The cash register continues to heat up as the summer season approaches.
Lighting and Universals The Super Mario Bros. movie remains a monster on the multiplex as it crosses the $400 million mark domestically and $866 million worldwide. It will easily win the weekend race in North America with projected revenue of $58 million for a domestic amount of $434 million through Sunday.
The film adaptation of the Nintendo video game plays more like a blockbuster for all audiences than an animated tentpole thanks to its multi-generational appeal, becoming the first movie of 2023 to join the billionaire club.
‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie by Illumination.
Thanks to Nintendo and Universal Studios
Warner Bros. comes in at a strong No. 2 at the domestic box office.’ new supernatural offerings Evil Dead Rise, the fifth installment in the cult series created by Sam Raimi. The film earned $10.4 from 3,402 locations on Friday for an expected opening of $25 million or more. That is far beyond expectations. Directed and written by Lee Cronin, the picture was embraced by critics and earned a B CinemaScore from audiences (which is a good grade for the horror genre).
Evil Dead Rise stars Lily Sullivan and Alyssa Sutherland as sisters in a twisted family tale of demonic possession. Morgan Davis, Gabrielle and Nell Fisher star.
The film was originally intended to go straight to HBOMax, but Warners changed course as part of its overall focus on theatrical, a mandate given when Warner Bros. Discovery chief David Zaslav took office.
Jake Gyllenhaal in Guy Ritchie’s ‘The Covenant’.
Christopher Raphael /© MGM /Courtesy of Everett Collection
Guy Ritchie The covenant will also open this weekend. Distributed by MGM, the military action thriller grossed $2.3 TK million from 2,611 theaters on Friday for an expected third-place finish of $6.1 million. The well-reviewed film earned an A CinemaScore from audiences.
The covenant stars Jake Gyllenhaal as a US Army sergeant who goes back to Afghanistan to rescue his former interpreter, played by Dar Salim, from the clutches of the Taliban.
The big headline in the special cash register is Ari Aster’s Beau is scared, which is expanding nationwide after getting off to a great start in four theaters last weekend. The mind-bending film, starring Joaquin Phoenix, is expected to gross $2.7 million or more from 926 locations. Beau is scared should come in No. 9.
Joaquin Phoenix in ‘Beau Is Afriad.’
Everett
Elsewhere, specialist distributor Focus Features’ decided to use Stephen Williams’ Knight nationwide from the start. The period drama stars Stephen Williams as Chevalier de Saint-Georges, the black French nobleman and conductor.
Knight may fall outside the top 10 on its debut with an expected $1.5 million from 1,275 theaters to place No. 11. It grossed $540,000 on Friday.
