Warner Bros’ muscular box office run continues as Weapons stormed to the top of the charts in North America on an estimated $42.5m, one place ahead of Disney’s new release Freakier Friday, to ensure the studio’s last six films have each opened on more than $40m – a Hollywood record.
ComScore reported that the weekend generated an estimated $131m, with $5.6bn year-to-date tracking 7.6% ahead of 2024 by the same stage.
Weapons, the follow-up to Zach Cregger’s 2022 debut Barbarian, arrived on an A- CinemaScore and debuted via New Line in 3,202 locations. EntTelligence reported an estimated 2.8m audience and a 54%-46% male-female audience split.
Julia Garner and Josh Brolin star in the horror-mystery, which opens as parents in a small town wrestle with the unexplained disappearance of almost an entire class of schoolchildren who have fled their homes in the middle of the night.
Once again a film over-indexed on Imax, earning $6.2m from 410 screens for 15% of its overall box office. Imax said on Sunday morning that the strong performance meant Weapons will continue to play in most of its North American locations next weekend.
The robust opening weekend extends a winning streak at Warner Bros, whose theatrical releases generated more than $2bn worldwide from the three-month period that ended June 30. David Zaslav, CEO of parent company Warner Bros Discovery, said on an earnings call last week that the plan is to release 12-14 theatrical titles a year.
Freakier Friday opened solidly in second place via Disney on an estimated $29m from 3,975 locations. Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan reunite on the body swap comedy, reprising their roles from the 2003 remake of the 1976 original that starred Jodie Foster. Disney executives anticipate solid holds in the absence of female-skewing films until the end of August. EntTelligence reported an estimated 2.2m audience, with females comprising 67% of ticket-holders.
Disney/Marvel Studios reduced the footprint for The Fantastic Four: First Steps by 525 to 3,600 in the tentpole’s third weekend and it ranked third on $15.5m after a 60% drop, resulting in $230.4m.
The running total is not as high as one would have expected from the pre-Covid releases and accordingly the Phase Five films – notable exceptions being Deadpool & Wolverine from last year and Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 from 2023 – have been relatively muted. The MCU stable has suffered in recent years from so-called superhero fatigue, not helped by the intricacy of overarching plots that span the films and series.
Playing in its favour, The Fantastic Four: First Steps delivered a stripped-down plot and earned strong reviews. Executives know this is a secondary property from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) focusing on characters whom Marvel has never properly cracked, perhaps until now. The film currently stands at $434m and should cross $475m. The cast that is expected to grow into the MCU In the coming years and will return in Avengers: Doomsday next summer.
In addition, the rise of Disney+ has arguably impacted Disney’s theatrical performance: audiences know they will get to see the films on the platform several months down the line, which lessens the sense of urgency surrounding the cinema offering.
Universal/DreamWorks’ family animation The Bad Guys 2 placed fourth on $10.4m from 3,860, dropping 53% in its second session to stand at $43.4m. Paramount’s The Naked Gun reboot starring Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson ranked fifth and fell 50% in its second weekend, adding $8.4m from 3,363 for a $33m cumulative tally.
DC Studios’ Superman ranks sixth for Warner Bros and has vanquished The Fantastic Four to win the 2025 summer battle of the superheroes. It stands at $331.2m after five weekends. Jurassic World: Rebirth from Universal and F1 from Apple (distributed theatrically by Warner Bros) rank seventh and eighth, respectively, on $326.8m after six and $178.6m after seven sessions.
Neon’s Sundance horror acquisition Together starring Alison Brie and Dave Franco added $2.6m to place ninth following a 62% decline in the second weekend for $17.2m.
Angel Studios’ Sketch broke into the top 10 in its debut weekend. The TIFF 2024 acquisition earned $5m from 2,157 sites and stars Tony Hale, D’Arcy Carden, and Biana Belle in the story of a grieving single father whose daughter’s drawings take on a life of their own. Seth Worley directed.