28 Years Later: The Bone Templemay have received positive reviews from critics, but a slightly larger number of moviegoers opted to use the holiday weekend to catch up with“Avatar: Fire and Ash.”James Cameron’s blockbuster led the North American chartsbox office chartsThe fifth consecutive weekend saw ticket sales reach $13.3 million, as reported by studio estimates on Sunday. The Walt Disney Company also marked another achievement, with their Thanksgiving film “Zootopia 2” becoming the top-grossing animated release under the Motion Picture Association.
In the meantime, “The Bone Temple,” directed by Nia DaCosta, secured second position with $13 million by Sunday. By the end of Monday’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday, it is anticipated to reach $15 million, yet it will still be 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 survey stated they would “definitely recommend” the film. Considering its placement within the horror genre and its release in January, typically a time when lower-quality films are released, “The Bone Temple” could have performed better. Globally, it earned $16.2 million from 61 markets.
However, in a situation where there is too much too soon, the sequel also arrives less than a year after the last release,“28 Years Later,”which generated $30 million in June. As the weekend approached, “The Bone Temple” was anticipated to earn a minimum of $20 million by Monday. Given a production cost of $63 million, excluding marketing and promotion, it still has a significant path to reach profitability.
It’s one of those puzzling situations,” said Paul Dergarabedian, head of marketplace trends at 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 movie ever. The MPA status excludes the Chinese hit “Ne Zha 2,” which has generated more than $2.2 billion. “Zootopia 2” is now the ninth highest-grossing film globally.
“Housemaid,” one of the other top hits recently, secured fourth position with $8.5 million in revenue. Produced for just $35 million, the Lionsgate film has earned almost $250 million globally.
Completing the top five was“Marty Supreme,”which marked A24’s most successful North American release with a total earnings of $79.7 million, surpassing “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” Josh Safdie’s fast-paced mid-20th century film 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 this weekend, both making it into the top 10 with earnings of $3.6 million and $2.4 million respectively.
Beyond the top 10, Focus Features’ “Hamnet,” which wonbest dramaand top 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 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. “Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers,” generating $2.4 million.
Lindsey Bahr, Associated Press