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Box Office Mojo – The Business of Hollywood Thread
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And at no point does this supposedly professionally written article contemplate that Disney training its audience to wait for its films on D+ might impact their films’ cinema performance.
They do say the following, but I understand where you’re coming from:
So far, the “Star Wars” installment has generated $137.4 million domestically and $246.6 million globally. It’s found money in the eyes of cinema operators, who knew Disney could have dropped “The Mandalorian and Grogu” on its streaming service. For the studio, which produced the space opera spinoff for $165 million, movie theaters represent another revenue stream before the movie lands on Disney+ — not to mention the hordes of Grogu toy sales.
I haven’t seen the movie, but from reviews and viewer comments, this really should have been Season 4.
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Heh. Looks like Backrooms might overtake Mandalorian and Grogu, which would be very funny indeed (as we’re talking a 10 million vs. a 300 million budget).
God, I really want to see Backrooms, but I probably won’t be able to catch it in the theatre.
I really want to see Backrooms myself. I didn’t make it over the weekend but hope to very soon.
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Jared Leto continues his franchise-killing streak.
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Jared Leto continues his franchise-killing streak.
I saw a review that said Jared Leto was the best thing in it. Which sounds like a compliment at first…
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Jared Leto continues his franchise-killing streak.
I saw a review that said Jared Leto was the best thing in it. Which sounds like a compliment at first…
The best thing about falling off a cliff is the view on the way down.
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beloved fantasy franchise
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It’s not all doom and gloom for Masters of the Universe, though. Following early screening in May, the movie earned positive reactions, with critics calling it “one of the biggest surprises of 2026,” comparing it to the likes of Marvel’s Thor and Guardians of the Galaxy. It’s also fair to say that the box office is a little unpredictable at this moment in time, with original horror movies Obsession and Backrooms smashing expectations and beating The Mandalorian and Grogu on the charts. Perhaps Masters of the Universe can do the same.
It’ll be interesting to see how this one fans out. I think Masters of the Universe is indeed not as beloved a franchise as some producers may have thought, to the nostalgia effect getting our generation into the theatres might not really be there.
But the trailer really does look like it’s a very fun movie for teenagers, and if that’s the case, it may catch on by word of mouth after a bit.1 user thanked author for this post.
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beloved fantasy franchise
Isn’t that the song from Sense8?
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beloved fantasy franchise
Isn’t that the song from Sense8?
Sense8 got that song from a beloved fantasy franchise.
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beloved fantasy franchise
Isn’t that the song from Sense8?
Sense8 got that song from a beloved fantasy franchise.
MTV is a beloved fantasy franchise?
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beloved fantasy franchise
Isn’t that the song from Sense8?
Sense8 got that song from a beloved fantasy franchise.
MTV is a beloved fantasy franchise?
Jersey Shore, specifically.
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UPDATED AFTER EXCLUSIVE: Paramount-Miramax’s Scary Movie will win the weekend, but Fathom Entertainment’s YouTube sensation The Amazing Digital Circus led Thursday with a reported $7.8M at 2,235 theaters in its first regular day of release. Sources believe the pic’s weekend will be extremely front-loaded. Others were seeing $8M+ for the Glitch Productions animated finale to the cult series that also had a run on Netflix.
Scary Movie posted $7.7M in previews. Amazon MGM Studio’s Masters of the Universe wound up at $4.4M, close to where we were spotting them. Updated Rotten Tomatoes for Scary Movie is 30% Rotten for critics, 69% audience, while He-Man and friends are 70% certified fresh with critics, 88% with audiences. Both pics are sharing PLFs with Masters of the Universe conquering some of Mandalorian and Grogu‘s Imax auditoriums.
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PREVIOUS EXCLUSIVE: Paramount-Miramax’s reboot Scary Movie as of right now is having the first laugh (and ultimately the last) at the box office, and big, with an estimated $7.5M in previews that began at 2 p.m. Thursday. Meanwhile, Amazon MGM Studios’ $170M production of Mattel and Escape Artists’ Masters of the Universe is eyeing around $4M. That Travis Knight-directed take of the 1980s toys and cartoon series began its showtimes at 2 p.m. as well.
More in link…
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SUNDAY AM: Paramount-Miramax’s Scary Movie didn’t let go of its record this weekend with the best opening the Wayans Brothers franchise has ever seen in its 26-history with $55M, and even better, it marks the comedy fratellos return to the franchise after the original Scary Movie and Scary Movie 2. As we told you all along the movie reps a major comeback for pure comedies on the big screen, the best since 2014’s 22 Jump Streets and the best domestic star for a Paramount comedy ever ahead of 2010’s Jackass 3D ($50.3M). Miramax fully financed this $30M production (sometimes the co-owned Paramount studio sells foreign to raise funds on a pic).
