'Civil War’ continues box-office campaign at No. 1

NEW YORK (AP) — “Civil War,” Alex Garland’s ominous American dystopia, remained the highest movie in theaters in its second week of launch, in response to studio estimates Sunday.

The A24 election-year gamble, the indie studio’s greatest budgeted movie but, took in $11.1 million in ticket gross sales at 3,929 theaters over the weekend. The $50 million movie, set in a near-future U.S. through which Texas and California have joined in revolt in opposition to a fascist president, has grossed $44.9 million in two weeks.

Its provocative premise – and A24’s advertising, which included pictures of U.S. cities ravaged by warfare – helped hold “Civil War” high of thoughts for moviegoers.

But it was a painfully sluggish weekend in theaters – the type positive so as to add to concern over what’s to this point been a down 12 months for Hollywood on the field workplace. Year-to-date ticket gross sales are down virtually 20% in comparison with final 12 months, in response to Comscore.

Going into the weekend, Universal Pictures’ “Abigail,” a critically acclaimed R-rated horror movie in regards to the daughter of Dracula, had been anticipated to guide ticket gross sales. It got here in second with $10.2 million in 3,384 theaters.

That was nonetheless a good end result for a movie that price a modest $28 million to make. “Abigail,” which remakes the 1936 monster movie “Dracula’s Daughter,” is a few 12-year-old woman taken by kidnappers who quickly understand they’ve made a poor alternative of hostage. It’s directed by the duo Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett whose manufacturing firm goes by the title Radio Silence.

More regarding was the general tepid response for a handful of recent large releases – and the chance that there will probably be extra related weekends all through 2024. Last 12 months’s actors and writers’ strikes, which had a protracted impact on the film pipeline, exacerbated holes in Hollywood’s launch schedule.

Horror movies, lately among the many most dependable money cows in theaters, additionally haven’t to this point been doing the automated business they earlier did. According to David A. Gross, who runs the consulting agency Franchise Entertainment Research, horror releases accounted for $2 billion in worldwide gross sales in 2023.

Guy Ritchie’s “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare” debuted with $9 million in 2,845 theaters. In the based-on-a-true-story Lionsgate launch, which reportedly price $60 million to supply, Henry Cavill leads a World War II mission off the coast of West Africa.

Though Ritchie has been behind quite a few box-office hits, together with the live-action “Aladdin” and a pair of Sherlock Holmes movies, his latest motion pictures have struggled to seek out huge audiences. The Lionsgate spy comedy “Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre” grossed $48 million in opposition to a $50 million funds, whereas MGM’s “The Covenant,” additionally launched final 12 months, made $21 million whereas costing $55 million to make.

A vivid signal for “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare”: audiences appreciated it. The movie earned an A-minus CinemaScore.

The anime “Spy x Family Code: White,” from Sony’s Crunchyroll, additionally struggled to face out with audiences. Though the variation of the Tatsuya Endo manga TV sequence “Spy x Family” has already been a success with worldwide moviegoers, it debuted beneath expectations with $4.9 million in 2,009 U.S. theaters.

The mightiest movie globally, although, continues to be “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.” The Warner Bros. monster film has for the previous month led worldwide ticket gross sales. It added one other $9.5 million domestically and $21.6 million internationally to deliver its four-week international complete to $485.2 million.

Estimated ticket gross sales for Friday via Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, in response to Comscore. Final home figures will probably be launched Monday.

1. “Civil War,” $11.1 million.

2. “Abigail,” $10.2 million.

3. “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire,” $9.5 million.

4. “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare,” $9 million.

5. “Spy x Family Code: White,” $4.9 million.

6. “Kung Fu Panda 4,” $4.6 million.

7. “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire,” $4.4 million.

8. “Dune: Part Two,” $2.9 million.

9. “Monkey Man,” $2.2 million.

10. “The First Omen,” $1.7 million.

Jake Coyle, The Associated Press