Box Office Recap: February 16-18, 2024
Bob Marley dominates Valentine’s/Presidents’ Day weekend while Madame Web unravels over its opening.
Leave it to Cupid to get moviegoers’ butts back into the theater seats. After the previous weekend’s tepid $29.10 million effort from its top ten, this past weekend’s top ten received a +132.5% spike, earning a combined $67.66 million. Between the opening competition, moviegoers opted for peace and love for the holiday weekend, opting to “get up and stand up” with the Bob Marley biopic Bob Marley: One Love instead of slinging it with Madame Web. Both films received extended runs for the Valetine’s/Presidents’ Day weekend, with the former debuting to the tune of $50+ million domestically and the latter opening softly with $25+ million domestically. Also opening, the explosive action thriller Land of Bad received a standard three-day weekend release, and debuted with anything but a bang, bringing in only $2 million domestically. Elsewhere, on the milestone front, both Wonka and Mean Girls surpassed the $600 million and $100 million marks worldwide, respectively.
Winning first place, Paramount Pictures’s Bob Marley: One Love opened with an extended five-day holiday run, grossing $27.70 million domestically for its standard three-day release and $51.07 million domestically for its extended run. The musical biopic – which is based on the late, iconic reggae singer – opened in 3,539 locations, earning a nice per-theater average of $7,827. Internationally, the film added $29.0 million to help bring its total worldwide debut to $80.07 million against a reported production budget of $70 million. While its production budget seems rather high compared to other recent musical biopics (e.g., both budgets for Bohemian Rhapsody and Rocketman ranged between $40-50 million), there appears to be no cause for concern whatsoever for the folks at Paramount. Not only has the film already edged out its budget in just its opening performance, but opening weekend moviegoers countered the mixed critical reception with an enthusiastic “A” CinemaScore, which could lead to strong legs over its continued run through positive word of mouth.
In the runner-up spot, Sony’s Madame Web also received an extended five-day run over the holiday weekend, bringing in $15.15 million domestically for its standard three-day release and $25.80 million domestically for its extended run. The Spider-Man spin-off debuted in 4,013 locations, earning a per-theater average $3,775. Internationally, the Dakota Johnson-led superhero flick matched its domestic haul with $25.70 for a worldwide cume of $51.50 million against a reported production budget of $80 million. Much like its fellow Sony Spider-Man Universe alum Morbius, Madame Web has a relatively modest budget to work with, at least by blockbuster comic book film standards. However, also like Morbius it has strong negative reception working against it. Not only has the film been panned by critics, the lukewarm “C+” CinemaScore from opening weekend viewers suggests a not so bright future for the film’s extended run.
Then again, while no box office smash itself, Morbius slowly but surely did go on to earn a final box office run of $167.46 million against a $75 million production budget. Again, that’s not great by any means, but not disastrous either, so time will tell if Madame Web can at least salvage a similar fate.
Finishing in third, Universal Pictures’s Argylle finished its third weekend in release with $4.72 million domestically, bringing its total domestic run to $37.30 million. This marks a -24.5% drop from its prior frame, earning a per-theater average of $1,294 at 3,647 locations. Internationally, action spy comedy earned $40.02 million for a global cume of $77.32 against a reported production budget of $200 million.
In fourth place, Universal and Illumination’s Migration continued its impressive run over its ninth weekend in release. Despite dropping 299 locations, the animated adventure comedy received a nice little bump of +27.7%, taking in $3.75 million domestically for a domestic cume of $116.08 million. Overseas, the film grossed $140.00 million, which brings its total worldwide performance to $256.08 against a reported production budget of $72 million.
Rounding out the top five, The Chosen: Season 4 continued its Fathom Events run through February with Episodes 4-6 opening to $3.44 million domestically. The continuation of the hit faith-based show premiered in 2,228 locations, earning a per-theater average of $1,545. So far, Episodes 4-6 have earned $4.22 million domestically and will continue to add to that number for another weekend until it is replaced by the season finale of Episodes 7-8 at the end of the month, February 29. From there, like the previous three episodes, it is expected to be moved over to the Angel Studios streaming app.
Elsewhere within the top ten, in sixth place, Warner Bros.’s Wonka achieved another milestone over its tenth weekend in release. The musical fantasy film took in $3.40 million domestically for a domestic cume of $209.82 million. Internationally, the Timothee Chalamet-led Willy Wonka prequel is nearing the $400 million mark with $395.10 million. Altogether, the film has surpassed the $600 million mark worldwide with $604.92 million against a reported production budget of $125 million.
Rounding out the entire top ten, The Avenue’s Land of Bad debuted with $1.80 domestically. The action thriller, starring Liam Hemsworth and Academy Award winner Russell Crowe, opened in 1,120 locations, earning a per-theater average of $1,607. The film also earned an additional $18.31k from overseas markets to bring its total worldwide run to $2.09 million against a reported production budget of $18 million.
One film of note outside the top ten, in eleventh place is Paramount Pictures’s Mean Girls. Though it brought in $1.10 million domestically, it was enough to finally put it over the $100 million plateau worldwide with $101.74 million against a reported production budget of $36 million.
Opening this weekend, Focus Features will release their crime caper Drive-Away Dolls from Oscar-winning filmmaker Ethan Cohen and starring Margaret Qualley, Geraldine Viswanathan, Pedro Pascal, Academy Award nominee Colman Domingo and Academy Award winner Matt Damon; and Lionsgate debuts their faith-based drama Ordinary Angels starring Academy Award winner Hilary Swank, Alan Ritchson and Nancy Travis.
* Total estimated worldwide gross listed in parenthesis, new releases listed in bold.
1) Bob Marley: One Love – $27.70 million, Week 1 ($80.07 million)
2) Madame Web – $15.15 million, Week 1 ($51.50 million)
3) Argylle – $4.72 million, Week 3 ($77.32 million)
4) Migration – $3.75 million, Week 9 ($256.08 million)
5) The Chosen: Season 4 – Episodes 4-6 – $3.44 million, Week 1 ($4.22 million)
6) Wonka – $3.40 million, Week 10 ($604.92 million)
7) The Beekeeper – $3.25 million, Week 6 ($143.85 million)
8) Anyone but You – $2.42 million, Week 9 ($189.32 million)
9) Lisa Frankenstein – $2.03 million, Week 2 ($8.02 million)
10) Land of Bad – $1.80 million, Week 1 ($2.09 million)
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