A Winning Start for 'Weapons' and 'Freakier Friday' at the Box Office
'Weapons' and 'Freakier Friday', both newly released, are off to a promising start as the summer blockbuster season slowly comes to a close. 'Weapons' has taken the lead, earning $18.2 million during its opening day and preview screenings from over 3,000 locations. The film features an impressive cast with stars like Julia Garner, Josh Brolin, Alden Ehrenreich, Austin Abrams, Benedict Wong, and Amy Madigan.
With its debut, 'Weapons' is set to outshine its initial weekend estimates, which were around $30 million. This is an excellent start for the R-rated original, which had a production cost of $38 million. It is a significant jump from the last film by the writer-director, a low-budget film named 'Barbarian' which opened to $10 million before climbing to $40 million due to positive buzz.
Strong Critic and Viewer Reception for 'Weapons'
The success of 'Weapons' comes as no surprise, as it was backed by the same company that won the bidding war for the film. The film has not only received high praise from critics but also scored an 'A-' grade from a moviegoer survey firm, CinemaScore. This is particularly noteworthy since horror films typically receive lower grades.
Following 'Weapons', 'Freakier Friday' is also off to a strong start, earning $12.7 million from over 3,900 locations during its opening day and preview screenings. The comedic sequel, which is a follow-up to the popular 2003 remake 'Freaky Friday', reunites Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis in their roles as a mother-daughter duo who swap bodies.
'Freakier Friday' Also Off to a Good Start
'Freakier Friday' is projected to outperform its pre-weekend estimates of $27 million to $30 million. With a production budget of $42 million, the PG-rated film has kicked off to a good start. The film has also received positive reviews and a high 'A' grade from CinemaScore, indicating a promising outlook for the remainder of the summer movie season.
Other Notable Box Office Performances
'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' fell to third place, earning an additional $4.5 million on Friday. This superhero adventure is headed for another significant drop after a 67% decrease in its second weekend. Despite this, the film is projected to reach a total of $229 million in North America by the end of Sunday.
In fourth place is 'The Bad Guys 2', which earned an additional $3 million on Friday and is projected to earn $10.7 million during its second weekend. The animated sequel is expected to reach a total of $43.7 million in North America after its first 10 days of release. This is comparable to its 2022 predecessor, which earned $44 million during the same period and ended with $97 million in North America.
Completing the top five is 'The Naked Gun', a comedy starring Liam Neeson. The film earned an additional $2.3 million on Friday and is projected to earn $8.4 million over the weekend. The film is expected to reach a total of $33 million in North America by the end of Sunday.
New Releases Continue to Draw Audiences
Also released this weekend was the fantasy comedy 'Sketch', which opened in over 2,000 locations on Wednesday. The film has earned $3.2 million so far and is expected to rank tenth for the weekend.