Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Box Office

  • ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Becomes 10th Highest-Grossing Film of All Time Domestically

    ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Becomes 10th Highest-Grossing Film of All Time Domestically

    Ride into the danger zone, because Top Gun: Maverick has become the 10th highest-grossing film of all time domestically. The critically acclaimed sequel, directed by Joseph Kosinski, has officially beaten out 2017’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi to earn a place on the historic list. It does so with a current domestic total of $622 million at the box office, just passing the $620.2 million brought in by the eighth entry in The Skywalker Saga. Maverick joins a coveted group that also includes Spider-Man: No Way Home, Titanic, Jurassic World, and Avatar.

    The film is the second installment in a franchise that started back in 1986, with Tony Scott‘s original Top Gun. The only returning cast members from the first film are Tom Cruise, whose character headlines the sequel, and Val Kilmer, who appears in what could be one of his final film credits. Miles Teller co-stars as “Rooster,” the son of Anthony Edwards‘ deceased “Goose”, alongside Jennifer Connelly, Glen Powell, Jon Hamm, Monica Barbaro, and Lewis Pullman. The plot of Maverick sees Cruise‘s titular rogue pilot brought back to the Top Gun academy as a reluctant instructor, charged with prepping a new generation of graduates for a near-impossible mission.

    Top Gun: Maverick has been somewhat of a saving grace for the film industry, bringing audiences back to cinemas in droves after a dreary few years. The movie’s success also came as a bit of a surprise, with few people expecting the legacy sequel to compete with the likes of Marvel Studios and Hollywood’s other heavy-hitting franchise films. Its popularity can be attributed to a genuinely great final product, combined with the star power of Cruise, nostalgia for the iconic first adventure, and a 97% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Drops By 68% in its Second Weekend

    ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Drops By 68% in its Second Weekend

    Fans have all been keeping a close eye on where exactly Thor: Love and Thunder would end up in its second weekend. After quite the drop on its second Friday at 80%, the film still managed to pull in $46 million at the domestic box office. That makes for a 68% drop, which is higher than Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness‘ 67% drop. Still, the film grossed higher than its estimated $130 million, pulling in $144 million during its opening weekend. It’s also the same drop that Black Widow faced in its second weekend, as well as Spider-Man: No Way Home.

    The follow-up to 2017’sThor: Ragnarok now stands at $233.2 million in its second weekend and is about to cross the half billion mark worldwide. Globally, the film stands at $498 million. However, despite opening higher than Ragnarok‘s $122.7 million, Love and Thunder was not able to out-gross the film’s second-weekend earnings of $57 million. The drop could be an indicator moving forward if this remains a trend. The 68% drop is similar to that of other summer superhero blockbusters, such as Man of Steel (67.9%) and Fantastic Four (68.2%). And with Top Gun: Maverick raking in $1.2 billion, it is clear that Marvel is getting beaten at the box office this summer.

    It seems that general audiences are not connecting with Thor: Love and Thunder as much as they did Thor: Ragnarok. CinemaScore has given the film a general audience consensus of B+, compared to Ragnarok‘s A. However, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness also received a B+, and ended up grossing $950 million worldwide. Only time will tell if Love and Thunder will have the same momentum.

  • ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Passes $200M Internationally

    ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Passes $200M Internationally

    Thor: Love and Thunder has been an interesting release, as it was welcomed with some more mixed arms by viewers. While Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness also faced a similar fate, mostly due to its horror roots, the B+ CinemaScore didn’t stop it from reaching creeping closely to $950M. Now, Thor: Love and Thunder may not have opened to thunderous applause, its box office numbers are certainly impressive.

    Just a few days into its first week after a strong international and domestic opening weekend; only missing the third-highest grossing opening weekend of the year by a million. Now, the film has already passed $200M worldwide after pulling in $16.4M. It now stands at $203.5M domestically

    The film opened to a $2.9M bow in France, which was one of the last to release and is an impressive +53% ahead of Thor: Ragnarok‘s release. Only slightly behind Jurassic World Dominion, as we saw domestically as well. Korea is seemingly the one market that has slowed down quite a bit given it got a worse ranking there, which is surprising given its strong standing with previous entries.