Amazon MGM Studios’ Masters of the Universe, eh, not so good with $29.3M for a pic that cost $170M before P&A (Exhibit As — Tron Ares $33.2M opening domestic, $220M production cost; Joker: Folie a Deux $37.6M domestic opening, $190M production cost; Running Man $16.4M opening, $110M production cost).
Still even with Masters of the Universe, and great turnout by Fathom Entertainment’s YouTube craze The Amazing Digital Circus: The Last Act (from director Gooseworx and score by Alexander Burke), the overall weekend box office is the second best post Covid for weekend 23 with a near $183.2M, +61% from a year ago per Rentrak.
Beams Rentrak’s Head of Marketplace Trends, Paul Dergarabedian, “The first billion-dollar month of May for movie theaters at the domestic box office since 2019 is on the books and has created momentum for a June to remember at the multiplex.”
The 2026 domestic box office year to date is about to touch $4 billion (now at $3.966 billion), 13.3% ahead of the Jan. 1-June 7 frame a year ago.
For more of a deep dive into Scary Movie and Masters of the Universe, go here.
Updated top 10
1) Scary Movie (Par)
3,490 theaters, Fri $24.8M, Sat $17.6M Sun $12.6M 3-day $55M/Wk 12) Masters of the Universe (Amz)
3,677 theaters, Fri $11.7M,Sat $10M Sun $7.5M 3-day $29.3M/Wk 13) Backrooms (A24)
3,565 (+123) theaters, Fri $7.9M (-79%), Sat $10.4M Sun $7.5M 3-day $25.9M (-68%), Total $135M /Wk 24) Obsession (Foc)
2,900 (+119) theaters, Fri $7.5M Sat $9.77M Sun $8.3M 3-day $25.6M (-7%) Total $152.1M/Wk 45) Amazing Digital Circus (Fath)
2,221 theaters, Fri $4.6M, Sat $5.1M Sun $2.8M 3-day $12.7M, Total $21M, Wk 16) Mandalorian and Grogu (Dis)
3,355 theaters, Fri $2.5M (-61%) Sat $4.3M Sun $3.2M 3-day $10M (-59%) Total $155.8M/Wk 37) Michael (LG)
2,636 (-482) theaters, Fri $2.1M Sat $3M Sun $2.47M 3-day $7.7M (-35%) Total $354.2M/Wk 78) The Breadwinner (Sony)
3,252 theaters, Fri $1M Sat $1.4M Sun $975K 3-day $3.4M (-54%), Total $13.8M/Wk 29) Pressure (Foc)
1,855 (+26) theaters, Fri $760K Sat $1.3M Sun $880K, 3-day $3M (-48%), Total $11.1M/Wk 210) Devil Wears Prada 2 (20th)
1,800 (-850) theaters, Fri $770K Sat $1.2M Sun $830K 3-day $2.8M (-52%) Total $214.97M/Wk 6___________________
SATURDAY AM UPDATE: Paramount-Miramax’s Scary Movie got louder yesterday, taking its first day/previews to $24.7M, a great thing on a night when there was a fierce battle happening in night 2 of the NBA Finals between the NY Knicks and San Antonio Spurs, 105-104. That will kick the Wayans Brothers movie up to $56M, again the best ever opening in the franchise’s 26-year history.
However, this is a huge comeback for comedies. You can point to the uber success of Deadpool and Wolverine, Barbie and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice post-Covid, but their brands and legacy more than any generated traffic. When was the last time a comedy (non-action comedy, mind you, unlike the last two Bad Boys sequels) opened to $50M+? Try 2014’s 22 Jump Street at $57M. The reboot gets a C+, which is on par with Scary Movie 4 but under the series B CinemaScore highs of Scary Movie 2 and 3. The Michael Tiddes-directed comedy gets a good 63% definite recommend in Screen Engine/Rentrak PostTrak exits. PLF screens are driving 26% of the 3-day gross. We’re hearing that Scary Movie is taking off in France.
Also, note that the under-35 strong Backrooms could also be lighter this weekend due to Scary Movie: That age demo is coming out to Scary Movie at 75%. This is playing to the younger crowd, exactly as Paramount intended it to be. Hispanic and Latino moviegoers are leading on Scary Movie at 40% (and a very strong 66% definite recommend) followed by 28% Black, 24% Caucasian and 4% Asian American. 58% guy leaning, with men over 25 at 42%, women over 25 at 27%, men under 25 at 17% (and the best definite recommend at 68%), and women under 25 at 15%. Scary Movie is playing even throughout the U.S. but best in the East, South, South Central and West. The AMC Burbank (CA) is the leading single-location gross at $71K.
Paramount motion picture global marketing czar Josh Goldstine triggered the momentum here in a hysterical and satirical social media and digital campaign that left millions in stitches. Per iSpot, Amazon MGM Studios’ Masters of the Universe outspent Paramount’s linear campaign on Scary Movie, $12.3M to $2.8M. Scary Movie ran spots during NBA, The Price Is Right, SNL, The Floor and American’s Got Talent.
