\u201c Black Adam,\u201d the Dwayne Johnson-fronted DC superhero film, kept its hold on the No. 1 spot at the North American box office in its second weekend in theaters. Down 59% from its launch, and facing little new competition, \u201cBlack Adam\u201d added $27.7 million in ticket sales, bringing its domestic total to $111.1 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.<\/p>\n
Johnson spent a decade trying to bring the character to the big screen and has visions for follow-ups involving Superman. But the future of \u201cBlack Adam\u201d is not written quite yet, though it\u2019s earned $250 million worldwide. The Warner Bros. film carried a hefty price tag of $200 million, not including marketing and promotion costs, and a sequel has not been officially greenlit.<\/p>\n
But big changes are afoot at DC\u2014the studio just announced a new leadership team of Peter Safran and James Gunn, whose love for propping up little-known comic book characters is well-documented. And on Sunday, Johnson posted a note to his 344 million Instagram followers about the end of the world press tour, thanking those who worked behind the scenes to launch \u201cour NEW DC FRANCHISE known as BLACK ADAM.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bucking recent romantic comedy trends, moviegoers remained curious about \u201cTicket to Paradise,\u201d Universal\u2019s Julia Roberts and George Clooney destination romp, which fell only 37% in weekend two to claim second place. The genre has not been the most reliable bet at the box office lately, with films like \u201cBros\u201d stumbling in theaters, but the star power of Roberts and Clooney is proving hard to resist. \u201cTicket to Paradise\u201d added $10 million from 3,692 North American theaters, bringing its domestic total to $33.7 million. Globally, it\u2019s grossed $119.4 million to date.<\/p>\n
Horror movies, meanwhile, claimed spots three through five on the weekend before Halloween on Monday. Lionsgate\u2019s \u201cPrey for the Devil\u201d opened in third place with $7 million from 2,980 theaters. Notably, it is the only of the three horror films that carried a PG-13 rating. The others were R-rated.<\/p>\n
Paramount\u2019s \u201cSmile\u201d took fourth place in its fifth weekend with another $5.1 million, bringing its domestic total to $92.4 million (on a $17 million budget), while \u201cHalloween Ends\u201d landed in fifth place in its third weekend with $3.8 million. \u201cEnds,\u201d which has grossed $60.3 million in North America, was released simultaneously on NBC Universal\u2019s streaming service Peacock.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is just another mandate in favor of horror,\u201d said Paul Dergarabedian, Comscore\u2019s senior media analyst. \u201cIt\u2019s not just about being in October, horror movies have played well throughout the pandemic. It\u2019s a genre that continues to kill it at the box office time and again.\u201d<\/p>\n
Chinonye Chukwu\u2019s Mamie Till-Mobley film \u201cTill\u201d went wide this weekend, adding $2.8 million from 2,058 locations to take seventh place. Boasting a 98% on Rotten Tomatoes, the United Artists Releasing film has gotten good word of mouth with much of it centered on Danielle Deadwyler\u2019s performance.<\/p>\n
This weekend also saw the expansion of several notable films, like Todd Field\u2019s \u201c T\u00e1r,\u201d which expanded to 1,087 theaters nationwide where it grossed $1 million and landed in 10th place. Cate Blanchett\u2019s performance as a renowned composer and conductor won her a top acting prize from the Venice Film Festival last month.<\/p>\n
Another Venice-winner, \u201cThe Banshees of Inisherin\u201d widened to 58 theaters and 12 new markets over the weekend. The Martin McDonagh film starring Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson earned $540,000. The Searchlight Pictures release will expand to around 800 locations next weekend.<\/p>\n
Charlotte Wells\u2019 \u201cAftersun\u201d expanded to 17 locations where it earned $75,242, bringing its cumulative grosses to $166,030. The A24-released father-daughter film starring Paul Mescal and Frankie Corio will continue to expand throughout awards season.<\/p>\n
James Gray\u2019s \u201cArmageddon Time\u201d opened in six theaters in New York and Los Angeles, to $72,000. Gray mined his own childhood to tell the story about an 11-year-old in Queens in the fall of 1980. The film, which premiered at Cannes earlier this year, stars Banks Repeta, Anne Hathaway, Jeremy Strong and Anthony Hopkins.<\/p>\n
But as far as blockbusters are concerned, things will be somewhat slow-going until \u201cBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever\u201d arrives on Nov. 11.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019ll get the box office going again in a way that feels more like summer,\u201d Dergarabedian said.
\n\u2014-
\nEstimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.<\/p>\n
1. \u201cBlack Adam,\u201d $27.7 million.<\/p>\n
2. \u201cTicket to Paradise,\u201d $10 million.<\/p>\n
3. \u201cPrey for the Devil,\u201d $7 million.<\/p>\n
4. \u201cSmile,\u201d $5.1 million.<\/p>\n
5. \u201cHalloween Ends,\u201d $3.8 million.<\/p>\n
6. \u201cLyle, Lyle, Crocodile,\u201d $2.8 million.
\n7. \u201cTill,\u201d $2.8 million.<\/p>\n
8. \u201cTerrifier 2,\u201d $1.8 million.<\/p>\n
9. \u201cThe Woman King,\u201d $1.1 million.<\/p>\n
10. \u201cT\u00e1r,\u201d $1 million.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201c Black Adam,\u201d the Dwayne Johnson-fronted DC superhero film, kept its hold on the No. 1 spot at the North American box office in its second weekend in theaters. Down 59% from its launch, and facing little new competition, \u201cBlack Adam\u201d added $27.7 million in ticket sales, bringing its domestic total to $111.1 million, according […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":292702,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[82],"tags":[11294,2218,1126],"class_list":{"0":"post-292699","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entertainment","8":"tag-black-adam","9":"tag-box-office","10":"tag-entertainment"},"yoast_head":"\n