    The film is likely to pass $200M domestically by Friday, which sets it up for a strong weekend that could be on the lowe rend of Marvel’s recent high drops. Still, it seems its overall weekend to day seven is on the lower spectrum of the multiplier. A big drop is expected in the second weekend around the 60%+ but leg it out throughout the rest of the summer.

    Even Minions: the Rise of Gru faced a surprising harsh drop in its second weekend with only Top Gun: Maverick defying all expectations. It already pulled in $178.9M and has passed F9‘s $173M. So, it’ll be interesting what the weekend has planned for the latest Marvel venture.

    Source: Box Office Pro, Twitter, Forbes

  • ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Pulls in $300M Worldwide, Third Highest Domestic Opening of 2022

    ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Pulls in $300M Worldwide, Third Highest Domestic Opening of 2022

    The numbers are finally in and it looks like even with what some deem mixed word-of-mouth, the film has already pulled in $300M worldwide. While the film is on the lower end of its predictions, the film pulled in $143M domestically, which is certainly shy of the $150M to $170M projections. In a way, it’s closer to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2‘s release which is fitting given some of the discussions surrounding the latest entry. Still, the film has pulled in the third highest opening of the year just behind fellow Marvel release Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Jurassic World: Dominion, which it was only $2M shy of passing it.

    As pointed out by Forbes Scott Mendelsohn, July releases aren’t as dominant as the pre-summer blockbuster releases and have showcased better legs. What is helping Marvel’s latest release is the fact that its only four-quadrant competition will be Black Adam in late October. While the smaller jump of 17% from Thor: Ragnarok isn’t their usual power push but the film wasn’t sold in the same way as the franchise changers like Captain America: Civil War and Multiverse of Madness.

    Even if it’s on the lower end of projections, closer to the conservative ones from Marvel and Disney, the big question is where does it head from here. A harsh drop in the second weekend has become a norm for the franchise, but if it does end up sticking around 60% like Spider-Man: Homecoming and Ant-Man and the Wasp could get it to $400M. Yet, that B+ CinemaScore is likely going to drag it down a bit as those films bounced back. Yet, the lack of any real competition outside of Bullet Train and still ongoing power players Minions 2 and Top Gun Maverick.

    At the moment, it does seem like the film will likely end domestically somewhere beyond $300M domestically. The film is also still showing a strong international release and won’t find its way to China and Russia, where the previous entry made around $135M. So, if the current film passes $715M worldwide it’ll still be a strong showing alongside other releases this year like No Time to Die ($774M) and The Batman ($770M). So the lowest bar to pass would be F9‘s $721M.

    Source: Forbes, Twitter

  • ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Eyeing to Surpass ‘Thor: Ragnarok’s Opening Weekend With $135M+

    ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Eyeing to Surpass ‘Thor: Ragnarok’s Opening Weekend With $135M+

    With the Friday number sin, we’re getting a better vision of where the box office for Thor: Love and Thunder is heading. After taking in a strong Thursday Preview with $29M, the film has ended up kicking off its box office run at around $69.5M on Friday, which includes the previews. As of now, it is seemingly heading towards a $135M with a potential $145M if it picks up some pace over the weekend. It’ll be the best opening for a Taika Waititi-directed project and even beat out Natalie Portman‘s best release which was Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith with $108M back in the day.

    It doesn’t seem like the film will potentially outpace Jurassic World: Dominion and will have to settle for the third biggest opening of the year so far. Still, the reopening for Marvel Studios’ first fourth entry in a franchise isn’t doing too badly as it’s ahead of the $122M opening for Thor: Ragnarok. While it’s unclear if it’ll surpass that film’s total box office, especially with the now CinemaScore B+ rating potentially slowing down its legs, the sequel still managed to reach $950M when it was initially released with a B+ rating. Still, the film has been doing pretty well overseas as well and is already on its way to $300M opening.

    there are quite a few theories going around on what this means for the Studio as it’s another B release after Strange and Eternals. Some are questioning if Marvel is overdoing it with Disney+ or generally if this is a sign of audiences being tired of the franchise. One could easily point to Deadline’s analysis from RelishMix which has looked at Social Media’s stirring with the controversy of Portman‘s return as a “gender-bent” version of the character and a surprising backlash to Waititi‘s trademark humor. With a horror film and a rom-com/comedy, it’s still a bit tough to really nail down if this is an issue on Marvel’s side or just everyone getting back into the swing of things.

