‘Deadpool,’ ‘Aliens’ Reclaim Top Spotlights, ‘Blink Twice’ Was a Blip on the Radar

(Film projects – Photoillustrations/MetroCreative)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — On a sleepy summer weekend, newcomers ruled the box office, and newcomers drew little attention.
“Deadpool and Wolverine” regained the top spot at the North American box office in its fifth weekend with $18.3 million. Its total international gross now stands at more than $1.2 billion. Walt Disney Co., owner of 20th Century Studios, scored two No. 1s for the second weekend in a row with “Alien: Romulus” on the heels of a cursed superhero movie, the latest installment in the 45-year-old franchise took in $16.2 million in its second weekend after a promising opening. Disney’s “From the Inside 2” also remained on the charts, earning $2.1 million domestically in its 11th weekend. Its global gross now stands at over $1.6 billion.
“This is an incredible turnaround for Disney, which, shockingly enough, almost fell off the radar last year and during the pandemic.” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore. “They’ve put out a couple of billion-dollar movies so far, and ‘Moana 2’ is still on the way. It’s Disney’s big comeback, no question about it.”
Romantic drama “It ends with us” another repeat hit, landed in third place for the second weekend in a row with $11.9 million. The Sony film, starring Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, who also directed, has grossed $242.6 million worldwide to date. It cost just $25 million to produce. New releases have fallen victim to a crowded movie market, resulting in what Dergarabedian called “deja vu at the ticket office” with established films dominating, making it difficult for new releases to find their footing. Dergarabedian says the upcoming Labor Day holiday will likely benefit new titles as word of mouth spreads and more people head to theaters over the long weekend.
“Blink twice” directed by Zoe Kravitz and starring her life partner Channing Tatum, had a modest beginning, grossing $7.3 million and landing at number four on the box office charts. The Amazon MGM Studios psychological thriller follows Tatum as tech magnate Slater King, who takes two women to his private island. While it may seem like a perfect vacation at first, much more sinister events unfold as the guests learn the truth about the island and the billionaire. The film was budgeted at $20 million. Reviews were mixed, with audiences giving the film a B- CinemaScore, but the film was certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with a score of 79%. The top five was rounded out by “Forge” faith-based coming-of-age film about a young man trying to find his way through Christianity. The film opened to $6.6 million and received an A+ CinemaScore from audiences. It was released by Affirm Films, Sony’s faith-based label. Another new release, “Raven” was defeated by “Twisters” AND “Nightshade” in the rankings. “Twisters” entered its sixth week with domestic revenues of $6.2 million and “Nightshade” which was re-released for its 15th anniversary last week, brought in an additional $5.1 million in its second weekend. Lionsgate’s “Raven” R-rated adaptation of the acclaimed graphic novel and remake of the 1994 film of the same name, earned $4.6 million. The studio also suffered a setback in August, releasing “Borderland” video game adaptation that grossed $15.2 million over three weekends against its reported $120 million budget. To complete “the story of those who stayed” as Dergarabedian put it, “Despicable Me 4” AND “From the Inside 2” closed out the weekend’s top 10 films with $4.4 million and $2.1 million, respectively. “From the Inside 2” has been on the charts for 11 consecutive weekends and remains the No. 1 animated film of all time worldwide. Estimated ticket sales from Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final national figures will be released today. 1. “Deadpool and Wolverine” $18.3 million. 2. “Alien: Romulus” $16.2 million. 3. “It ends with us” $11.9 million. 4. “Blink twice” $7.3 million. 5. “Forge” $6.6 million. 6. “Twisters” $6.2 million. 7. “Nightshade” $5.1 million. 8. “Raven” $4.6 million. 9. “Despicable Me 4” $4.4 million. 10. “From the Inside 2” $2.1 million.

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