Amazon MGM Studios’ Masters of the Universe was lighter at $11.7M previews/first Friday with the studio believing there’s still a path to $30.1M, which is where tracking was. Others see it lower. We will see. Pic gets a B CinemaScore and good 64% definite recommend for the general audience with kids under 12 enjoying it at 96% in the top two and a 57% must see right away.
Part of the push for this $170M production was to spur another wave of Mattel toy-buying for the muscle man barbarian action figure line, which was just revived for the movie since the Kevin Smith animated series a few years ago. Imax and PLF screens rep 44% of the weekend. Pic is playing evenly across North America but best in the South, South Central and Mountain regions. AMC Burbank in LA is currently the pic’s top grossing site with north of $47K.
Masters of the Universe ran spots during the NBA, the Winter Olympics, Sports Center and La Casa de los Famosos.
Amazon MGM Studios and Mattel wanted a new generation to discover this movie, but kids under 12 only repped 4% of the audience last night, with the over 35 at 57% still dominant, and the over 45 who grew up on the 1980s animated series at 36%. Sixty-eight percent guys, with dads outnumbering moms, 71% to 29%. And, yes, boys under 12 at 82% are far ahead of girls at 18%.
No, a $30M domestic start for a $170M production doesn’t scream ‘The Power of Gray Skull’, but we’ll wait to see where He-Man and friends are overseas tomorrow. Also, let’s see if the scores attract more families in the legs of it all.
A24’s Backrooms came in with a second Friday of $7.9M in what’s looking like a $25.7M second frame, -68%. That was to be expected given its B- CinemaScore and the fact that this is a mega-fan fueled property: It means more to them than the non-frequent moviegoer who may give it a shot. Backrooms is still prevailing with an under 35 crowd at 81%.
The continued jaw dropper as far as its hold is Focus Features’ Obsession from YouTube content creator Curry Barker, which in its fourth outing, is not far behind Backrooms with $24.8M, -9%; again the best fourth weekend ever for a horror movie, beating Blair Witch Project. Older forty and fifty something couples are finding this movie, and leaving the theater in a battle of the sexes debate, much like the Gen Z and millennial crowd it was created for.
Fathom Entertainment’s The Amazing Digital Circus: The Last Act posted a $4.3M second day. The outlook is $22M over four-days, $14M over 3 days — again, a record start for the events cinema and theatrical re-release label. No CinemaScore or PostTrak exits, but Rotten Tomatoes audience score is at a stellar 94%. When it comes to Fathom events, most of the time, it’s in-theater marketing. No TV spots here.
NBA Finals Game 3 isn’t until Monday, so don’t expect any impact on the rest of the weekend which is ringing up an estimated $184.7M, the second best result for the 23rd weekend of the year post-Covid after 2022’s $214.8M, and +64% over the same early June frame a year ago.
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However, this is a huge comeback for comedies.
Are they talking about comedies or Scary Movie in this paragraph?
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Kids these days might prefer tech to toys, but Woody, Buzz Lightyear and Jessie still got it.
“Toy Story 5” ruled over the box office with $160 million from 4,425 North America theaters, landing on the higher end of expectations while securing the biggest domestic debut of the year over Universal’s “Super Mario Galaxy Movie” ($131.7 million). The animated sequel also ranks as the largest start in Disney and Pixar’s beloved “Toy Story” franchise, not adjusted for inflation, supplanting the record set by 2019’s “Toy Story 4” with $120 million. And it scored the second-largest animated opening weekend in history, behind only 2018’s “Incredibles 2” with $182.7 million.
Overseas, “Toy Story” opened to $152 million for a sensational global tally of $312 million. It carries a $250 million budget, not including the global marketing expenses.
“Toy Story 5” should remain the de facto choice among families, considering the sterling reviews (94% on Rotten Tomatoes) and audience scores (“A” grade on CinemaScore exit polls). Directed by Pixar veteran Andrew Stanton, the fifth installment follows Woody (Tom Hanks), Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen), Jessie (Joan Cusack) and the gang of anthropomorphic toys as their owner Bonnie becomes addicted to her new favorite gadget, a kiddie smart tablet known as Lilypad. If that crew wasn’t enough pedigree, Taylor Swift wrote a new song, “I Knew It, I Knew You,” for the soundtrack.
Although original animation has been challenged in recent years, animated sequels have exploded in popularity at the box office. Disney’s 2024 follow-up “Inside Out 2” and 2025’s “Zootopia 2,” for example, ended their runs with $1.6 billion and $1.8 billion respectively. If those films are any indication of the theatrical trajectory for “Toy Story 5,” the newest entry is likely to end up as the highest grossing in the franchise (that’s currently “Toy Story 4” with $1.07 billion), as well as one of the biggest movies of the year.
