Box Office Recap: March 10-12, 2023
Scream VI slays the box office, while sci-fi actioner 65 exceeds opening weekend expectations.
Audiences responded to Ghostface’s question of “Do you like scary movies?” with a resounding yes, as the new installment of the Scream series scored a $40+ million domestic debut, making it the franchise’s highest opening ever. Meanwhile, the heartwarming, Woody Harrelson-led sports comedy Champions received a soft $5 million opening and Adam Driver’s sci-fi flick 65 managed to outperform expectations with a $12 million debut.
Finishing first, Paramount’s Scream VI scared up a domestic opening of $44.5 million, taking in an impressive per-theater average of $12,108 at 3,675 locations. For comparison, the franchise’s next highest opening belongs to 2000’s Scream 3 ($34.7 million), followed closely in third by 1997’s Scream 2 ($32.9 million) and then last year’s “requel” Scream ($30.0 million). Along with positive reviews from critics, the sixth entry of the famed slasher horror series also received favorable feedback from viewers, who gave it a “B+” CinemaScore. Additionally, the film earned $22.6 million from international markets, which pushes its total worldwide opening to $67.1 million against a reported production budget of $35 million.
Looking ahead, Scream VI will be facing some heavy competition through the remainder of March with Shazam! Fury of the Gods, John Wick: Chapter 4 and Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, though it still could serve as counter-programming for horror fans that may not be drawn to those films. Time will tell, but the fact that it has already nearly doubled its production budget in just its opening weekend is a great sign for it. And if last year’s Scream is any indicator, it opened with $30.0 million domestically, received similar critic/audience feedback, and went on to gross $137.7 million worldwide against a $24 million production budget.
Landing in the runner-up spot, Creed III finished its sophomore weekend run with $27.2 million domestically, moving its total domestic run past the $100 million mark with $101.4 million. This marks a -53.4% drop, earning a per-theater average of $6,781 at 4,007 locations. Internationally, the ninth entry of the iconic Rocky franchise has, so far, grossed $78 million for a global cume that currently stands at $179.4 million against a reported production budget of $75 million.
Finishing in third, Sony’s 65 debuted with $12.3 million domestically, exceeding its pre-release expectations of $7-9 million by roughly $5 million. The sci-fi actioner, which stars Academy Award nominee Adam Driver, opened in 3,405 locations and earned a per-theater average of $3,612. Additionally, the film grossed $8.5 million overseas to push its worldwide debut to $20.8 million against a reported production budget of $45 million. Despite its solid opening, especially considering the surrounding competition, its sub-par reception could drastically slow down its run. Critics weren’t kind and opening weekend viewers weren’t much more kinder either, giving the film a lukewarm “C+” CinemaScore. While we won’t really know for sure until we see how much it drops over its sophomore frame this next weekend, it’s not a good sign that it wasn’t received well by either critics or moviegoers and still has over halfway to go before even just matching its reported production budget.
In fourth place, Marvel’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania took in $7.0 million domestically for a domestic cume of $198.0 million. This marks a -45.4% drop from its previous weekend, earning a per-theater average of $2,254 at 3,105 locations. Overseas, the film has taken in $249.6 million for a worldwide cume of $447.6 million against a reported production budget of $200 million.
Rounding out the top five, Universal’s Cocaine Bear earned $6.2 million domestically, pushing its domestic run to $51.7 million. This marks a -44.3% drop from its prior frame, earning $1,935 at 3,204 locations. Internationally, the film has grossed $14.0 million, and altogether, has earned $65.7 million worldwide against a reported production budget ranging between $30-35 million.
Elsewhere within the top ten, in seventh place, Focus Features’s Champions, which stars Academy Award nominee Woody Harrelson and is directed by Bobby Farrelly of the famed Farrelly brothers duo, opened with $5.2 million domestically, earning a per-theater average of $1,700 at 3,028 locations. Additionally, the sports comedy made $827.0k overseas for a global cume of $6.0 million. While critical reception was mixed, audiences did give the film a near-perfect “A” CinemaScore, which could help it maintain steady legs over the course of its theatrical run.
Opening this weekend, Focus Features debuts their psychological thriller Inside, starring Academy Award nominee Willem Dafoe; and Warner Bros. will open Shazam! Fury of the Gods, the sequel to the 2019 DC comics superhero film Shazam!, which stars Zachary Levi, Lucy Liu and Academy Award winner Helen Mirren.
* Total worldwide gross listed in parenthesis.
1) Scream VI – $44.5 million, Week 1 ($67.1 million)
2) Creed III – $27.2 million, Week 2 ($179.4 million)
3) 65 – $12.3 million, Week 1 ($20.8 million)
4) Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania – $7.0 million, Week 4 ($447.6 million)
5) Cocaine Bear – $6.2 million, Week 3 ($65.7 million)
6) Jesus Revolution – $5.2 million, Week 3 ($39.5 million)
7) Champions – $5.2 million, Week 1 ($6.0 million)
8) Avatar: The Way of Water – $2.7 million, Week 13 ($2.29 billion)
9) Puss in Boots: The Last Wish – $1.7 million, Week 12 ($461.5 million)
10) Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre – $1.3 million, Week 2 ($36.7 million)
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