    Source: Deadline, THR

  • ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Rumbles to Big International Opening

    ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Rumbles to Big International Opening

    Marvel Studios’ Thor: Love and Thunder is off to a thunderous start overseas. According to Deadline, the fourth Thor film opened to an estimated $15.7 million across 17 international box office markets including Korea, Australia, Italy and Germany. While that is approximately 39% ahead of Thor: Ragnarok, that is actually slightly under (24%) Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ opening. 

    In Korea, Thor: Love and Thunder managed to open with $3.1 million. That gives it the 5th highest opening day during the pandemic era. While in Australia, the fourquel opened to an estimated $3 million. That would give it the 2nd highest opening day during the pandemic, as well as the highest opening day of 2022 to date and the 5th biggest all-time opening day for a Marvel Cinematic Universe film in Australia.

    As for Indonesia, the film managed to score the best opening day during the pandemic era with a reported $1.6 million. In Italy, Love and Thunder took in an estimated $1.4 million giving it the 3rd highest opening day of the pandemic era, as well as the 2nd biggest opening of 2022. While Germany saw the film open to $1.2 million for the 4th highest opening during the pandemic era.

    Thor: Love and Thunder officially opens stateside tomorrow, while there are preview screenings underway as of today. Preview numbers should be unveiled tomorrow, helping to provide a better estimate for the marvelous film’s box office projections. As it stands, though, Love and Thunder is expected to open around $300 million at the worldwide box office this weekend.

    Source: Deadline

  • ‘Minions: The Rise of Gru’ Pulls in Massive $127.9M Domestically in 4 Days While ‘Lightyear’ Continues to Drop

    ‘Minions: The Rise of Gru’ Pulls in Massive $127.9M Domestically in 4 Days While ‘Lightyear’ Continues to Drop

    I think no one saw this coming but it seems that Minions: The Rise of Gru has pulled in an astonishing $108.51M in three days. As it was July 4th weekend, it has ended its total weekend run with $127.9M, which is now the second-best opening for any Despicable Me film with the original minions slightly ahead at $115.7M over three days. The exciting aspect is that this success on top of Top Gun: Maverick‘s continued hold is projecting this weekend as one that might even beat out 2019; something no one could’ve imagined when the pandemic took its toll. In a way, the final missing piece of the box office drive may have finally been brought back.

    Of course, upcoming releases could still hit some snags. Lightyear was a surprise hit for Pixar, which has been steadily losing momentum after only three weeks. It’s ironic given how Minions is also just a spinoff of an existing franchise, but it does have the advantage of having a direct connection, unlike Lightyear which only uses the name of one of the Toy Story franchise’s characters. Sadly, it seems that it may not even beat The Good Dinosaur‘s run in theaters, which was its worst performer so far. Still, Rise of Gru is way ahead of projections that had it at $75M with a second analysis moving closer to $100M.

    This success is also a good sign for Illumination’s future projects. While the IP has also landed on a specific meme status with people arriving in theaters in suits, they generally have been the face of the company. They have a few big projects on the way, especially their cooperation with Nintendo which will see the latest attempt at a cinematic experience starring everyone’s favorite plumber, Mario. So, we’ll see if the film can continue this hold going into its second weekend or also potentially face a harsher drop with the arrival of Thor: Love and Thunder.

    Source: The Numbers, THR

  • ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Joins the Billion Club Worldwide

    ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Joins the Billion Club Worldwide

    Top Gun Maverick was quite an impressive entry this year. While opening smaller, the film has refused to truly lost its momentum; ironic given its focus on jet-fueled action. It seemed like the perfect addition after the pandemic that just had an audience coming to theaters that were waiting for this kind of film. Tom Hanks is about to celebrate his 60th birthday and to truly kick it off, he has now nabbed his first $1 billion box office release with the new Top Gun film.

    The film pulled in $521.7M domestically and $484.7M internationally. As such, it is the first release in 2022 to pass that mark and the second from the pandemic era. It is now joining the nostalgia-filled Spider-Man: No Way Home in taking on this huge task and offering a sign that the box office is truly back to where it was in 2019. The pandemic has strongly influenced releases worldwide and no one expected for Top Gun to make that difference, but a pure adrenaline-pumping rollercoaster of a film like this might be just what audiences have been asking for.

