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28 Years Later: The Bone Templemay have received positive reviews from critics, but a slightly larger number of moviegoers opted to spend the holiday weekend watching“Avatar: Fire and Ash.”James Cameron’s blockbuster led the North American box officebox office chartsFor the fifth consecutive weekend, ticket sales reached $13.3 million, as reported by studio estimates on Sunday. The Walt Disney Company also marked another success as their Thanksgiving film “Zootopia 2” surpassed all previous records to become the top-grossing animated release by the Motion Picture Association.
Meanwhile, “The Bone Temple,” directed by Nia DaCosta, ranked second with $13 million as of Sunday. By the end of Monday’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday, it is anticipated to reach $15 million, still behind “Avatar’s” estimated $17.2 million. The movie, distributed by Sony Pictures and featuring Ralph Fiennes and Jack O’Connell, had a broad release this weekend across 3,506 theaters, fueled by excitement and favorable reviews. It currently holds a 93% score on Rotten Tomatoes, and 72% of audience members in a PostTrak poll stated they would “definitely recommend” the film. Considering its solid presence in the horror genre and its release in January, typically a time when lower-tier films are released, “The Bone Temple” could have performed better. Globally, it earned $16.2 million from 61 markets.
But maybe in a situation where there’s too much too soon, the sequel also arrives less than a year after the last one,“28 Years Later,”which generated $30 million in June. Before the weekend, “The Bone Temple” was anticipated to earn at least $20 million by Monday. Given a production cost of $63 million, not including marketing and promotion, it still has a significant path to reach profitability.
It’s one of those puzzling cases,” said Paul Dergarabedian, the head of marketplace trends for Comscore. “There could be some confusion among viewers. However, word-of-mouth could keep it going in this market, similar to what we witnessed with ‘The Housemaid’ and ‘Zootopia 2.’
Danny Boyle and Alex Garland, the creators behind “28 Days Later,” released in 2002, are also developing a third film in the series.
The third position was claimed by “Zootopia 2,” which earned $8.8 million during its eighth week. As of now, the film’s worldwide earnings stand at $1.7 billion, making it the top-grossing MPA animated film ever. The MPA classification excludes the Chinese hit “Ne Zha 2,” which has generated more than $2.2 billion. “Zootopia 2” has also become the ninth highest-grossing film globally.
One of the other top box office hits recently,” The Housemaid” came in fourth with $8.5 million. This Lionsgate film, which cost just $35 million to produce, has earned almost $250 million globally.
Completing the top five was“Marty Supreme,”Which became A24’s top-grossing film in North America with a total earnings of $79.7 million, surpassing “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” Josh Safdie’s 1950s-style high-octane movie could see an additional boost once the Oscar nominations are revealed on Thursday.
“Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” and “The Two Towers” returned to cinemas over the weekend, both ranking in the top 10, with earnings of $3.6 million and $2.4 million respectively.
Beyond the top 10, Focus Features’ “Hamnet,” which wonbest dramaand best female actor for Jessie Buckley at the Golden Globes over the weekend and is seen as another leading Oscar candidate, was released in 718 locations this weekend, earning $1.3 million by Sunday.
Top 10 films based on domestic box office revenue
With the final domestic numbers announced on Tuesday, this list includes the projected ticket sales from Friday to Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, as reported by comScore:
1. “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” generating $13.3 million.
2. “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple,” with a budget of $13 million.
3. “Zootopia 2,” $8.8 million.
4. “The Housemaid,” $8.5 million
5. “Marty Supreme,” priced at $5.5 million.
6. “Primate,” $5 million.
7. “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” generating $3.6 million.
8. “Greenland 2: Migration,” generating $3.4 million.
9. “Anaconda,” $3.2 million.
10. “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers,” generating $2.4 million.