UPDATE: An interesting development at the box office: Deadline is calling the weekend for “GOAT,” Sony Pictures Animation’s sleeper hit, which is aiming for a second weekend in the $16M range.
That figure would put it ahead of Warner Bros.’ “Wuthering Heights,” which is tracking a $14.7M second weekend (a 55% drop) as it surpasses a $125M worldwide total.
EARLIER: The one — somewhat — notable new release hitting theaters today is “I Can Only Imagine 2,” a faith-based biopic that continues the story of Bart Millard, the lead singer of the Christian band MercyMe, focusing on the next chapter of his life after the breakthrough success of the original film. The first one, released in 2018, grossed $86M against a $6M budget. This sequel, with an $18M budget, earned an impressive $2.1M in Thursday previews.
However, the weekend box office might again be topped by Emerald Fennell’s “Wuthering Heights,” which is showing potential signs of legs by making $2.4M on Thursday. The film opened last weekend with a $37M domestic tally, and if it can have a second weekend with a dip below 50%, that will be seen as a big win for this Warner Bros.-backed movie, which cost $80M to produce and another $85M to market.
Meanwhile, Sony’s animated “GOAT” will be fighting it out for second place, as it nabbed $1.6M on Thursday and will no doubt get a boost from kid-friendly matinee audiences on Saturday and Sunday. It’s coming off an impressive $34M weekend, which was one of Sony’s best debuts in recent years. There have been conflicting reports about its budget, with costs varying anywhere between $80M and $90M.
It does look as though “Psycho Killer” ($250k on Thursday) won’t be making much of a dent, projected for a very low opening. Next Friday, the 2026 box office will get a much-needed boost as “Scream 7” is set for release — and that one is projected for a franchise-best debut, with some believing it could hit $40M+ in its first weekend.