    It’s overall been a good year for the box office. Earlier in the year, the Scream revival had a better than expected opening, The Batman took in $768M and left quite a mark for DC with an impressive opening. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness also surprised many as after a harsh drop, the film has been pulling in viewers and is inching its way to $950M before leaving theaters. While there have been some blunders like Morbius, the box office overall seems to be doing much better and it may get exciting with upcoming releases.

    Source: Deadline, The Numbers (The Batman), The Numbers (Doctor Strange)

  • ‘Elvis’ Opens to $30.5M as it Fights for Top Spot with ‘Top Gun: Maverick’

    ‘Elvis’ Opens to $30.5M as it Fights for Top Spot with ‘Top Gun: Maverick’

    The box office is certailny back and it’s been quite a rollercoaster ever since. What started off with a powerful bang back in December with Spider-Man: No Way Home, we’ve seen quite a few films pull in more and more viewers. Now, the top spot is being fought between the recent release of Elvis while Top Gun Maverick has not let go of its box office draw, as both are currently standing at $30.5M.

    It may change once the final numbers are in, but we’ve seen the best opening on a weekend since Thanksgiving 2018, as four films managed to open beyond $20M. Top Gun Maverick is also now at $521M nationally, which puts it as one of the best-holding films of quite a while. Similar to Jurassic World and Star Wars: The Force Awakens, there’s something really interesting about legacy sequels that draw in an audience over many repeat viewings.

    Elvis’ performance is also a sign for more music biopics in the future as not only did it make more than the hit Rocketman but it also has been quite a favorite with viewers. So, perhaps this year’s box office is all about the legacy of the red white, and blue even with public news dragging people down quite a bit.

    The big release of this weekend is also Black Phone starring Ethan Hawke as The Grabber. the latest horror release has pulled in an impressive $23M which is already great with its $18M budget. The classic horror B+ CinemaScore is also going to translate into legs that we’ve seen with other horror films like Get Out, Happy Death Day, and recently Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

    Source: Twitter, Variety

  • ‘Lightyear’ Loses to ‘Jurassic World 3’ While ‘Top Gun’ Continues to Soar

    ‘Lightyear’ Loses to ‘Jurassic World 3’ While ‘Top Gun’ Continues to Soar

    The numbers are in and, as sadly expected, Lightyear isn’t going to set the box office in flames. The Toy Story spinoff which isn’t necessarily an actual spinoff of the original franchise, but rather a fictional film that takes place in that same universe, has opened to $51M over the weekend. With a wide release in 4,255 North American which is on par with many current releases but it does seem like family audiences aren’t quite ready yet to return to theaters as initially hoped. David A. Gross, who runs Franchisee Entertainment Research, shared the following statement on its release:

    This is a soft opening for a spin-off of one of the most successful animation series of all time. ‘Toy Story’ defied gravity at the box office during its 27 year run, each episode topping the last, the last two clearing a billion dollars worldwide. But like all spin-offs, the ‘Lightyear’ story is narrower now.

    David A. Gross

    The early expectations had the film at around $70M but it’s sadly now going to be one of Pixar’s least successful releases, especially with a high production cost of $200M. Lightyear isn’t a sign of Pixar losing its draw at the box office, but more a reflection of the pandemic’s influence on younger audiences and Disney+’s strategy of using one of its biggest franchises to boost subscription numbers. Internationally the film has also been a lukewarm release with $34.6M, which puts it at an international release of $85.6M, which is a far cry from its initial expected $135M+.

    Jurassic World Dominion kept its dominance at the box office, as it held on to the top spot, but did face a harsh 60% drop in its second weekend. It’s not too far from Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness‘ 67% and highlights how these franchise films operate. With a lower opening than the Marvel Studios project, it reflects how these drops normally operate, but the dinosaur epic still generated $58.6M which is a strong release and now stands at $259M domestically.

    It’s second-weekend highlights even more how much Top Gun Maverick is an exception than the rule, as the film has taken a massive $44M in its latest weekend which is just a 15% drop. As such, it is the second-highest fourth weekend with the only exception being Avatar. The film is likely going to pass a billion in just a few weeks as it already stands at $885M and will likely become the highest-grossing film of the year very soon. It sparked the box office in a big way and is a testament to just how sudden some projects can pull in viewers.

    Source: Variety