Family moviegoing has been leading the industry since it came roaring back from the pandemic in 2023. A lot of the genre’s success is coming from sequels and live-action remakes,” says David A. Gross, who publishes the box office newsletter FranchiseRe. “Pixar and Disney are particularly good at growing their series from episode to episode. It’s extremely impressive.”
In a distant second place, Steven Spielberg’s sci-fi adventure “Disclosure Day” added $17 million from 3,824 locations, a sharp 62% drop from its debut. Although not catastrophic, that kind of decline suggests the film isn’t resonating beyond the core demographic of older males, who grew up on Spielberg’s vast filmography. Younger generations, meanwhile, have been gravitating toward offerings from Gen Z filmmakers like Curry Barker’s “Obsession” and Kane Parsons’ “Backrooms.” So far, “Disclosure Day” has generated $78 million domestically and $82 million internationally, bringing the global total to $160 million after two weekends of release. Since the PG-13 movie cost $115 million (and exhibitors keep about half of revenues), “Disclosure Day” is estimated to need around $300 million globally to be profitable.
“Obsession,” now in its sixth weekend of release, was surprisingly not far from “Disclosure Day” on box office charts with $14.2 million from 3,053 theaters. Those ticket sales were down just 25% from the prior weekend, marking another scant decline for Focus Features’ low-budget horror sensation. “Obsession” has generated a sensational $215 million domestically and $333 million worldwide, making the film a wildly profitable success.
At No. 4, “Backrooms” had another solid turnout with $7.3 million from 2,851 locations in its fourth frame, a 35% dip. Another breakout horror hit, “Backrooms” has amassed a remarkable $175 million in North America and $301 million globally to date. It’s by far A24’s highest-grossing movie of all time, a distinction that previously belonged to “Marty Supreme” with $191 million.
Paramount’s “Scary Movie” rounded out the top five with $6.7 million from 2,725 venues, bringing domestic ticket sales to $97.4 million and $201.9 million worldwide. Produced by Miramax for $30 million, the sixth “Scary Movie” is already enjoying bloody-good profit margins.
Two other films launched alongside “Toy Story 5,” and just managed to crack the top 10 while playing in far fewer theaters. Neon’s festival breakout “Leviticus” opened at No. 8 with $2.74 million from 1,076 locations while A24’s R-rated “The Death of Robin Hood,” starring Hugh Jackman, was close behind in ninth place with $2.65 million from 1,782 locations.
“Leviticus” doesn’t have a grade on CinemaScore, though stellar reviews suggest the buzzy supernatural horror movie could remain a big screen draw through the summer season. Adrian Chiarella wrote and directed the low-budget film, which follows two teen boys who meet at conversion therapy.
“The Death of Robin Hood,” a revisionist take on the oft-rebooted folk legend, meanwhile, might struggle to stick around given the mixed reviews and tepid audience scores. The film, directed by Michael Sarnoski (“A Quiet Place: Day One”), holds a “C+” grade on CinemaScore and 69% on Rotten Tomatoes, neither of which bode well for box office longevity. A24 acquired domestic rights for around $4 million.
Elsewhere, Amazon MGM’s “Masters of the Universe” and Disney’s “Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu” managed to hold steady — with drops of 37% and 15%, respectively — though nowhere near enough to salvage their overall grosses.
“Masters of the Universe” will leave theaters as one of the year’s biggest bombs. The adaptation of the ’80s Mattel toy has added $5.6 million from 2,517 venues in its third weekend, bringing revenues to $56 million in North America and $101.9 million worldwide against a $200 million budget.
“The Mandalorian and Grogu,” a spinoff of the popular Disney+ TV series, isn’t quite as big a dud but doesn’t instill a ton of confidence in “Star Wars” as a cinematic property. The film dropped to seventh place with $3.9 million in its fifth outing. The space opera spinoff has earned $172 million domestically and more than $320 million globally against a $165 million price tag.
This summer is poised to be the biggest post-COVID season, thanks to sleeper hits as well as new installments in reliable franchises. Revenues for the four-month stretch should easily top $4 billion for only the second time (2023, when “Barbenheimer” fever was alive and well, was the first) since the pandemic upended the movie theater business. Popcorn season is currently just 1.8% behind summer 2019, as well as 15% ahead of last summer, according to Rentrak. Next weekend sees the release of DC’s “Supergirl” and “Jackass: Best and Last,” with tentpoles like “Despicable Me” spinoff “Minions & Monsters,” Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” and “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” on the horizon.
“After last week’s breather, the box office is back to running ahead of the pre-pandemic average,” Gross says. “Business is excellent.”
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Supergirl’ Landing in Second Place at Box Office as ‘Toy Story 5’ Stays on Top – Hollywood Reporter
Milly Alcock stars in the superhero feature for Warner Bros. and DC Studios that arrives on the heels of last summer’s ‘Superman.’
