It’s super if you’re Superman, or if you’re a hungry dinosaur. If you’re a Smurf? Not so much.
Our number one movie, once again, is Superman, which tumbled slightly harder than some were hoping to a weekend take of $57 million. For those keeping score, that’s more than Superman Returns made on its opening weekend (20 years ago), and more than Man of Steel mustered up during its second (13 years ago). Current tally for Superman is $235 million, which is great, but there’s no point in pretending Warner Bros. wasn’t hoping this would be flying higher at this point, especially with The Fantastic Four: First Steps on the horizon.
Still, Superman has already surpassed the total box office grosses of Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts, and it’s going to soar past Sinners by this time next week. If anything, this proves the hubris of overly optimistic tracking, as I kept hearing Superman was going to give Barbie a run for its money in the weeks leading up to its launch. So everyone, please, learn to keep expectations in check.
Our number two movie is Jurassic World: Rebirth, which is not only taking a bite out of Superman’s cape, it’s also currently digesting I Know What You Did Last Summer and Smurfs. Can we please put an end to giving legacy sequels the exact same titles as the originals? First it was Halloween, then Scream, and now I Know What You Did Last Summer. At the very least, call it I Know What You Did Last Summer 25 Years Ago. Does it seem like a rambling? Because I am. What is there really to say about this movie? Was nostalgia for the franchise ever that strong? In any case, Summer fizzled with $13 million (thank God the budget was small), while Smurfs isn’t Smurfy at all with $11 million.
If you’re wondering why we got a fourth Smurfs (it was originally called The Smurfs Movie, which is actually how Regal Cinemas has it listed on their website), look no further than international audiences. This franchise has always been made with global viewers in mind, but so far, this installment has only Smurfed up $26 million worldwide. Oof. Can we really blame that Influencer Smurf joke in the trailer? Or can we just point fingers at Rihanna for dominating the marketing? Probably not, but I’m sure people will do so anyway.
Finally, there’s Eddington for director Ari Aster, a movie that combines 2020, MAGA culture, and sheesh, who’s in the mood for this right now? By the way, did you hear that Aster claimed he was offered to direct Morbius and turned it down? Can you imagine what that would’ve been like? Does it seem like I’m rambling? Because I am. Eddington brought home $4 million, more or less in line with where projections had it.
Anyway, the top ten, via The Numbers


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