In its second weekend, “Don’t Worry Darling” saw a 62% decline.
Just like the previous weekend, this one is dominated by first-run theatrical releases as well. Let’s take a moment to appreciate that, especially after a summer movie season that, much like the summers of the past few years, featured more than its fair share of prequels, sequels, and spinoffs of popular intellectual property. With an estimated opening weekend gross of $22 million, the horror film Smile is continuing Paramount’s winning streak at the box office this year. Has any other studio hedged its bets more intelligently than Paramount?
After seeing how well the film performed in test screenings, Paramount made the decision to distribute it in traditional cinemas rather than streaming services. Something very similar took place with the recent word-of-mouth hit Barbarian, which was a rare 20th Century Studios title that Disney, the parent company of 20th Century Studios, decided to release theatrically after recognizing the potential in the film.
Smile is a film directed by Parker Finn, starring Sosie Bacon, Kyle Gallner, Jessie T. Usher, Kal Penn, Caitlin Stasey, and Rob Morgan. The film is said to have a budget of approximately $17 million. It is clear that the studio’s brilliant marketing strategies were successful in creating buzz for the film, which is exactly what the studio wanted. Smile received a relatively low B- CinemaScore from audiences on its opening day, and referred to it as “an enjoyable, scary ride.”
The film dethroned the previous weekend’s champion, the psychological thriller Don’t Worry Darling, which was directed by Olivia Wilde and was projected to make $7.3 million in its second weekend of release. The pre-release controversy and the devoted fanbase of cast member Harry Styles guaranteed a solid opening last week; however, the film’s less-than-glowing reviews and a general sense of apathy are probably the main reasons for its 62% fall this weekend. The cumulative domestic total for Don’t Worry Darling is currently sitting at just a hair under $33 million.
The Woman King, a well-received historical drama directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, is projected to take the third spot with an estimated $7 million, marking a drop of only 36% from its opening weekend total. The movie, which stars Viola Davis and reportedly cost $50 million to produce, has raked in more than $46 million in revenue so far in the United States. The hoopla surrounding the awards will undoubtedly be beneficial to it in the long run. Bros, a romantic comedy produced by Universal, debuted in fourth place with an estimated $4.8 million in its first weekend of release.
When one considers that the production company was anticipating a debut in the high single digits or low double digits, one cannot help but feel that this is a disappointing outcome for the film, which was directed by Nicholas Stoller and stars Billy Eichner. The film has received positive reviews. The fact that the re-release of Avatar made it into the top five with an estimated $4.7 million in revenue demonstrates, once again, that there is a loyal fanbase for the franchise, despite the widespread consensus that the series has had no significant impact on culture. It’s also a good sign for the upcoming Avatar: The Way of Water release in December.
The historical epic from India Ponniyin Selvan: After making an initial prediction that I would finish fifth, I ended up finishing sixth on the first weekend of the competition. The movie is currently showing in 500 theatres, and its opening weekend is estimated to have brought in a total of $4.1 million in revenue. The period comedy Amsterdam directed by David O. Russell and starring a stellar cast will open in theatres the following weekend. You can watch our interview with Smile director Finn down below, and make sure to keep checking back for any further updates.
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