Toy Story 5 continues to soar at the box office, while Supergirl looks to scoop up around $40 million domestically for the weekend to debut in second place.
Pixar‘s latest installment in its Oscar-winning animated franchise unboxed around $21.5 million in North America on Friday as it heads to an estimated $72.5 million for the frame. It has an estimated domestic haul of around $300 million following its strong start last weekend as it notched 2026’s biggest opening thus far with $160 million. With returning voice stars Tom Hanks and Tim Allen, Toy Story 5 looks to drop around 55 percent as the sequel from filmmaker Andrew Stanton and co-director Kenna Harris continues to draw crowds and families.
Warner Bros. Supergirl is experiencing some turbulence after grossing $18 million on Friday, including Thursday previews. Milly Alcock leads director Craig Gillespie’s superhero feature that marks the second big-screen project for the planned slate from DC Studios bosses James Gunn and Peter Safran, arriving a year after Superman picked up $618 million globally. Supergirl received a B- CinemaScore from audiences, whereas Superman scored an A-.
Supergirl centers on Kara Zor-El, the cousin of the Man of Steel, as she encounters Jason Momoa’s Lobo and other DC staples. It carries a budget of $170 million, making it less of a lift than Superman’s $225 million sum. Up next for DC Studios is this October’s body horror title Clayface, starring Tom Rhys Harries in the lead role.
Also debuting this weekend in wide release is Paramount‘s Jackass: Best and Last, with the latest entry in the gross-out comedy franchise heading for a fourth-place finish. Director Jeff Tremaine’s fifth and supposedly final feature in the ribald Johnny Knoxville-led series is eyeing just under $10 million domestically after pocketing roughly $4 million on Friday, with the benefit of a budget of only $10 million.
Jackass fans appear pleased with the celebration that combines a look back at classic stunts alongside an array of new footage, with Best and Last nabbing an A- CinemaScore. Jackass: Forever, the previous title in the franchise, opened with $23.1 million in February 2022.
In its seventh weekend, Focus Features’ horror movie Obsession is expected to place No. 3 with $2.9 million on Friday for a frame of $9.4 million. With an estimated decline of 30 percent, director Curry Barker’s film is nearing the $250 million mark for its strong run.
Rounding out the top five is Universal’s Disclosure Day, starring Emily Blunt and Josh O’Connor. The Steven Spielberg-helmed UFO movie collected $2.3 million Friday and is expected to gross $7.8 million, declining 56 percent for a domestic cume of $94 million.
A24 released director Olivia Wilde’s relationship comedy The Invite on seven screens this weekend following its Sundance premiere. With a cast that includes Wilde, Seth Rogen, Penélope Cruz and Edward Norton, the Annapurna-produced movie earned around $156,000 on Friday.
Toy Story 5′s strong start helped Disney to cross the $3 billion mark at the global box office on Thursday, becoming the first studio to achieve the feat in 2026. Disney’s previous releases this year include Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu, The Devil Wears Prada 2 and Hoppers, with its live-action Moana on the horizon for next month.
Additionally, Scary Movie from Paramount and Miramax crossed $100 million at the domestic box office on Thursday, becoming the first R-rated comedy to hit the milestone since 2017’s Girls Trip.
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Are the Minions losing their star power?
Although “Minions & Monsters,” a 1920s Hollywood-set prequel in the animated “Despicable Me” universe, led the box office over the Fourth of July weekend, the well-reviewed family film didn’t quite set off fireworks. It opened way behind projections with $36 million from 4,243 North American locations between Friday and Monday and $61 million since Wednesday. Heading into the weekend, “Minions & Monsters” was aiming for $80 million over the five-day frame. Initial sales are a huge drop from its franchise predecessors and rank as the lowest start in the franchise, below even the original 2010’s “Despicable Me,” which managed to earn $56 million (not adjusted for inflation) over the traditional weekend while introducing the yellow, pill-shaped agents of chaos to the world.
Box office watchers anticipated a softer turnout across the industry over the holiday weekend since July 4th landed on Saturday. They assumed that instead of going to theaters on the busiest day of the week for moviegoing, people would be attending BBQs and watching fireworks to celebrate America’s 250th birthday. Historically, the holiday that celebrates all things America can account for $150 million and $200 million at the box office, according to Rentrack. This year’s ticket sales top out at roughly $121 million across all films from Friday and Sunday.
