Don't Worry Darling overcame some bad buzz to have a strong debut on top.
As mentioned here before, there was a lot of concern about Hollywood's August/September lineups, which were high in films not based on previous ISP and low on special effects-driven spectacles based on comic books. And, for a few weeks, those concerns seemed justified. However, two of those original films have now had near-identical back-to-back openings that, while well below what movies opening in July were bringing in, are still quite solid and suggest that the reports of the death of moviegoing might have been greatly exaggerated.
After The Woman King opened to $19.1 million last week, the somewhat controversial period thriller Don't Worry Darling took in $19.4 million this week, despite numerous reports about the film's tense shoot, which seemed to feature director Olivia Wilde feuding with star Florence Puge, Wilde feuding with the film's original male lead Shia LeBeouf, male lead Harry Styles maybe spitting on co-star Chris Pine at the film's premiere, and a slate of reviews complaining that the film was style over substance. There is some concern that Darling is front-loaded, as it lost a chunk of business from Friday to Saturday. But short of a complete collapse, no one should worry about the film making less than $50 million.
Holding decently for an action film, Woman King slipped to second this weekend with $11 million. The Viola Davis-led drama has a ten-day total of $36.2 million. It still seems likely to be heading north of $60 million.
Back in December 2009, Avatar, with its outstanding special effects and groundbreaking immersive 3D experience, proved to be a massive audience draw, as the film, directed by James Cameron, dethroned the last film directed by James Cameron, Titanic, from its spot as the highest-grossing film of all time, a spot it would hold until Star Wars: The Force Awakens passed it in 2015 (it is now 4th all-time). Its reputation hasn't exactly held up over the years, as critics complained that those effects hid what was a pretty cliched story. Still, after 13 years, we're finally getting a sequel in December (Avatar: The Way of Water, the first film James Cameron has directed since Avatar), and in order to prime the pump, Disney (which now owns Fox, which released the first one) sent the original back into theaters. It proved surprisingly successful, taking in $10.5 million. The re-release is advertised as a two-week promotion, but I wouldn't be surprised to see it extended if the film continues to do solid business.
In fourth, Barbarian continues to put up some decent numbers, taking in $4.8 million for a total of $28.5 million. Comedy-mystery See How They Run continues to struggle, pulling in $1.9 million for a ten-day total of $6.1 million. Horror thriller Pearl also isn't doing too well, taking in an almost-identical $1.9 million for a ten-day total of $6.6 million.
Long-runners make up the rest of the Top 10. Bullet Train made $1.8 million to bring its total to $99.3 million, and seems poised to finally cross the $100 million mark by next weekend. DC League of Super-Pets made $1.7 million for a total of $90 million. Top Gun: Maverick made $1.6 million to bring its total to $711.6 million, and Minions: The Rise of Gru made $1.1 million for a total of $365.6 million. Outside the Top 10, David Bowie documentary Moonage Daydream is now up to a ten-day total of $2.6 million.
This weekend, a pair of movies will challenge Don't Worry Darling's claim for the #1 spot. Bros is a raunchy romcom starring Billy Eichner as a commitment-phobe who stumbles into a relationship with a guy way out of his league (Luke Macfarlane). LGBT romcoms rarely get a wide theatrical release. Love, Simon, which was explicitly marketed as one, earned about $40 million in 2018, while Booksmart, which wasn't, made nearly $23 million in 2019. Also opening is the creepy-looking horror film Smile, starring Sosie Bacon, best known for her supporting roles on Mare of Eastown and 13 Reasons Why, playing a therapist who is saddled with a curse causing her to see people...well, see the title. Also opening, and aiming for a spot lower in the Top 10, is The Good House, a romantic drama marking the third pairing of Sigourney Weaver and Kevin Kline (after Dave and The Ice Storm) and the Bollywood movies Ponniyin Selvan and Vikram Vedha. Will Smile be smiling brightly this weekend? Will Bros attract enough of them for the top spot? Or does Darling have nothing to worry about? We'll find out next weekend.
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