Weekend Box Office: GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3 Crosses $500M Global
Photo Credits: Disney & Marvel Studios ("Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3"); Focus Features ("Book Club 2 - The Next Chapter")
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Last weekend, the Disney and Marvel Studios superhero sequel debuted with $118.4M. While that was +25% above 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy ($94.3M), it started -19% below 2017’s sequel Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 ($146.5M).
Now in its sophomore frame and without facing significant competition, the third installment easily repeats in first place, with a -49% decline to $60.5M. That’s the mildest percentage drop in the franchise, as both the original and Vol. 2 fell -55% in their sophomore frames.
In fact, it’s the third-mildest percentage drop among all 32 MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) films, behind only 2018’s Black Panther (-44%) and 2011’s Thor (-47%).
Among the 32 MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) films, it earned the #16 opening weekend, and now improves to the #13 sophomore weekend. Vol. 3 earned the #58 opening weekend of all time, and now improves to the #38 sophomore weekend of all time.
Vol. 3 has earned $315.6M overseas and $528.8M globally, led by $58.4M in China.
For comparison, the first installment earned $770.8M globally, the second installment improved to $869.0M. It’s possible that Vol. 3 might not reach either of those numbers.
In China specifically, the first installment earned $86.3M, then the second installment improved to $99.3M. It’s similarly that Vol. 3 might not reach either of those numbers, either.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Weekend
In its sixth frame, Universal’s animated video game adaptation declines -30% to $13.0M, repeating in second place.
It’s now earned the:
#32 “traditional” three-day opening weekend of all time ($146.3M)
#17 five-day start of all time, since it opened on a Wednesday instead of a Friday ($204.6M)
#7 sophomore weekend of all time ($92.3M)
#7 third weekend of all time ($59.9M)
#6 fourth weekend of all time ($40.8M)
#17 fifth weekend of all time ($18.5M)
Now, the #28 sixth weekend of all time
Among animated films specifically, it’s now earned the:
#3 opening weekend of all time, behind 2019’s The Lion King ($191.7M) and 2018’s Incredibles 2 ($182.6M)
#1 sophomore frame of all time, beating the prior record holder, 2019’s Frozen II with $86.0M
#1 third frame of all time, beating the prior record holder, 2018’s Incredibles 2 with $46.4M
#1 fourth frame of all time, beating the prior record holder, 2018’s Incredibles 2 with $28.4M
#3 fifth frame of all time, behind 2013’s Frozen ($19.6M) and 2016’s Zootopia ($19.3M)
#6 sixth frame of all time, behind:
2013’s Frozen ($28.5M) 1995’s Toy Story ($19.3M) 2019’s Frozen II ($16.8M) 2016’s Zootopia ($14.3M) 1994’s The Lion King ($14.0M)
Domestic total
With $535.9M to date domestically, Mario ranks as the #15 biggest film of all time.
Among animated films specifically, it ranks #3 all time domestically, behind only:
2018’s Incredibles 2 ($608.5M) 2019’s The Lion King ($543.6M)
Among post-pandemic films, it ranks #4 domestically, behind only:
2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home ($814.1M) 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick ($718.7M) 2022’s Avatar: The Way of Water ($683.8M)
Overseas / global total
With $674.4M overseas and $1.21B globally, Mario ranks as the #24 biggest film of all time globally.
Among animated films specifically, Mario ranks as the #5 film of all time globally, behind only:
2019’s The Lion King ($1.66B) 2019’s Frozen II ($1.45B) 2013’s Frozen ($1.28B) 2018’s Incredibles 2 ($1.24B)
Among post-pandemic films, it ranks #4 globally, behind only:
2022’s Avatar: The Way of Water ($2.31B) 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home ($1.92B) 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick ($1.49B)
Book Club: The Next Chapter
Focus Features’ comedy sequel opened on the lower end of Boxoffice PRO’s pre-release projection, with a $6.5M debut in third place. It’s also far below the openings of some other similar “elderly comedies” of recent years, including its predecessor:
-52% below 2018’s Book Club ($13.5M)
-48% below February’s 80 for Brady ($12.7M)
-60% below 2013’s Last Vegas ($16.3M)
-45% below 2017’s Going in Style ($11.9M)
-63% below 2015’s The Intern ($17.7M)
Chapter earned a “B” CinemaScore, lower than the “A-” for the original Book Club.