That likely accounted for some drop-off, but that doesn’t explain such a massive opening weekend decline from the franchise’s two most recent entries, 2022’s spinoff sequel “Minions: The Rise of Gru” and 2024’s “Despicable Me 4,” which launched to $123 million and $122 million, respectively, over the same five-day holiday stretch. After all, families didn’t totally avoid the big screen: “Toy Story 5” earned almost as much over the Friday to Sunday stretch with $31 million from 3,975 venues in its third weekend of release. Disney and Pixar’s kid-friendly film was No. 2 at the domestic box office and grosses were boosted to $366 million in North America and $764 million worldwide.For “Minions & Monsters,” which was received positively by audiences and critics, the disappointing domestic figure suggests the franchise is overexploited. With seven “Despicable Me” chapters across 16 years, the property is averaging a new adventure about every two years. That’s in contrast to “Toy Story,” which has benefited from scarcity, having produced only five installments over 30 years.
There is good news for Universal and Illumination, the two companies behind the commercially successful franchise. “Minions & Monsters” is a hit at the international box office with $86 million over the weekend and $98 million to date, bringing the worldwide total to $159.8 million. And prior “Despicable Me” adventures and spinoffs have demonstrated notable box office staying power, so “Minions & Monsters” could stick around throughout the summer despite the slower start. Directed by series co-creator Pierre Coffin, “Minions & Monsters” holds a stellar 91% on Rotten Tomatoes and “A-” grade on CinemaScore exit polls, which bodes well for box office longevity. The film was produced for $85 million, making it slightly less expensive than prior entries, which cost around $100 million each.
“Seven [installments] is further than any animation series has gone. Audiences are showing fatigue now,” says David A. Gross, who publishes the box office newsletter FranchiseRe. “The movie will be profitable, but it’s a misfire.”
Elsewhere at the domestic box office, “Supergirl” endured a tragic 77% decline with $8.6 million from 3,602 screens in its sophomore outing. That’s below the studio’s already-low Sunday estimate of $9.6 million. After debuting to just $37.1 million domestically, the Warner Bros. and DC comic book adaptation has earned $57.4 million in North America and $99.5 million globally to date. Such a weak turnout underscores the challenges facing the once-dominant box office genre of superhero movies, particularly those centered on lesser-known protagonists. Last year’s “Superman” was a hit, and this month’s “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” is expected to be enormous. But those films feature A-list heroes; everyone on the planet knows Clark Kent and Peter Parker. “Supergirl” and Marvel’s 2025 adventure “Thunderbolts,” another recent theatrical misfire, revolved around characters who aren’t household names. Given its hefty $170 million budget, “Supergirl” is projected to lose at least $100 million to $120 million in its theatrical run — and that figure could be even higher if the film fails to reach $200 million globally.
“Supergirl” ranked No. 4 on weekend charts behind “Young Washington,” which opened in third with an impressive $20.8 million from 2,700 theaters. The patriotic historical drama, whose release was smartly timed to Independence Day, was backed by the faith-based Angel Studios. The company’s inspirational films tend to be well-received by their target demographic, and “Young Washington” was no different. The movie, which tells the story of George Washington before the American Revolutionary War and his presidency, earned an “A” grade on CinemaScore, in stark contrast to the 57% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes.
“The story is told from a patriotic, pro-America and faith-oriented point of view, and the release coincides with the nation’s 250th anniversary,” Gross says. “There’s limited potential overseas, but the domestic run should be good. Angel Studios knows how to reach this audience.”
A24’s comedy “The Invite” managed to crack the top 10 with $800,700 while playing on just 28 screens. That brings the total haul to $1.36 million after two weekends in limited release. With great reviews, the movie’s commercial appeal will be tested when it expands nationwide on July 10. Directed by Olivia Wilde, “The Invite” stars her and Seth Rogen as a bickering married couple who host a dinner party for their far more free-spirited upstairs neighbors (Penélope Cruz and Edward Norton).
Paramount’s comedy “Jackass: Best and Last,” which opened last weekend to weak ticket sales, dropped to the No. 8 spot with $2.7 million from 2,855 theaters, a harsh 68% decline. The R-rated film has generated a paltry $14.6 million domestically and $20 million worldwide, so it’ll almost certainly wind up as the lowest-grossing installment of the five films. However, “Jackass 5” cost just $10 million to produce, so it doesn’t need that much coinage to get out of the red.
Although Hollywood is enjoying the best summer since COVID, this weekend was a setback in terms of the industry’s recovery. At the end of June, popcorn season was 17% ahead of the same point in 2025 and 1.7% behind 2019, according to Rentrak. Now the summer stretch is 11.9% above 2025 and 7.25% behind 2019. Meanwhile, the year-to-date box office is up 13.2% from last year and 16% behind 2019. Next weekend brings another family film, Disney’s live-action “Moana,” while Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” and “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” are poised to close out July with a bang.
“When the 4th of July lands on a Saturday, it can have a negative impact on the box office,” says Paul Dergarabedian, Rentrak’s head of marketplace trends. “Nonetheless, theaters have been on a roll since the beginning of the year, with a summer movie season that is likely to be the biggest since 2019.”
