‘Superman' flexes its might in second weekend with $57.3 million
None of the week's new releases - "I Know What You Did Last Summer,' "Smurfs,' and "Eddington' - came close to touching Warner Bros. and DC Studios' superhero success. "Superman' dipped 54% from its domestic opening, an average decline for a big summer film.
In two weeks, "Superman' has grossed $406.8 million worldwide, a good start for the movie DC Studios is banking on to restart its movie operations. A big test looms next weekend, when the Walt Disney Co. releases Marvel's "The Fantastic Four: First Steps.'
Strong audience scores and good reviews should help propel the $225 million-budgeted "Superman' toward profitability in the coming weeks. For Warner Bros. and DC Studios, "Superman' is key to kicking off a 10-year plan for the comic book adaptation studio. Co-heads Gunn and Peter Safra were tasked with rehabilitating the flagging operation. Next on tap are the films "Supergirl' and "Clayface' in 2026.
But "Superman' is far from flying solo in theaters right now. Universal Pictures' "Jurassic World: Rebirth' came in second this weekend, with $23.4 million in its third week of release. The seventh "Jurassic' movie, this one starring Scarlett Johansson, held its own despite the competition from "Superman.' In three weeks, it accrued $648 million worldwide.
Apple Studios and Warner Bros.' "F1: The Movie' has also shown legs, especially internationally. In its fourth weekend, the Brad Pitt racing drama dipped just 26% domestically, bringing in $9.6 million in North America, and another $29.5 million overseas. Its global total stands at $460.8 million.
But both of the biggest new releases - Sony Pictures' "I Know What You Did Last Summer' and Paramount Pictures' "Smurfs' - fell flat.
"I Know What You Did Last Summer' opened with $13 million, a fair result for a movie budgeted at a modest $18 million, but a disappointing opening for a well-known horror franchise. The film, directed by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, is set 27 years after the 1997 original. Teenagers played by Madelyn Cline and Chase Sui Wonders are again haunted for covering up a car accident.
The movie's reviews (38% "fresh' on Rotten Tomatoes) were poor for "I Know What You Did Last Summer' and audiences graded it similarly. The film notched a "C+' on CinemaScore. The original collected $72.6 million in its domestic run in 1997.
Paramount Pictures' "Smurfs' debuted in fourth place this weekend with $11 million. The latest big-screen reboot for the woodland blue creatures prominently features Rihanna as the voice of Smurfette. But reviews (21% "fresh' on Rotten Tomatoes) were terrible. Audiences were kinder, giving it a "B+' on CinemaScore, but the $58 million-budgeted release will depend largely on its international sales. In 56 overseas markets, "Smurfs' earned $22.6 million.
Ari Aster's "Eddington' opened with $4.2 million on 2,111 screens for A24. Since its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, "Eddington' has been particularly divisive. The pandemic-set Western features Joaquin Phoenix as the right-wing sheriff of a small New Mexico town who faces off with its liberal mayor (Pedro Pascal).
While Aster's first film, 2018's "Hereditary' ($82.8 million worldwide against a $10 million budget) helped establish A24 as an indie powerhouse, but the less-than-stellar launch of "Eddington' marks the second box-office disappointment for Aster. His 2023 film "Beau Is Afraid' cost $35 million to make but collected just $12.4 million worldwide. "Eddington' cost about $25 million to produce. Audiences gave it a "C+' on CinemaScore. None of Aster's previous films have been graded higher.
Yet collectively, Hollywood is enjoying a very good summer. According to data firm Comscore, the 2025 summer box office is up 15.9% over the same period last year, with the year-to-date sales running 15% ahead of 2025. Summer ticket sales have amassed about $2.6 billion domestically, according to Comscore.
