The box office is now truly in a drought period, as overall totals for this weekend have sunk to an estimated $63.5 million, a low not seen since the weekend prior to the release of “The Batman” in February.
With no new wide releases cracking the Top 5, Sony/Columbia’s “Bullet Train” will hold on to the No. 1 spot with a second weekend total of just $13.4 million, a 56% drop from its $30 million opening. With a 10-day total of $54.4 million, the action comedy starring Brad Pitt will likely need overseas revenue to post a theatrical profit against its reported $90 million production budget.
Sagging box office numbers also means that Paramount’s “Top Gun: Maverick,” which slid out of the Top 5 for the first time last weekend, has risen all the way back to No. 2 with $7.1 million in its 12th weekend. That’s actually a 2% increase from its $7 million total last weekend, as it is beginning to return to premium formats like Imax, Dolby and XD during the end-of-summer slowdown.
With $673 million grossed in North America, “Maverick” needs just $5 million more to pass the domestic run of “Avengers: Infinity War” for the No. 6 spot on the all-time list. It should make that amount in the coming week as it is well on course to pass $700 million and take the No. 5 spot from “Black Panther.”
The sole newcomer to the box office charts is Lionsgate’s “Fall,” which was released in 1,548 theaters and is estimated for an opening weekend of $2.5 million. With a budget of just $3 million, the survival thriller about a pair of climbers trapped on a radio tower has earned positive reception with a B on CinemaScore and Rotten Tomatoes scores of 71% critics and 79% audience.
A24 also expanded its slasher film “Bodies Bodies Bodies” to 1,290 theaters after its limited New York/Los Angeles opening last weekend, grossing $3.25 million to take the No. 8 spot on the charts. The film will expand to around 2,000 theaters next weekend.
Back in the Top 5, Warner Bros.’ “DC League of Super-Pets” continues to slide with a 35% drop in its third weekend to $7.1 million, putting it neck-and-neck with “Top Gun: Maverick” for the No. 2 spot. Like “Bullet Train,” “Super-Pets” will need overseas help to break even as it has a domestic total of $58.3 million and has just passed $100 million worldwide against a $90 million budget.
Universal’s “Nope” is in fourth with $5.3 million, bringing its domestic total to $107 million. While Jordan Peele’s third film will be considerably less profitable than “Get Out” or “Us,” he is now the first director in history to make more than $100 million in North America with his first three movies.
Marvel’s “Thor: Love and Thunder” completes the Top 5 in a virtual tie with “Nope” at $5.3 million, bringing its total to $325 million domestic and $720 million worldwide after six weekends.