Box Office Recap: February 2-4, 2024

Argylle claims phyrric victory at the box office, while The Chosen series returns to theaters with a strong Season 4 debut.

Argylle may have taken the box office crown this past weekend, but it came at a great cost, with the massively budgeted, all-star studded flick only managing an $18 million debut. Also opening, the hit faith-based series The Chosen debuted the first three episode of its fourth season in theaters and claimed second place with a respectable $6+ million opening. Elsewhere, on the milestone front, the box office hit Wonka surpassed the $200 million mark domestically.

Winning first place, Universal Pictures’s Argylle fell comfortably within its opening weekend projections of $15-20 million, finishing with an $18.0 million domestic debut. The spy action comedy, which was helmed by Kick-Ass and Kingsman director Matthew Vaughan, opened in 3,605 locations, earning a per-theater average of $4,993. Internationally, the Henry Cavill led actioner earned an additional $17.30 million to help push its total worldwide opening to $35.30 million against a reported production budget of $200 million.

It’s that final piece of information right there, though, that should give Universal an immediate cause for concern. A $35 million debut is great… if you’re Night Swim or Mean Girls, both of which have benefited from moderately low price tags ranging between $10-30 million. Argylle’s production costs begin at $200 million and only get higher when you factor in the additional print/advertising and overhead costs. That means, conservatively, Argylle has to make roughly between $400-500 million just to break even. While the negative critic response won’t be the main determining factor in its performance through the oncoming weeks, the middling “C+” CinemaScore from opening weekend viewers more than likely will, especially when considering the competition is only gonna be getting stiffer as the weeks go by.

In the runner-up spot, The Chosen: Season 4 – Episodes 1-3 received its premiere through Fathom Events and debuted with $6.04 million domestically. The hit faith-based series, which chronicles the lives of Jesus’s followers throughout his ministry, opened in 2,263 locations, earning a per-theater average of $2,667. As of now, Season 4 has earned $7.47 and will continue in theaters until Episodes 4-6 are released in two weeks on Valentine’s Day weekend. From there, the episodes are expected to be moved over to streaming through the Angel Studios app.

Finishing in third, Amazon MGM Studios’s The Beekeeper pulled in $5.29 million domestically over its fourth weekend in release, pushing its total domestic run to $49.43 million. This marks a drop of -20.9% from its prior frame, earning a per-theater average of $1,613 at 3,277 locations. Internationally, the Jason Statham led action thriller earned $73.10 million for a global cume of $122.53 million against a reported production budget ranging between $50-60 million.

In fourth place, Warner Bros.’s Wonka continued its impressive run over its eighth weekend in release. The musical fantasy film earned $4.77 million domestically to help move its total domestic haul past the $200 million plateau with $201.12 million. This marks an soft drop of just -15.8% from its previous weekend frame, earning a per-theater average of $1,642 at 2,901 locations. Overseas, the Willy Wonka prequel, which stars Academy Award nominee Timothee Chalamet, earned $370.60 million, pushing its total global run to $571.72 million against a reported production budget of $125 million.

Rounding out the top five, Universal and Illumination’s Migration earned $4.11 million domestically over its seventh weekend in release, moving its total domestic performance to $106.18 million. This marks a soft drop of only -16.1% from its prior weekend frame, earning a per-theater average of $1,452 at 2,830 locations. Internationally, the animated adventure comedy has taken in an additional $115.71 million for a global cume of $221.89 million against a production budget of $72 million.

Opening this weekend, Focus Features releases Academy Award-winning writer Diablo Cody’s teen horror rom-com Lisa Frankenstein starring Kathryn Newton, Cole Sprouse and Carla Gugino.

* Total estimated worldwide gross listed in parenthesis, new releases listed in bold.

1) Argylle – $18.0 million, Week 1 ($35.30 million)
2) The Chosen: Season 4 – Episodes 1-3 – $6.04 million, Week 1 ($7.47 million)
3) The Beekeeper – $5.29 million, Week 4 ($122.53 million)
4) Wonka – $4.77 million, Week 8 ($571.72 million)
5) Migration – $4.11, Week 7 ($221.89 million)
6) Mean Girls – $4.0 million, Week 4 ($92.69 million)
7) Anyone but You – $3.50 million, Week 7 ($151.78 million)
8) American Fiction – $2.30 million, Week 8 ($15.01 million)
9) Poor Things – $2.13 million, Week 9 ($68.28 million)
10) Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom – $2.02 million, Week 7 ($423.49 million)

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