The previous weekend was dominated by original films, and this one is no different. Let’s pause to appreciate that, especially in light of the fact that this summer’s film releases, like those of the past several summers, included numerous iterations of established franchises. With an anticipated $22 million opening weekend, the horror film Smile is continuing Paramount’s golden record at the box office this year. Has any other company hedged its bets more successfully than Paramount? Paramount decided to distribute the picture in theatres instead of streaming services due to positive early reviews and audience reactions.
The recent word-of-mouth smashes Barbarian is comparable in this regard; it is a rare 20th Century Studios picture that Disney, the studio’s parent corporation, opted to distribute theatrically after recognising promise. Sosie Bacon, Kyle Gallner, Jessie T. Usher, Kal Penn, Caitlin Stasey, and Rob Morgan feature in Smile, which was directed by Parker Finn and reportedly cost $17 million to produce. The studio’s savvy marketing efforts to build anticipation for the picture clearly paid off. Alyse Wax termed Smile “an exciting, terrifying journey,” while opening day moviegoers gave the film a moderate B- CinemaScore.
Don’t Worry Darling, a psychological thriller directed by Olivia Wilde and set to earn $7.3 million in its second weekend, was dethroned by this picture.
Although the picture was assured of a strong opening week thanks to the controversy surrounding its release and the passionate audience of star Harry Styles, its 62% drop this weekend is likely due to less than enthusiastic reviews and overall disinterest. Presently, the domestic cume for Don’t Worry Darling is a little around $33 million. Well-received historical drama The Woman King, directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, is predicted to place third with an estimated $7 million, a decline of only 36%. The picture, which features Viola Davis, reportedly cost $50 million to create but has already earned over $46 million in North America. The publicity generated by the awards will be beneficial in the long run.
At #4, Universal’s romantic comedy Bros debuted with an estimated $4.8 million. A disappointing result for the picture starring Billy Eichner and directed by Nicholas Stoller, especially considering that the studio was hoping for a debut in the high single digits or low double digits. With an estimated $4.7 million, the Avatar re-release finished out the top five, illustrating once again that there is a loyal audience for the movie despite the widespread criticism that the series has had little cultural influence. This is also encouraging news for the upcoming Avatar: The Way of Water, which is set to be released in December.
The Great Indian Epic The words of Ponniyin Selvan After anticipating a fifth-place finish, I ended up in sixth place on the first weekend of its release instead. The film is now showing in 500 theatres and is projected to earn $4.1 million in its debut weekend. Amsterdam, directed by David O. Russell and starring a bevvy of A-list actors, will hit theatres the following weekend.