‘Weapons' Maintained Top Spot During Second Weekend, Scaring off Newcomer ‘Nobody 2'
Zach Cregger's horror earned $25 million in 3,450 North American theaters, a 43% drop from its first weekend. The highly anticipated film benefitted from strong audience reviews and social media trends to attract large crowds.
"Freakier Friday," which lost the battle for first place to "Weapons" during its double premiere, also maintained its second spot, bringing in $14.5 million domestically. The films' staying power comes during a slower box office weekend, said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for the data firm Comscore.
Both films also prevailed against "Nobody 2," the R-rated action sequel. The Bob Odenkirk-led film earned $9.25 million across 3,260 North American theaters in its debut weekend.
"August came on strong last year, so it makes comparisons tough," Dergarabedian said, noting the box office success of movies like "Deadpool and Wolverine" and the horror sci-fi "Alien: Romulus" that premiered this time last year.
This summer is unlikely to hit the $4 billion benchmark, but succeeded in providing movie goers a dynamic and diverse slate of movies, he said.
"I can't find a genre that's not represented or a demographic that wouldn't be attracted to one of these films out there," Dergarabedian said. "It's just that eclectic mix of films with appeal to every demographic."
"Nobody 2" follows the pandemic success of the first in the series, "Nobody," which released in 2021. In the sequel, Hutch Mansell, the assassin-turned-nice-guy, played by Odenkirk, returns to the big screen, this time taking a much-needed family vacation that goes awry. The calm weekend turns anything but as Mansell uncovers a corrupt town.
Jim Orr, president of domestic distributions at Universal Pictures, said he hopes the movie's reaction scores — a 89% Audience score and B+ CinemaScore — point "to a long and successful run at the domestic box office."
"The Fantastic Four: First Steps" took the fourth spot during its fourth weekend in theaters, bringing in $8.8 million domestically. The film stumbled at the box office after its initially strong $118 million debut.
Another sequel, "The Bad Guys 2," took fifth place with $7.5 million during its third weekend in theaters.
Notably, Dergarabedian said, international movies made a splash in the top 15 this weekend.
"Coolie," an Indian action thriller, debuted domestically and snatched the tenth spot, followed by "War 2," another Indian action movie, at number 11. The domestic re-release of "Shin Godzilla," a Japanese film that initially premiered in 2016, came in at the 12th spot.
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Asharq Al-Awsat
11 hours ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
‘Weapons' Maintained Top Spot During Second Weekend, Scaring off Newcomer ‘Nobody 2'
"Weapons" scared its way to the top of the box office in its debut and managed to stay there during its second box office weekend, beating out "Freakier Friday" and newcomer "Nobody 2." Zach Cregger's horror earned $25 million in 3,450 North American theaters, a 43% drop from its first weekend. The highly anticipated film benefitted from strong audience reviews and social media trends to attract large crowds. "Freakier Friday," which lost the battle for first place to "Weapons" during its double premiere, also maintained its second spot, bringing in $14.5 million domestically. The films' staying power comes during a slower box office weekend, said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for the data firm Comscore. Both films also prevailed against "Nobody 2," the R-rated action sequel. The Bob Odenkirk-led film earned $9.25 million across 3,260 North American theaters in its debut weekend. "August came on strong last year, so it makes comparisons tough," Dergarabedian said, noting the box office success of movies like "Deadpool and Wolverine" and the horror sci-fi "Alien: Romulus" that premiered this time last year. This summer is unlikely to hit the $4 billion benchmark, but succeeded in providing movie goers a dynamic and diverse slate of movies, he said. "I can't find a genre that's not represented or a demographic that wouldn't be attracted to one of these films out there," Dergarabedian said. "It's just that eclectic mix of films with appeal to every demographic." "Nobody 2" follows the pandemic success of the first in the series, "Nobody," which released in 2021. In the sequel, Hutch Mansell, the assassin-turned-nice-guy, played by Odenkirk, returns to the big screen, this time taking a much-needed family vacation that goes awry. The calm weekend turns anything but as Mansell uncovers a corrupt town. Jim Orr, president of domestic distributions at Universal Pictures, said he hopes the movie's reaction scores — a 89% Audience score and B+ CinemaScore — point "to a long and successful run at the domestic box office." "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" took the fourth spot during its fourth weekend in theaters, bringing in $8.8 million domestically. The film stumbled at the box office after its initially strong $118 million debut. Another sequel, "The Bad Guys 2," took fifth place with $7.5 million during its third weekend in theaters. Notably, Dergarabedian said, international movies made a splash in the top 15 this weekend. "Coolie," an Indian action thriller, debuted domestically and snatched the tenth spot, followed by "War 2," another Indian action movie, at number 11. The domestic re-release of "Shin Godzilla," a Japanese film that initially premiered in 2016, came in at the 12th spot.
