We may have been off last week but the box office still rolled on.
“Scream VI” opened to a record $44.4 million, “Creed III” cleared $100 million domestically and “65” struggled, earning only $12.3 million in its opening weekend.
This brings us to today, having just completed the penultimate weekend of the March box office.
In first place is “Shazam!: Fury of the Gods” earning $30.5 million in its opening weekend. While launching in first place is always a good thing, this is an extremely disappointing weekend for the “Shazam” sequel. The original 2019 film earned $53.5 million in its first weekend, meaning “Fury of the Gods” has opened at a 43% deficit. Combine this with tepid critical reception and a lukewarm “B+” CinemaScore, a large drop seems to be on the horizon. Many have pointed fingers to the DC Universe’s ongoing restructuring for this depleted opening, as consumers are aware the “DCEU” is unraveling behind the scenes. This is certainly likely. Warner Bros. also likely did not invest as much into marketing it, knowing “Shazam!” wouldn’t tie in with the “DCU” headed by James Gunn and Peter Safran. Nonetheless, with a reported $125 million, even considering that decreased marketing investment, “Shazam!: Fury of the Gods” is on track for at least a $100 million loss.
Second place is “Scream VI” with a $17.5 million weekend gross. The sequel fell 60.6% in its second weekend, typically a steep drop but relatively strong for a horror film. This pushed its domestic total north of $76 million. With a reported $35 million production budget, factoring in an approximate $30 million marketing budget, “Scream VI” has around a $140 million breakeven point. With $116 million worldwide thus far, the horror sequel should be able to guarantee a profit in the next few weeks. With this, expect many more “Scream” films in the future.
Coming in third is “Creed III” with another $15.4 million this past weekend. This marked a 44% drop, as the film increased its domestic accumulation to $127 million. A 44% drop in a third weekend is relatively strong, likely boosted by “Creed III”’s strong critical and audience reception. As we mentioned in the previous column, the sequel needs to earn around $272 million worldwide to break even. With $224 million earned thus far, “Creed III” looks like it will win that fight in the next few weeks.
In fourth and fifth place lie “65” and “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” with $5.85 million and $4 million respectively. “65” fell 53% in its second weekend to increase its total to $22.4 million. With reportedly at least a $45 million budget, “65” looks like it is guaranteed to end up in the red. The third “Ant-Man” film fell 43% in its fifth weekend to extend its domestic earnings to $205 million. While it is the largest domestic earner of 2023 thus far, this is a disappointing run for the Marvel Studios film. It is not likely to profit with its reported $200 million budget.
Next weekend brings the release of “John Wick: Chapter 4.” The Keanu Reeves-led action thriller currently sits at 93% on Rotten Tomatoes. The franchise has increased its opening with each installment and I expect that to continue. I predict “John Wick: Chapter 4” will open with a $68 million weekend.
Will “Shazam!: Fury of the Gods” catch a spark or will “John Wick: Chapter 4” continue the franchise’s legacy?
As always, we shall see.
