In a slow weekend for the box office, Jack Quaid’s action-comedy “Novocaine” managed to secure the top spot, earning $8.7 million. However, for theater owners, this achievement is bittersweet, as it marks one of the weakest openings to clinch the No. 1 position since the pandemic significantly impacted moviegoing trends. Despite the debut of five new nationwide releases, this weekend fell among the lowest-grossing periods of the year, totaling approximately $54 million across all films.
The sluggish performance during the first quarter of the year has dealt another blow to the already challenged movie theater industry. Following the disruptions caused by COVID-19 and Hollywood's recent labor strikes, the sector is pinning its hopes on a revival in 2025. According to Comscore, year-to-date revenues are currently 5% behind 2024 and nearly 38% behind 2019 figures. Senior Comscore analyst Paul Dergarabedian voiced concerns about the industry’s frustrations, stating, “The industry is getting fed up with these $50 million weekends that have put a drag on the marketplace.” He also highlighted that upcoming releases, including Disney’s highly anticipated “Snow White” and the video game adaptation “Minecraft,” are expected to boost box office numbers significantly in the coming months.
“Novocaine” opened slightly below projections of $10 million from 3,365 North American theaters. The film also saw a modest international performance, grossing $1.8 million from 19 markets, which represents just 25% of its intended overseas reach. On a positive note, the film’s production budget was relatively low at $18 million (excluding marketing costs), making its path to profitability more attainable. Audience reception has been encouraging, with “Novocaine” earning a “B” grade on CinemaScore and an 81% average on Rotten Tomatoes. The plot follows Quaid as an introverted banker who, despite being unable to feel pain, must navigate a crisis when his dream girl is taken hostage during a heist.
Another newcomer, Steven Soderbergh’s “Black Bag,” failed to attract large audiences despite receiving rave reviews. The R-rated spy thriller debuted at No. 3 with $7.5 million from 2,705 cinemas. While the start is reasonable given the film's target demographic of older audiences, Focus Features invested $50 million in production, necessitating a strong word-of-mouth response for the film to be deemed successful. Internationally, “Black Bag” generated $4.2 million from 37 markets, bringing its global total to $11.7 million. The film stars Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender as a couple of intelligence agents facing a personal dilemma when the wife is suspected of being a mole.
In a disappointing turn, A24’s surrealist satire “Opus” landed in 12th place with a mere $1 million from 1,764 theaters, marking one of the worst openings for a wide release. The film received negative reviews, with a “C+” CinemaScore and a 40% “rotten” score on Rotten Tomatoes. “Opus” follows a young writer (played by Ayo Edebiri) visiting the mysterious compound of a legendary pop star (John Malkovich) who vanished 30 years prior. Fortunately, the film had a production cost of under $10 million, limiting potential losses.
Meanwhile, “The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie” opened in fifth place with $3 million from 2,827 locations, closely followed by the Biblical drama “The Last Supper,” which earned $2.8 million from 1,575 theaters. Both films were distributed by independent companies, with Ketchup Entertainment and Pinnacle Peak Pictures handling their respective releases.
Last weekend’s champion, “Mickey 17,” dropped to second place with $7.6 million from 3,807 venues, experiencing a staggering 60% decline from its opening weekend. Directed by Bong Joon Ho and starring Robert Pattinson, the dystopian sci-fi comedy has accumulated $33.3 million domestically and approximately $90 million globally. This is concerning, given its hefty production budget of $118 million, with estimates suggesting it needs to reach $275 million to $300 million worldwide to break even.
In fourth place, Disney’s superhero sequel “Captain America: Brave New World” grossed $5.2 million in its fifth weekend, bringing its domestic total to $185 million and a global tally of $388.6 million. While it is the highest-grossing Hollywood release of the year, it falls short of its $180 million production budget, positioning it as one of the lowest-grossing Marvel films of all time. As the film nears the end of its theatrical run, it faces stiff competition from upcoming Marvel titles like “Thunderbolts” and “The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” set to release in 2025.