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Kuwait Times
4 days ago
- Kuwait Times
‘Superman' triumphs once again at North American box office
The Man of Steel has staying power: 'Superman' topped the North American box office for a second week running and surpassed the $400 million mark worldwide, industry estimates showed Sunday. Riding largely positive reviews, the latest big-budget action film featuring the iconic superhero from Warner Bros. and DC Studios earned $57.3 million in the United States and Canada, Exhibitor Relations said. That puts its North American take at $235 million and its international sales at $171 million - or $406 million globally. 'Jurassic World: Rebirth' - the latest installment in the blockbuster dinosaur saga - also held its ground in second place at $23.4 million. Its worldwide total stands at $647.2 million. The Universal film, starring Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey and Mahershala Ali, takes viewers to an abandoned island research facility, where secrets - and genetically mutated dinosaurs - are lurking. 'I Know What You Did Last Summer,' a sequel to two 1990s slasher hits that bring back the franchise's original stars Freddie Prinze Jr and Jennifer Love Hewitt, opened in third place at a disappointing $13 million. 'This is another horror series returning after a long layoff, in this case after 27 years,' said industry analyst David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research. 'Generally, the layoffs don't bother these films; in fact, they get stronger... that's not happening here.' 'Smurfs,' the latest film featuring the adorable blue creatures and starring Rihanna as Smurfette, opened in a lackluster fourth place with $11 million in North American ticket sales. 'F1: The Movie,' the Apple and Warner Bros. flick starring Brad Pitt as a washed-up Formula One driver who gets one last shot at redemption, finished in fifth place at $9.6 million. 'The current lineup in theaters is strong, with a broad selection of big titles including superheroes, action, monsters, horror and animation,' said Gross. 'Superman' will soon get a new superhero rival when Marvel's hotly anticipated 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' starring Pedro Pascal hits theaters in the coming days. Rounding out the top 10 were: 'How to Train Your Dragon' ($5.4 million) 'Eddington' ($4.3 million) 'Elio' ($2.0 million) 'Lilo & Stitch' ($1.5 million) '28 Years Later' ($1.3 million). — AFP
Arab Times
5 days ago
- Arab Times
‘Superman' flexes its might in second weekend with $57.3 million
NEW YORK, July 21, (AP): James Gunn's "Superman' showed staying power in its second weekend at North American box offices, collecting $57.3 million in ticket sales and remaining the No. 1 movie in cinemas, according to studio estimates Sunday. None of the week's new releases - "I Know What You Did Last Summer,' "Smurfs,' and "Eddington' - came close to touching Warner Bros. and DC Studios' superhero success. "Superman' dipped 54% from its domestic opening, an average decline for a big summer film. In two weeks, "Superman' has grossed $406.8 million worldwide, a good start for the movie DC Studios is banking on to restart its movie operations. A big test looms next weekend, when the Walt Disney Co. releases Marvel's "The Fantastic Four: First Steps.' Strong audience scores and good reviews should help propel the $225 million-budgeted "Superman' toward profitability in the coming weeks. For Warner Bros. and DC Studios, "Superman' is key to kicking off a 10-year plan for the comic book adaptation studio. Co-heads Gunn and Peter Safra were tasked with rehabilitating the flagging operation. Next on tap are the films "Supergirl' and "Clayface' in 2026. But "Superman' is far from flying solo in theaters right now. Universal Pictures' "Jurassic World: Rebirth' came in second this weekend, with $23.4 million in its third week of release. The seventh "Jurassic' movie, this one starring Scarlett Johansson, held its own despite the competition from "Superman.' In three weeks, it accrued $648 million worldwide. Apple Studios and Warner Bros.' "F1: The Movie' has also shown legs, especially internationally. In its fourth weekend, the Brad Pitt racing drama dipped just 26% domestically, bringing in $9.6 million in North America, and another $29.5 million overseas. Its global total stands at $460.8 million. But both of the biggest new releases - Sony Pictures' "I Know What You Did Last Summer' and Paramount Pictures' "Smurfs' - fell flat. "I Know What You Did Last Summer' opened with $13 million, a fair result for a movie budgeted at a modest $18 million, but a disappointing opening for a well-known horror franchise. The film, directed by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, is set 27 years after the 1997 original. Teenagers played by Madelyn Cline and Chase Sui Wonders are again haunted for covering up a car accident. The movie's reviews (38% "fresh' on Rotten Tomatoes) were poor for "I Know What You Did Last Summer' and audiences graded it similarly. The film notched a "C+' on CinemaScore. The original collected $72.6 million in its domestic run in 1997. Paramount Pictures' "Smurfs' debuted in fourth place this weekend with $11 million. The latest big-screen reboot for the woodland blue creatures prominently features Rihanna as the voice of Smurfette. But reviews (21% "fresh' on Rotten Tomatoes) were terrible. Audiences were kinder, giving it a "B+' on CinemaScore, but the $58 million-budgeted release will depend largely on its international sales. In 56 overseas markets, "Smurfs' earned $22.6 million. Ari Aster's "Eddington' opened with $4.2 million on 2,111 screens for A24. Since its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, "Eddington' has been particularly divisive. The pandemic-set Western features Joaquin Phoenix as the right-wing sheriff of a small New Mexico town who faces off with its liberal mayor (Pedro Pascal). While Aster's first film, 2018's "Hereditary' ($82.8 million worldwide against a $10 million budget) helped establish A24 as an indie powerhouse, but the less-than-stellar launch of "Eddington' marks the second box-office disappointment for Aster. His 2023 film "Beau Is Afraid' cost $35 million to make but collected just $12.4 million worldwide. "Eddington' cost about $25 million to produce. Audiences gave it a "C+' on CinemaScore. None of Aster's previous films have been graded higher. Yet collectively, Hollywood is enjoying a very good summer. According to data firm Comscore, the 2025 summer box office is up 15.9% over the same period last year, with the year-to-date sales running 15% ahead of 2025. Summer ticket sales have amassed about $2.6 billion domestically, according to Comscore.
