Hayao Miyazaki’s “The Boy and The Heron” firmly exceeded expectations at the box-office this weekend with a $12.8M opening. What wonderful news! This is Miyazaki’s first ever #1 movie at the American box-office.
Toho International's “Godzilla Minus One” grossed an estimated $8.34M this weekend (from 2,540 locations), which was a very low 27% decrease from last weekend. Estimated total domestic (North America) gross stands at $25.34M.
Meanwhile, Lionsgate's “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes” grossed an estimated $9.4M (from 3,665 locations). Estimated total domestic gross stands at $135.6M — it’s a winner with some major legs. Its worldwide tally is $300 million. The production budget was said to be around $90-100 million.
Beyoncé’s ‘Renaissance’ lost some major glam this weekend, falling 76% from last week’s #1 spot. It’s now projected to finish its domestic with $30 million. These are brutal numbers when compared to rival Taylor Swift’s ‘Eras’ concert. Why oh why did Beyoncé believe it to be a good idea to open her concert doc less than two months after Taylor’s? If she had waited it out and released ‘Renaissance’ next year then it might have grossed more money.
Now, for the Disney bombs …
“Wish” grossed an estimated $5.3M this weekend. Its estimated total domestic gross now stands at $49M — its budget was $200 million.
“The Marvels,” which is said to have a budget anywhere between $250-$270M, grossed an estimated $1.3M on its fourth weekend of release (from 1,700 locations). Estimated total domestic gross stands at $82.94M. It won’t crack the $100M mark, and it might not even hit $90M. These are worse numbers than “The Flash.”
Next week, “Wonka” is released. Current projections have it opening anywhere between $35-$40 million. The reviews have been good (although I wasn’t a fan).