LOS ANGELES (AP) — It’s August, and horror and humor have arrived.
In a month that has long been known for allowing bolder films to thrive, the highly anticipated horror feature from Zach Cregger, “Weapons,” did not disappoint, topping the box office over its opening weekend with $42.5 million domestically across 3,202 theaters. It grossed $70 million internationally.
The film’s success also gave its distributor, Warner Bros. Pictures, the seventh number-one debut of the year, and it became the studio’s sixth consecutive film to open with over $40 million domestically.
“Freakier Friday,” the chaotic Disney sequel to the 2003 classic “Freaky Friday,” took second place over its opening weekend, taking in $29 million across 3,975 North American theaters. Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis return, this time for a double body swap between the mother-daughter duo and Lohan’s teenage daughter and her future stepsister.
The viral marketing tactics, along with strong word-of-mouth promotion on social media, signaled strong prospects for both films, said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at data firm Comscore.
“The two lead films could not be more different, and that’s what makes this weekend so appealing to moviegoers,” Dergarabedian said. “Both are perfectly tailored so that their audiences react in real time over the weekend and then post about it on social media.”
“Weapons” whisks audiences to the small town of Maybrook, where 17 kids head out from their homes at 2:17 a.m., leaving parents bewildered. The town must navigate the lingering effects of trauma through horror, paranoia, and a dash of existential humor.
The film is the follow-up to Cregger’s solo directorial debut with the inventive 2022 horror “Barbarian.” That critically acclaimed movie opened slower and carried a smaller budget, but nevertheless topped the charts on its release with $10 million domestically and became a sensation in the genre.
“Weapons” generated a lot of buzz for its strong reviews (95% on Rotten Tomatoes).
“The internet is buzzing right now between Friday and today. You can just see people having a great time with it,” said Jeffrey Goldstein, Warner Bros.’ president of Global Distribution. “It starts with an exceptional film, an exceptional marketing campaign, and the release date was exceptional as well.”
The success of the horror-comedy double feature meant that “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” ceded its two-week hold on the top spot and dropped to third, taking in $15.5 million domestically. The superhero film enjoyed a strong domestic debut of $118 million, but stumbled in its second weekend.
“The Bad Guys 2,” which opened strongly at No. 2 over its opening weekend, finished in fourth place, earning $10.4 million domestically. “The Naked Gun” fared similarly, reaching fifth place with $8.4 million in North American theaters.
“Jurassic World Rebirth,” which arrived in seventh place this week, is expected to reach $800 million worldwide by Monday, according to NBC Universal, after a successful run at the box office.
Warner Bros. started the year slowly, but came back with the box-office hit “A Minecraft Movie,” which opened to $157 million domestically. Since then, films like “Sinners,” “Superman” and now, “Weapons,” have found success.
“The studio established a model for crafting a summer lineup that works,” Dergarabedian noted.
“Weapons” also joins a wave of successful horror films this year, with its opening numbers just behind “Final Destination: Bloodlines” and “Sinners.”
The Top Ten Domestic Box Office Films
With final domestic figures to be released on Monday, this list reflects estimated Friday-to-Sunday ticket sales at theaters in the United States and Canada, according to Comscore:
1. “Weapons,” $42.5 million.
2. “Freakier Friday,” $29 million.
3. “The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” $15.5 million.
4. “The Bad Guys 2,” $10.4 million.
5. “The Naked Gun,” $8.4 million.
6. “Superman,” $7.8 million.
7. “Jurassic World Rebirth,” $4.7 million.
8. “F1: The Movie,” $2.9 million.
9. “Together,” $2.6 million.
10. “Sketch,” $2.5 million.
