UPDATE: Looks like ‘Mandalorian’ opened softer than expected. Disney now saying $79M instead of $82M.
Oh, and “Obsession” actually surged by 39% this weekend, and it could go even higher by Monday as ticket sales exceeding expectations. This is turning into one of the biggest box office stories of the decade.
EARLIER: The numbers are in, and “The Mandalorian and Grogu” tally for the three-day weekend came in at around $81M. It might hit $98M on Monday with Memorial Day receipts. That’s indeed lower than “Solo” numbers.
About “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” it ultimately opened to $84M over three days and $103M over the four-day Memorial Day frame — numbers considered disappointing for the franchise at the time.
By the way, “The Devil Wears Prada 2” might end up making more than “The Mandalorian and Grogu” when all is said and done — an odd win for Disney — as it’s just passed the $600M worldwide mark.
Meanwhile, “Michael” is now at $314M in the US and $782M worldwide — the billion-dollar mark is not off the table. Lionsgate says a second and maybe even a third movie is happening. The first one ended in 1988. What if they again skirt the accusations in the sequel by just tackling 1988 to 1993? Remember, the accusations against Jackson only surfaced after that timeframe.
There are tons of hits to tackle between ’88 and ’93 — “Smooth Criminal” and “Man in the Mirror” among them. At least that’s what I would do — tackling the molestation allegations in the trilogy capper will be such a headache for everyone involved.
Meanwhile, as previously reported, “Obsession” increased by 30% in its second frame by earning $20M over the three-day weekend. Movies aren’t supposed to grow from week to week, but this one somehow did — thanks to word of mouth. “Obsession” cost under $1M to produce and has so far amassed $74M worldwide.
That’s the good news in the indie world. The bad news is that Boots Riley’s “I Love Boosters,” Neon’s most expensively produced film ever at $20M, only managed to earn $3.7M this weekend. Back in March, Neon boss Tom Quinn had “high ambitions” for the film, believing it was “going to be a film that plays throughout the year, not just in its first window this summer.”
The film garnered a wide enough theatrical release — 1,750+ theaters — but reviews were merely good, not nearly as enthusiastic as those for Riley’s last film, “Sorry to Bother You.”
Not more than 24 hours later, Guy Ritchie’s role offer to Markle has now reportedly been withdrawn. The story goes that they don’t want her in the show anymore “after intense backlash in the U.K.”