The highly anticipated sports thriller, "Him", which follows a football player's quest to become the greatest of all time, has fallen short of box office expectations. Opening with only $13.5 million from 3,168 North American theaters, the film debuted slightly below the projected $15 million. Despite hopes for a more successful launch, these ticket sales were insufficient to surpass last weekend's champion, "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle," which dominated the domestic box office with an impressive $17.3 million in its second week.
"Demon Slayer", an anime sensation from Sony-owned Crunchyroll, easily retained its top position, showcasing its massive popularity. With a total of $103 million generated domestically, it has now become the highest-grossing anime film in North American box office history. Although ticket sales saw a significant drop of approximately 75% from its record-breaking $70 million debut, the current $17.3 million tally is noteworthy, as it would have been a strong opening weekend figure for most films.
In addition to "Him," another new release, "A Big Bold Beautiful Journey," stumbled significantly, landing in sixth place with only $3.5 million from 3,330 venues. Despite the star power of Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell, the film suffered from poor reviews, earning a dismal 38% average on Rotten Tomatoes and a “B-” on CinemaScore exit polls. This lack of enthusiasm suggests that the film's box office journey may not align with its optimistic title.
"Him" also faced challenges internationally, managing a mere $400,000 from 25 markets, bringing its global total to $13.86 million. With a production budget of $27 million, the film does not require a massive box office performance to achieve profitability. However, the negative reception—evidenced by a low 28% Rotten Tomatoes average and a “C-” grade on CinemaScore—threatens to hinder its word-of-mouth promotion over time.
Industry analyst David A. Gross from Franchise Entertainment Research weighed in on the film's performance, noting, “Producer Jordan Peele, whose name prominently features in the campaign, is primarily responsible for the initial interest, but the movie is not being well received.” He added that a CinemaScore of “C” or “C+” is typical for horror films, while a “C-” indicates a notable level of dissatisfaction among viewers.
Meanwhile, the thriller "The Conjuring: Last Rites" secured third place, raking in $13 million in its third weekend, making it the highest-grossing installment in the franchise with a domestic total of $151.2 million and a global tally of $400 million. Warner Bros.-owned New Line Cinema has had a stellar year, surpassing the $1 billion mark, largely due to successful horror films like "Final Destination: Bloodlines" and "Weapons."
Additionally, "The Long Walk" and "Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale" tied for fourth place, each earning approximately $6.3 million over the weekend. While "The Long Walk" maintained a decent performance with a 46% drop from its debut, "Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale" experienced a significant 66% decline, grossing $31.6 million in North America so far.
As we look to the future, overall box office returns are currently 4.4% ahead of 2024, though still more than 22% behind the figures reported in 2019. With upcoming releases such as Paul Thomas Anderson’s action epic "One Battle After Another," starring Leonardo DiCaprio, and Taylor Swift’s highly anticipated "The Official Release Party of a Showgirl," the next few weekends promise to bring new excitement to theaters. Stay tuned for more updates.
