The domestic box office is on a hot streak as it continues to recover from the impacts the peak of the pandemic had on the film industry. According to box office tracking site The Numbers, the combined gross of this past weekend’s top ten films was more than $100 million, the ninth straight weekend with those types of numbers. The last time the box office had a run that long was the fall of 2019, beginning in October with Joker’s $96 million opening weekend. Movie theaters were filled with such films as Abominable, It: Chapter Two, Downton Abbey, and Hustlers at that time, providing a wide variety of different offerings to audiences of all ages.
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The same can be said of the most recent box office weekend, with the top ten films being an eclectic mix for moviegoers to enjoy. Nope and The Black Phone are filling the horror and science fiction quota, while audiences looking for more dramatic films are going to see Where the Crawdads Sing, Elvis, and Mrs. Harris Goes to Parris. In addition, multi-million dollar blockbusters are continuing to make their presence felt, as Thor: Love and Thunder, Top Gun: Maverick, and Jurassic World: Dominion remain in the top ten. Animated fare like Minions: The Rise of Gru and Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank are connecting with younger audiences as well, rounding out a top ten that’s been much more balanced over the last few weeks.
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Can the Box Office Sustain Its Momentum Heading Into the Fall?
Warner Bros. Pictures
With the summer starting to wind down, the big question is whether the box office will be able to sustain the momentum it’s had since the release of Top Gun: Maverick on May 27. While the next two weekends include high-profile releases from major studios, neither are surefire bets to open over, or even close to, $100 million. DC League of Super Pets hits theaters this weekend, featuring an all-star voice cast of Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Keanu Reeves, John Krasinski, and many more. As mentioned previously, animated films have been finding success this year, and the DC brand should provide an extra boost, but Super Pets may not be able to find a strong foothold in a crowded marketplace.
The following weekend’s big offering is Sony’s Bullet Train, a high-octane action flick with a stacked cast of A-list talent. While the inclusion of Brad Pitt, Sandra Bullock, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and music superstar Bad Bunny definitely make Bullet Train a buzz-worthy title, critical and audience reception will play a big role in how well the film performs. After Bullet Train, the rest of August looks to be pretty quiet, as does the majority of September. Films like Beast, The Woman King, or Don’t Worry, Darling could make splashy debuts, but their releases are more spaced out than the constant barrage of new films that came out in the early part of the summer. While the past few months have been very positive for the box office, we may be heading for a lull before major blockbusters like Black Adam, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and Avatar: The Way of Water premiere later this year.
The top ten films for the July 22 weekend are as follows:
Nope - $44M
Thor: Love and Thunder - $22.1M
Minions: The Rise of Gru - $17.7M
Where the Crawdads Sing - $10.3M
Top Gun: Maverick - $10M
Elvis - $6.3M
Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank - $3.8M
The Black Phone - $3.4M
Jurassic World: Dominion - $2.9M
Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris - $1.3M