The estimated audience demographics were 77% female, slightly lower than the original film’s 80% female opening. Chapter debuted with $3.1M overseas and $9.6M globally.
Love Again
Last weekend, Sony Pictures’ romantic comedy didn’t sing, with a $2.3M debut in fifth place. That was on the lowest end of Boxoffice PRO’s pre-release projection, which was in the $2M to $5M range. It’s also below virtually every other wide release romantic comedy of the past decade. Most debuted above $10M, though a few started below that – but really, none as low as $2.3M. Now in its sophomore frame, it redeems itself a bit, declining only -35% to $1.5M and eighth place.
That’s one of the mildest romantic comedy sophomore drops in recent memory, milder than:
2019’s Long Shot (-36%)
2022’s Ticket to Paradise (-40%)
2017’s Home Again (-40%)
2019’s What Men Want (-41%)
2019’s Last Christmas (-43%)
2016’s Trainwreck (-43%)
2014’s Blended (-43%)
2016’s Bridget Jones’s Baby (-46%)
2019’s Isn’t It Romantic (-50%)
2013’s Don Jon (-52%)
2022’s Marry Me (-53%)
2016’s How to be Single (-54%)
2016’s The Perfect Match (-54%)
2013’s Baggage Claim (-55%)
However, it’s slightly steeper than for:
2013’s About Time (-30%)
2014’s Magic in the Moonlight (-32%)
2017’s The Big Sick (-34%)
Read Boxoffice PRO’s interview with Love Again writer-director Jim Strouse here:
https://www.boxofficepro.com/near-far-wherever-you-are-writer-director-jim-strouse-finds-his-inner-nora-ephron-with-rom-com-love-again/
Elsewhere at the box office
Ketchup Entertainment’s thriller Hypnotic, starring Ben Affleck, opened with $2.3M in sixth place. That’s below the openings of even some other Affleck underperformers of recent years: -50% below 2021’s The Last Duel ($4.7M) and -53% below 2015’s Live by Night ($5.1M).
Sony Pictures’ fantasy action adaptation Knights of the Zodiac opened with $535K. The film was only playing in 586 theaters, less than one-seventh the reach of the widest release in the marketplace.
Lionsgate’s John Wick: Chapter 4 has now earned $182.9M total. That’s +7% above the final total of 2019’s John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum ($171.0M), and +11% through the same point in release ($165.1M).
Warner Bros.’ Evil Dead Rise has now earned $60.1M total. That’s +11% above the final total of 2013’s Evil Dead ($54.2M), and +16% through the same point in release ($51.8M).
Weekend comparisons
Total box office this weekend came in around $99.2M, which is:
Weekend Total This weekend is: Leader Last weekend $159.8M -38% Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 ($118.4M) Same weekend in 2022 $91.7M +8% Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, second frame ($61.7M) Same weekend in 2019 $168.2M -41% Avengers: Endgame, third frame ($63.2M)
YTD comparisons
Year-to-date box office stands around $2.92B, which is:
Year YTD total 2023 YTD now: 2023 YTD after last weekend: Trend 2022 $2.25B +29.6% +35.1% Down 2019 $3.92B -25.4% -25.0% Down
Top distributors
Grouped by parent company, the YTD leaders are:
Universal + Focus Features: $916.8M Disney + 20th Century + Searchlight + Star: $744.3M Lionsgate: $296.8M Paramount : $259.3M MGM + United Artists + Amazon Studios : $231.4M Sony Pictures + Sony Classics + Crunchyroll : $186.5M Warner Bros.: $157.1M
Disney looks poised to likely retake the lead in May or June, thanks to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and The Little Mermaid.
Sunday’s Studio Weekend Estimates:
Source: Boxoffice Pro
