It started to feel a bit more like the summer movie season this past weekend, though only just a bit. The big release this week handily beat the opening of last week’s The Fall Guy, but it still feels like 2005 when Kingdom of Heaven opened May with just $19.6 million and J.Lo’s Monster-in-Law opened with $23.1 million just a week later. That was the last time that at least three films from earlier in the year had better opening weekends than any of the films to start the first two weeks of May. So while Dune: Part Two, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, and Kung Fu Panda 4 sit pretty in those top three spots, the latest Apes movie will likely settle for fourth at the moment.
King of the Crop: Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes Reigns Supreme
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes performed just as expected — a welcome development for 20th Century Studios, who certainly was hoping that there was still some life in this franchise after seven years on the shelf. The magic number was $50+ million, as that would align with the minimums of the series from 2011-17. If the $58.5 million estimate holds it will be the second-highest of the franchise compared to Rise ($54.8 million), Dawn ($72.6 million), and War ($56.2 million). The smart money may already have Kingdom falling short of War’s final haul in 2017 of $146.8 million, but the smarter money is on the international haul, which has given each of these films an additional boost of at least $300 million. That is the kind of money this one is going to need with a $160+ million price tag, the second most expensive after Dawn’s $170 million.
Dawn was not only the most expensive but also the highest-grossing, with north of $700 million worldwide. Rise was paltry by comparison with just a $93 million price tag, and War managed a small theatrical profit as well. $400 million globally should be good enough to turn one here too, and Kingdom has numbers in its favor. Only five films to open over $45 million in May finished south of $140 million domestic. Add in even a slight downturn in international excess and Kingdom should reach its target. As of now, the film stands at $129 million worldwide. Since the merger with Disney, 20th Century Studios has only hit $200 million globally twice — once with the multi-billion Avatar: The Way of Water (Kingdom writer Josh Friedman shares story credit on that one as well), and the other with Free Guy’s $331 million. Kingdom will put them on the board again.
Rotten Returns: The Fall Guy Plummets
Last week’s disappointment, The Fall Guy, fell back to second place this week. How far did it fall? Roughly 50.7% down to $13.7 million. That brings its total to $49.6 million in 10 days, and any hope of it somehow still hitting $100 million are just about completely dashed. No film opening in the first week of May to earn under $52 million in 10 days has reached that total. The only film to reach that goal with less than that in the second week of May was Daddy Day Care with Eddie Murphy all the way back in 2003. This second weekend is more in league with Tomorrowland ($14.3 million) and Prince of Persia ($14.01 million), which got themselves over $90 million but were also between $10-15 million ahead of The Fall Guy, which suggests a final outcome in the $70-80 million range. The film has added $51 million internationally to date and may struggle to reach $200 million worldwide, which, even by conservative standards, would make it the biggest loser financially of the year to date.
The Top 10 and Beyond: Challengers Volleys Back into Third, Godzilla x Kong and Kung Fu Panda Continue to Hold on
Volleying back into third place is Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers. The tennis relationship triangle dropped 38% to $4.6 million for a 17-day total of $38 million — pretty much on par with the Amy Schumer comedy I Feel Pretty, which also had a $5 million third weekend and a total of $37.9 million. That gives Challengers a potential shot of getting over the $50 million line, but it could be right on the line. Worldwide it has grossed $68.7 million to date.
Tarot maintained its fourth-place slot for a second straight week. The horror film from Screen Gems fell 48% to $3.4 million for a total of $12 million, as horror just continues to dip and dip in 2024. Night Swim made $32.4 million in January, Imaginary $28 million in March, Abigail (hanging onto 10th place this week) and The First Omen $24.7 million and $19.7 million, respectively, in April. Tarot just passed Late Night with the Devil and will just barely pass Immaculate, two of the biggest releases in the history of respective indie studios IFC and Neon. Things may not pick up this forthcoming week, either, with the release of a new film in The Strangers series.
Next up is Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire in its seventh straight week in the top five. Another $2.5 million brings its total to $191.8 million, and one wonders if it can stretch itself to become the second $200 million domestic grosser of the year. The film continues to trend near Kenneth Branagh’s Cinderella, which had $190.5 million on day 45 after a $2.76 million seventh weekend. The thing is, that film also had a $2.74 million eighth weekend, whereas New Empire will likely be pushed back further. It is going to be close. With a slight Memorial Day weekend boost when it will likely spend its last or penultimate week in the top 10, it may just have a slight edge. Meanwhile, it is over $558 million worldwide.
Sixth place belong to Unsung Hero, earning $2.2 million for a total of $16.7 million. Then the biggest success profit-wise on the year, Kung Fu Panda 4, added $2 million to its domestic total, which now sits at $191.1 million (worldwide it is over $529 million). Civil War dropped down to eighth place with $1.8 million. That brings its total up to $65.2 million, making it unlikely to become A24’s second $70 million-grossing film, but still their second-highest grossing film ever.
Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace made another $1.5 million, bringing its re-release total to $12 million. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire fell out of the top 10 this week but still grossed $1 million. That brings its total to $111.3 million, suggesting the film will do the bare minimum to not become the lowest-grossing domestic entry in the franchise and may crawl over the $200 million line worldwide as well.
Jane Schoenbrun’s I Saw The TV Glow expanded to 21 theaters this weekend and earned $195,000 for a per-theater average of $9,292. The numbers are a bit better than A24’s release of Problemista in March, which expanded to 20 theaters in its second weekend and made $180,129. That film finished with over $2.5 million. Glow has currently grossed $368,000 and expands again next week. That’s about as much as Not Another Church Movie made over the weekend in 1,108 theaters — just $360,000 for a PTA of $324. Ethan Hawke’s Wildcat made another $72,000 in six theaters, a $12,000 PTA for a total of $134,000.
On the Vine: Imaginary Friends, Masked Strangers, and An Ill-Fated Pop Star
Next week is going to be a much busier week at the box office, with one film likely taking over the top spot and two others fighting it out for scraps. John Krasinski’s IF could become one of the big family draws of the season, with a big voice cast and an original premise, especially by the standards of this summer. It should be an easy No. 1. Then down ballot, horror fans will have another shot with Renny Harlin’s The Strangers: Chapter 1 and music biopic fans can try out the Amy Winehouse story with Back to Black from Sam Taylor-Johnson. Also, Neon will start a limited release of Pamela Adlon’s Babes which earned great responses at both the SXSW and Chicago Critics Film Festival.
Full List of Box Office Results: May 10-12, 2024
80%
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
(2024)
- $58.5 million ($58.5 million total)
82%
The Fall Guy
(2024)
- $13.7 million ($49.6 million total)
88%
Challengers
(2024)
- $4.6 million ($38 million total)
20%
Tarot
(2024)
- $3.4 million ($12 million total)
54%
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
(2024)
- $2.5 million ($191.8 million total)
60%
Unsung Hero
(2023)
- $2.2 million ($16.7 million total)
72%
Kung Fu Panda 4
(2024)
- $2 million ($191.1 million total)
81%
Civil War
(2024)
- $1.8 million ($65.2 million total)
52%
Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace
(1999)
- $1.5 million ($12 million total)
84%
Abigail
(2024)
- $1.1 million ($24.7 million total)
Erik Childress can be heard each week evaluating box office on Business First AM with Angela Miles and his Movie Madness Podcast.
[box office figures via Box Office Mojo]
Thumbnail image by ©Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
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