NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� Hollywood largely ceded attention to football over a slow box-office weekend, with the survival thriller 鈥淪end Help鈥� repeating as No. 1 in ticket sales and the falling sharply in its second weekend.
is typically one of the lowest attended moviegoing times of the year. It was the second slowest weekend last year and in 2024 it ranked dead last for moviegoing.
Studios instead put their focus on advertising movies for the massive television audience. Among the trailers expected to hit the NFL broadcast Sunday were The Walt Disney Co.’s 鈥淢andalorian and Grogu,鈥� Lionsgate鈥檚 Michael Jackson biopic, 鈥淢ichael鈥� and Universal Pictures鈥� 鈥淭he Super Mario Galaxy Movie.鈥�
In North American theaters, the Disney.-20th Century Studios release 鈥淪end Help,鈥� directed by Sam Raimi, lead all films with $10 million in its second weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday. With $53.7 million globally thus far, the R-rated survival thriller has proved a solid midbudget success. Disney meanwhile watched its remarkably long-lasting cross $1.8 billion worldwide in its 11th week of release.
鈥淢elania,鈥� from Amazon MGM, added 300 theaters in its second weekend but dropped steeply with to $2.4 million in ticket sales, down 67% from The rapid downturn means the Brett Ratner-directed documentary is likely heading toward flop territory given its high price tag. Amazon MGM paid $40 million for film rights, plus some $35 million to market it.
The North American total for 鈥淢elania鈥� stands at $13.4 million. Amazon MGM has not released international figures, though they’re expected to be paltry.
Kevin Wilson, head of domestic distribution for the studio, said the movie’s box-office performance 鈥渋s a critical first moment that validates our wholistic distribution strategy, building awareness, engagement, and provides momentum ahead of the film鈥檚 eventual debut on Prime Video.鈥�
The film’s ticket sales 鈥� which would be very good for a less expensive documentary 鈥� were a talking point throughout the week. Late-night hosts Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel hammered the movie鈥檚 sales. Kimmel called them a 鈥渞igged outcome.鈥� Elsewhere in theaters, the Italy-set Kevin James romantic comedy 鈥淪olo Mio鈥� debuted with a robust $7.2 million, a major win for Angel Studios, best known for its faith-based releases. 鈥淪tray Kids: The Dominate Experience,鈥� a K-pop concert film released by Bleecker Street, launched with $5.6 million, and an additional $13.2 million overseas. The Luc Besson-directed Bram Stoker adaptation opened with $4.5 million, a studio-best debut for the indie distributor Vertical.
One of the most unusual releases in theaters, however, remains the low-budget indie 鈥淚ron Lung.鈥� The YouTube filmmaker Markiplier, whose real name is Mark Fischbach, self-financed and self-distributed the R-rated video game adaptation, along with writing, directing and starring in it. In its second weekend, 鈥淚ron Lung鈥� collected $6.2 million, bringing its two-week total to $31.2 million. It cost $3 million to make.
Top 10 movies by domestic box office
With final domestic figures being released Monday, this list factors in the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore:
1. 鈥淪end Help,鈥� $10 million.
2. 鈥淪olo Mio,鈥� $7.2 million.
3. 鈥淚ron Lung,鈥� $6 million.
4. 鈥淪tray Kids: The Dominate Experience,鈥� $5.6 million.
5. 鈥淒racula,鈥� $4.5 million.
6. 鈥淶ootopia 2,鈥� $4 million.
7. 鈥淎vatar: Fire and Ash,鈥� $3.5 million.
8. 鈥淭he Strangers: Chapter 3,鈥� $3.5 million.
9. 鈥淪helter,鈥� $2.4 million.
10. 鈥淢elania,鈥� $2.4 million.
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