If all goes to plan, summer will eclipse the $4 billion mark for only the second time in post-pandemic years. The first was 2023, when “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” fueled a moviegoing event for the ages. It’s now up to Moana, Odysseus and Peter Parker to carry the box office to the coveted milestone.
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SUNDAY WRITETHRU: Refresh for updates. Disney’s live-action Moana didn’t catch a wave Saturday when most families come out, crashing to the shore this weekend with a $43M U.S. opening and an even worse result around the world with $95M, far below the $130M WW that was hoped for.
Stateside that result is among the weakest for a Disney live-action redo of an animated classic, down there with Snow White ($42.2M) and Dumbo ($45.99M). Typically, when Disney brings the old stuff (pre-Katzenberg animated 1980s-1990s era) into the flesh onscreen, the results are lackluster. But this is truly upsetting for the studio to see the live-action version of what is one of their most popular franchises (1.5B hours streamed on Disney+, 22M+ toys sold and 26B+ music stream), capsize in its opening weekend.
The hope here is that A- CinemaScore creates some sort of word of mouth wind to drive people into the theaters midweek for the latest Dwayne Johnson movie. Moana earned an overall A with women, and an A+ with the under 18 demo.
More audience stats show that while the overall definite recommend on Screen Engine/Rentrak’s PostTrak (the true metric of word of mouth) is a good 63% definite recommend for overall audience, women over 25 and women overall are over the moon about The Rock in a wig with a definite recommend of 78% and 70% respectively for Moana.
It’s a true WTF moment for the box office to a certain degree: Tracking was bullish with a $70M-$80M opening earlier this week with presales of $4M pointing to a $60M+ domestic start. And then this.
More than anything, the shortfall here with Moana stateside boils down to timing, plain and simple. Wrong date and wrong year for this in-the-flesh take of what is one of Disney’s most popular animated franchises; and definitely too close to its predecessor, Moana 2, which was in theaters less than two years ago with a $1B-plus global grossing result. It’s the third family film in less than a month after the huge success of Toy Story 5 and Illumination/Universal’s Minions & Monsters. Both titles are fierce competition for Maui and Moana: Even though Gru’s henchmen posted the lowest opening in the franchise last weekend, they’re having an excellent hold of -45% with $20.5M second weekend, while Toy Story 5‘s fourth weekend is filing a strong $19M (not far from the $20.9M fourth frame of Toy Story 4, however, the fifthquel is passing the four-century mark domestic faster than its previous chapter).
No doubt, moviegoers love the Moana franchise. But again, it’s the third family film of late, and they just watched Moana 2, so why is there a need to rush out to see the live-action version this weekend? It’s summer, and they can catch it during the week, or later as the next family title, which is significantly younger skewing; a toddler title, is Paramount/Spinmaster’s Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie on Aug. 14. It’s clear that the Moana faithfuls who showed up haven’t completely rejected the film. Critics have cried over the live-action Moana being a paint-by-numbers adaptation of the original. While there’s only one new song from near EGOT winner Lin-Manuel Miranda, the end credits ditty “Along the Way”, note when it comes to a precious IP like Moana, the filmmakers intentionally didn’t take a big swing in the narrative, adding extra sequences and dance numbers. Doing so would have ticked off fans, and that was never in the cards.
So why did Disney date Moana here, so close to Toy Story 5 and Minions & Monsters? Remember, the period following July 4th is quite rich, the launchpad of such movies as Pirates of the Caribbean and Spider-Man: Homecoming. Last year we had James Gunn’s Superman which led the frame to $201.1M; this weekend the entire marketplace is -38% due to Moana misfiring. There aren’t any major studio releases on July 24, the weekend after The Odyssey (July 17) and before Spider-Man: Brand New Day (July 31). However, Disney didn’t want to be on the weekend of July 24-26. They didn’t want to be squashed between what could arguably be the two biggest openings of 2026, and they didn’t want to be anywhere after Brand New Day in August. Better to play into the storm and be the alternative option. That was the thinking.
Live-action Moana, you’ll remember, was announced by Johnson and Disney CEO Bob Iger during an annual shareholder meeting in April 2023. Iger and Disney Chairman Entertainment Studios Alan Bergman in a complete “what a great idea” then flipped Disney+ Moana animated series into a feature sequel, that revamp announced in February 2024 for a Thanksgiving theatrical release that year (Disney urgently needed a title on the release schedule and they got one to the tune of $1B+ gross worldwide). As such, the release date for live-action Moana was moved from July 2, 2025 to June 27, 2025 to finally this weekend (that last release date change made in April 2024). It was originally intended for Moana to start before the 2023 strikes, but it got pushed to a July 2024 start date for a six month shoot in Hawaii and a water tank shoot in Georgia. Post took 60 weeks given that there was 2,000 shots in a $250M production that’s also heavy on VFX. Moana was originally packaged and greenlit during the administration of Motion Picture President Sean Bailey. However, he left in February 2024 to focus on Tron Ares, which he produced, with the new David Greenbaum era overseeing production on Moana.
