Sony Pictures’ “Uncharted” is off to a solid start at the box office, earning $15.4 million from 4,275 theaters on opening day and is now projected by Sony for an extended Presidents Day weekend opening of around $45 million with some industry estimates projecting a $50 million launch.
Before release, trackers were projecting an extended opening in the $30 million range for this video game adaptation starring “Spider-Man: No Way Home” actor Tom Holland. While critics gave the film negative reviews with a 39% Rotten Tomatoes score, audiences have embraced it as a fun popcorn film, giving it a B+ on CinemaScore and an 89% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Sony is hoping that “Uncharted” will be the start of a new franchise as it begins to mine its collection of Playstation games for potential adaptations. But with a $120 million budget before marketing, it’s still unclear how profitable this blockbuster will be with “The Batman” expected to draw away younger moviegoers in March. The film’s performance in its second weekend and in overseas markets will determine whether it can reach $400 million worldwide.
Also releasing this weekend is MGM/FilmNation’s “Dog,” a buddy comedy starring and co-directed by Channing Tatum that earned $5 million on opening day from 3,677 theaters. The film is now projected for an extended opening of $16 million, slightly above expectations of a $12-13 million opening. Reception for the film has been positive with a 78% Rotten Tomatoes score and an A- on CinemaScore.
“Spider-Man: No Way Home” is in third as it continues its spectacular late-run holds in its tenth weekend in theaters. The film is estimated to earn $7.5 million in the 3-day period and $9.5 million in the 4-day, seeing no decrease from last weekend’s grosses. The Marvel blockbuster passed the domestic run of “Avatar” this past week and now is set to pass $770 million in North America after this weekend.
20th Century’s “Death on the Nile” is in fourth with an estimated $7.6 million extended weekend total, which would give the $90 million mystery film a domestic total of $26 million after two weekends. Paramount’s low-budget “Jackass Forever” completes the top 5 with an estimated $5.6 million and a domestic total of $47 million after three weekends.