This weekend, five new films debuted in North American theaters, but the overall box office performance was lackluster, potentially marking the lowest-grossing weekend of the year. The total ticket sales for the weekend are estimated at around $54 million.
Leading the new releases was “Novocaine,” starring Jack Quaid, which generated approximately $8.7 million. Released by Paramount Pictures in over 3,300 locations, the film received generally favorable reviews, holding an 82% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, while audience feedback resulted in a B CinemaScore.
Close behind, “Mickey 17,” a science fiction film directed by Bong Joon Ho and featuring Robert Pattinson, and the spy thriller “Black Bag,” directed by Steven Soderbergh, both reported earnings of $7.5 million. “Mickey 17” remains in 3,807 theaters but saw a steep 60% decline from its opening, bringing its domestic total to $33.3 million. In contrast, “Black Bag” opened in 2,705 locations with a strong 97% Rotten Tomatoes score and a B CinemaScore.
The animated feature “The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie” brought in $3.2 million, while the faith-based film “The Last Supper” earned $2.8 million. Both films underperformed compared to Disney’s “Captain America: Brave New World,” which continued to generate revenue with $5.5 million in its fifth weekend.
The A24 release “Opus,” featuring Ayo Edebiri and John Malkovich, opened outside the top ten with around $1 million from 1,764 screens. Analysts noted that while the box office started strong earlier this year, recent trends have seen several weekends fail to surpass the $60 million mark, leading to a 5% year-to-date deficit in ticket sales. Looking ahead, industry experts anticipate a potential resurgence with the release of “Snow White” next weekend.