The female demographic has been the slowest to return to multiplexes in this pandemic, but they finally turned out this weekend for The Lost City. Two previous lady-targeted pictures essentially failed to entice viewers — Death on the Nile and Marry Me. But then again, Marry Me was simultaneously released on streaming. But it seems the key to drawing women back to theaters was Sandra Bullock. Or… wait, was it Channing Tatum? Or Daniel Radcliffe? Or Brad Pitt?
Well, whatever it was, it worked. This romantic action-comedy uncovered $31 million in its opening weekend, a high for a female-targeted flick during the pandemic. This is also Paramount Pictures’ second-best opening for the same era, coming in second to A Quiet Place Part II which earned $47.5M in its first frame. The Lost City‘s opening is also on par with Bullock’s pre-COVID releases like The Heat ($39M) and The Proposal ($34M).
It’s also Paramount’s third #1 of the year, following Scream and Jackass Forever.
Just as the Japanese anime Jujutsu Kaisen 0 proved to be a surprise hit last weekend, the Indian period action movie RRR also managed to entice American audiences. It landed at #3 with $9.5M, the largest opening for an Indian movie in the U.S.
And Jujutsu Kaisen 0 is also hanging in there, earning $4.58M in its second weekend to land at #5. However, predictably, The Batman is still the #2 movie in the U.S. earning another $20.5M.
Check out the Top Five below:
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- The Lost City (Paramount) – 3-day $31M/Wk 1
- The Batman (Warner Bros.) – 3-day: $20.5M (-44%) Total $332M/Wk 4
- RRR (Sarigama Cinemas) – 3-day $9.5M/Wk 1
- Uncharted (Sony) – 3-day $5M /Total $133.5M/Wk 6
- Jujutsu Kaisen 0 (Crunchyroll) – 3-day $4.58M /Total $27.6M/Wk 2
Everything Everywhere All At Once didn’t make the Top Five, but it only opened on 10 screens and managed to make $509,6K, which averages out to $50,965 per screen, which is rare in this day and age. It was playing to sold-out crowds and it will expand to 30-50 screens next week and will open wide on April 8. And Michelle Yeoh just kicks ass. Plus, her husband is played by Key Huy Quan a.k.a. Short Round in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and Data from The Goonies. Who doesn’t want to see this?!
Most major studios steer clear of the big comic book movies, but we’re finally at the end of the drought caused by The Batman. So next week sees the release of… another comic book movie. This time, it’s Morbius from Sony’s Spider-Man-less Spider-Man Universe. This one has Jared Leto in the lead, but the latest rumors are that Michael Keaton, who appeared in the trailers, has been cut. He may or may not have been reprising his role as Adrian Toomes/The Vulture from Spider-Man: Homecoming.
Will Morbius take a bite out of The Lost City? Check back to find out!
