With the summer momentum from “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” and “The Odyssey” wearing off, the box office will hope to build it back up again over the course of September with several new films starting with Warner Bros./Alcon’s “Practical Magic 2,” which opened to $30 million from 4,146 locations and $46 million worldwide.
It’s a domestic start on the lower end of pre-release projections that leaves the legacyquel of the 1998 fantasy dramedy starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman with some work to do to turn a theatrical profit against its reported $75 million theatrical budget.
Like the first “Practical Magic,” critics were mostly negative with a 37% Rotten Tomatoes score. But the primarily millennial and Gen X female fanbase that turned it into a cult hit have given “Practical Magic 2” strong audience scores including a B+ on CinemaScore, 92% on Rotten Tomatoes and 4.5/5 on PostTrak.
Next weekend will provide more info on whether those scores will translate to wider interest or will stay largely confined to pre-existing fans. If it can find that wider female audience, “Practical Magic 2” will have a lane to leg out against films like “Resident Evil” and “Forgotten Island” which have other primary demos.
“Spider-Man: Brand New Day” is in second with $8.4 million in its seventh weekend, bringing its domestic total to $935.1 million. It is likely on Monday that the Sony/Marvel Studios film will pass “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” to take the unadjusted record for the highest grossing film in the history of the U.S. box office.
“The Odyssey” is in third with $7.4 million in its ninth weekend to bring its domestic total to $600 million after nine weekends, making it the 18th film in history to cross that milestone before inflation adjustment. With $1.68 billion worldwide, it now also stands as Universal’s unadjusted highest grossing film in studio history.
In fourth is Angel’s “Runner,” a new action film starring Alan Ritchson and Owen Willson that has earned a $6.4 million opening from 2,568 U.S. locations. The film about a former soldier tasked with defending a liver needed for a child’s life-saving transplant from black market criminals has been well-received with Rotten Tomatoes scores of 71% critics and 89% audience to go with an A- on CinemaScore.
Ketchup’s “Coyote vs. Acme” completes the top 5 with $6.2 million in its third weekend as the Warner Bros. cast-off now stands with a domestic total of $47.7 million. At its current pace, the live-action/animated hybrid, which Ketchup spent $50 million to acquire, could break even theatrically when foreign presales are accounted for.
Outside the top 5, Roadside Attractions has its first film since the COVID-19 pandemic that has crossed $20 million in domestic grosses thanks to “Buddy,” the Saban Films co-distribution that added $3.5 million in its third weekend and now has a $21.2 million domestic cume.
In a virtual tie for the No. 7 spot are Sony’s “Insidious: Out of the Further” and Neon’s new Korean sci-fi thriller “Hope,” both with $3.3 million. The sixth “Insidious” film now has a domestic cume of $60.5 million after four weekends.
“Hope,” directed by Na Hong-jin and following the story of a small Korean village attacked by aliens, has become a hot topic of conversation between cinephiles that loved the film’s bizarre, over-the-top approach to its genre and those put off by its bewildering climax. Released in 1,560 locations this weekend, the film has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 80% critics and 79% audience.
Just behind “Hope” is Focus’ “The Uprising,” the latest film from Paul Greengrass which stars Andrew Garfield in a retelling of the Peasants’ Revolt in England in 1381. Receiving a mixed reception with a 51% critics and 61% audience Rotten Tomatoes score, the film opened to $3.2 million from 2,068 locations.
Paramount’s “By Any Means” completes the top 10, falling a steep 67% from its opening weekend to $2.5 million for a $13.4 million 10-day total for the acquisition title.
Finally, Disney’s music doc “Oasis: Don’t Look Back in Anger” isn’t looking good with a domestic opening of $1.4 million and a global opening of just $6.8 million worldwide. Despite touting critical acclaim the first joint interview in decades with the famously acrimonious brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher, the film is only gaining significant traction in Oasis’ homeland of the U.K., where it earned $3.6 million this weekend.
More to come…