter when it was released.

Of the holdovers, Hobbs & Shaw had a respectable third week. Its global haul isn’t as much as previously tracked, and it looks like it will be profitable, but not as big as Universal needed it to be. The Lion King will cross the $500 million domestic mark later this week. (It’s over $1.4 billion worldwide.) Why is Disney doing live-action remakes of all of their animated films? This is why. It may feel like the cash-grab of all the late 1990’s-early 2000’s straight-to-DVD animated sequels they did, but same result. Profits.

Opens August 23

ANGEL HAS FALLEN with Gerard Butler, Morgan Freeman and Piper Perabo.

READY OR NOT with Samara Weaving, Andie MacDowell and Adam Brody.