Other stats on Moana: women showed up at 62% lead by women over 25 at 32% (a big Johnson fanbase) and 31% women under 25. Walk-up business was at 58% versus say the 51% walk-up business on the first Friday for Supergirl (another movie which fell apart this summer). Largest demo was 18-24 at 30% with the 18-34 bunch repping 55%. Among diverse moviegoers, Latino and Hispanic led at 32%, followed by 31% Caucasian, 16% Black, 13% Asian American and 8% Native American/other. Best areas of play are South, South Central and West with Hollywood’s El Capitan the pic’s highest grossing venue with a near $85K so far. PLFs are driving 28% of pic’s opening, Imax 9% for an overall 37% market share across premium screens. Eleven percent of those who bought tickets opted to watch in 3D. Thirty-nine percent in PostTrak exits said they came because Moana looked fun, 25% mentioned it was part of a franchise they love while 16% bought tickets because they’re Rock fans.
New Line’s Evil Dead Burn did $6.7M stateside on Friday, including previews, and $4M on Saturday, descending down to $13.7M. That’s -44% off from the opening of Evil Dead Rise‘s very good $24.5M. Pic’s CinemaScore, despite a different director here in Sébastien Vanicek, gets a B CinemaScore a la previous 2023 installment from director Lee Cronin. The R-rated movie skews men at 59%, with 25-34 demo being the biggest at 39% with the diversity turnout at 36% Caucasian, 34% Latino and Hispanic, 17% Black, and 5% Asian American. PLFs are driving 18% of weekend ticket sales with best performance in South Central, East and West. AMC Burbank in Los Angeles market is the sequel’s best location so far with more than $30k.
A24/Annapurna’s Olivia Wilde-directed and -starring adult sex comedy The Invite expanded from 28 sites to 1,610 and had a solid Saturday hold with $1.8M in relation to its $2.47M Friday which is now delivering a $5.7M weekend. There some good numbers in Toronto, LA, NYC, San Francisco, Austin, Nashville, Vancouver and Phoenix. Better news: Solid definite recommend at 69%, 4 1/2 stars and 89% positive, with men overall excited at 74% definite recommend and men over 25 even more enthralled at 76% definite recommend on PostTrak. Turnout is 42% men over 25, 39% women over 25, 10% men under 25 and 9% women under 25. Diverse group turnout is 56% Caucasian, 22% Latino and Hispanic, 9% Black and 9% Asian American.
Sunday chart updating; those pics with full Friday-Sunday broken out are updated:
1) Moana (Dis)
3,875 theaters, Fri $18M, 3-day $42M-$46M/Wk 12) Minions & Monsters
(Uni) 4,244 (+1) theaters, Fri $6.5M (-60% from previous Friday) Sat $7.7M Sun $6.1M 3-day $20.5M (-45%), total $108.2M/Wk 23)Toy Story 5 (Dis)
3,575 (-400) theaters, Fri $5.7M (-58%) 3-day $19M (-37%), Total $404.2M/Wk 44) Evil Dead Burn (New Line)
3,004 theaters, Fri $6.7M, Sat $4M Sun $3M 3-day $13.7M/Wk 15) Young Washington (Angel)
2,771 (+46) theaters, Fri $2.1M (-72%) Sat $2.6M Sun $1.7M 3-day $6.44M (-66%), Total $33.1M/Wk 2Despite registering the second biggest live-action opening for Angel Studios behind Sound of Freedom ($19.68M) last weekend, Sound of Freedom this is not with a notable second frame decline. Sound of Freedom jumped +39% in its second weekend.
6) The Invite (A24)
1,610 (+1,582) theaters, Fri $2.47M (+687%) Sat $1.8M Sun $1.4M 3-day $5.7M (+710%), Total $7.38M/Wk 37) Obsession (Foc)
2,069 (-571) theaters, Fri $1.28M (-41%) Sat $1.4M Sun $1.1M 3-day $3.8M (-27%) Total $253.3M/Wk 98) Supergirl (WB)
2,584 (-1,018) theaters, Fri $1.1M (-69%) Sat $1.4M Sun $1M 3-day $3.56M (-59%), Total $66M /Wk 39) Disclosure Day (Uni)
2,204 (-498) theaters, Fri $1M (-55%) Sat $1.2M Sun $900K 3-day $3.2M (-44%), Total $111.3M/Wk 510) Backrooms (A24)
1,262 (-817) theaters, Fri $498K (-67%), Sat $548k, Sun $438K 3-day $1.48M (-54%), Total $194.1M /Wk 7
Global running cume currently stands at $375.7M through today.11) Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass (SPC)
1,000 theaters, Fri $485M 3-day $1M/Wk 1
A soft result for this Sundance acquisition.1 user thanked author for this post.
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