Arab Times
17-07-2025
- Arab Times
Nostalgia and gore collide in the new 'I Know What You Did Last Summer'
LOS ANGELES, July 17, (AP): The new "I Know What You Did Last Summer' pretty much follows the plot of the 1997 film of the same name: A bunch of well-to-do young people get stalked and killed by a vengeful killer in a rain slicker with an ice hook. It even has some of the same stars. "It's 1997 all over again. It's so nostalgic,' says Freddie Prinze Jr., who stars in both, this time around. Responds another returning star, Jennifer Love Hewitt: "Nostalgia is overrated.' That line deserves a big laugh from a so-called "legacy sequel' that blends old and new to resurrect a franchise long dormant but isn't sure where it sits in 2025. A wink here, an eye-gouging there. By aping the structure of the original - maddeningly calling itself by its predecessor's name - the new version of "I Know What You Did Last Summer' is both too tentative a step forward and yet too reliant on the past to fully break free of that gravitational pull. The new installment follows a group of post-high school friends (Madelyn Cline, Chase Sui Wonders, Jonah Hauer-King, Sarah Pidgeon, and Tyriq Withers) who cause a fatal car wreck on July Fourth and swear to keep their involvement a secret. But a year later, someone wants them dead, offering the anniversary warning: "I know what you did last summer.' This is a franchise that got a bit lost in the shadow of the "Scream' dynasty, but still helped make household names of such Gen X heroes as Prinze, Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, and Ryan Phillippe. A relaunch makes sense, but it's pretty vapid stuff until the OGs arrive. In fact, you may find yourself rooting for the killer. The five youngsters who have grown up in Southport, North Carolina - "the Hamptons of the South' - mostly live lives of nepo privilege, drinking from flasks, driving Volvos, munching on macarons, and taking Adderall. One lives on a 156-foot (48-meter) yacht with three decks. The movie mostly muddles along like a TV special, only coming to life when Prinze and Hewitt arrive, asked by the hunted youngsters for guidance. After all, the duo survived the 1997 attacks. "Get them before they get you,' Hewitt's Julie advises. Director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, who co-wrote the screenplay with Sam Lansky, mixes gruesome stabbings, harpoon impalings, and corpses displayed on hooks like fish at the dock with jokes that needle everything from Nicole Kidman's cheesy AMC commercials to our fling with true-crime podcasts. The filmmakers make half-hearted attempts to explain the ripple effects from trauma but we're not here for generational pain; we're here for the slashy-slashy. There is one dream sequence with a surprise returning OG that's worth the ticket price alone. The tone is all over the place - whimpering victims one moment, horny the next. The police in Southport are nefarious - in a nod to "Jaws,' they cover up the murders for fear of turning off tourism - but there's a "Scooby-Doo' vibe here (even a mention) that seems less playful than idea-deprived. There are elements of spoof, too, like a vain woman who has just lost someone close in a grisly bloodbath but worries about her skin care. Look, we hate to break it to you, it's not going to end well for many of this privileged set, as they hunt whoever is hunting them. Coherence is also stabbed a lot because a clear motive for the mass murder is really hard to understand. No matter: We get the scene when a scared victim with a massive knife sticking out of her back shoots a harpoon gun at the hook killer, and that's why we came in the first place. We also get Hewitt screaming her catchphrase, mocking her attacker: "What are you waiting for?' Well, what are you waiting for? "I Know What You Did Last Summer,' a Sony Pictures release in theaters Friday, is rated R for "bloody horror violence, language throughout, some sexual content and brief drug use.' Running time: 111 minutes. One and a half stars out of four.