Arab News
17 hours ago
- Arab News
A massive mountain park in Vermont celebrates the bond between dogs and their humans
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Asharq Al-Awsat
3 days ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Taylor Swift's Chat with the Kelces on 'New Heights' Marks a Milestone Moment for Podcasts
Since nothing Taylor Swift ever does is small, her two-hour conversation with boyfriend Travis Kelce and his brother Jason Kelce on their 'New Heights' podcast is a watershed moment for a media format that has already outlived the device it was named for. By Thursday afternoon, Wednesday night's talk had already been seen more than 11.7 million times on YouTube. But that's only a fraction of its circulation — clips distributed on Instagram, TikTok, X and elsewhere have received more than 400 million views, and the episode was also available for streaming on audio platforms. Swift, who infrequently gives interviews to journalists, revealed key information about her upcoming album, 'The Life of a Showgirl,' and talked about her relationships with Travis Kelce and her family, and her joy of gaining full control of her past work — a yearslong quest. It was a revelation for fans with whom she's primarily communicated through her music and social media Easter eggs, a treasure hunt of clues about what she's doing professionally. 'We have not heard Taylor speak in like a long-form interview like that in about five years,' Alex Antonides, a superfan from Dallas, told The Associated Press. 'She's never been in that comfortable of a situation, either. It's always been like more professional, like a professional interviewer asking her questions. And then this is like with her boyfriend and his brother. So that was ... an environment we've truly never seen her in before.' Celebrities like a friendly face for public talks Swift cemented a trend that's been seen in recent years among entertainers, sports figures and politicians who seek to deliver particular messages. A visit to friendly faces for a long-form conversation beats questions from nosy, prying journalists. In this case, Swift and Travis Kelce locked arms and cooed at each other between admiring queries. 'My boyfriend says,' Swift said in asides when Kelce laid things on too thick. 'The Kelce brothers have become the Barbara Walters of their generation,' said Nick Cicero, founder of Mondo Metrics, which studies the podcast industry. Fans ate it up. 'I think it's really nice and refreshing, especially for a woman whose primary fan base is young women, to see somebody that is so celebratory of their partner and also not self-deprecating in a bad way, but also really admires what they do, and they don't try to minimize that,' one fan, Britton Copeland, who goes by Britton Rae on TikTok, said in a Zoom interview. Swift interpreters immediately began online discussions about What It All Means. One fan discussed theories about the still-unheard song, 'The Fate of Ophelia,' listed as the new album's first cut. Others pointed out that the album release date of Oct. 3 coincided with National Plaid Day — apparently a Swift obsession — and National Boyfriend's Day. Such Easter eggs are likely to bring listeners back to the 'New Heights' interview again and again, meaning it could eventually stand as the most listened-to podcast episode on YouTube ever. 'It's got a chance,' Cicero said. Podcasts emerged in the 2000s as an audio-only programming format tied to Apple's now-defunct iPod. The New Oxford American Dictionary called 'podcast' its word of the year in 2005, even as many in the industry sought an alternative name almost as soon as it was coined. The well-regarded 'Serial' podcasts helped bring the format into the mainstream a decade ago. Particularly since the pandemic, and with the explosive growth of YouTube and personalities like Joe Rogan, video podcasts have become far more popular. Like most interview podcasts, 'New Heights' can also be enjoyed in an audio format — and it's background noise even for many who air it on YouTube — but being able to see Swift and the Kelces interact has its benefits. Will Swift outdraw President Trump's appearance with Rogan? Rogan's interview with President Donald Trump was a key moment in the 2024 presidential campaign, and has been seen 59 million times on YouTube in nine months. Certainly Swifties — and possibly Trump himself — will be eager to see if the 'New Heights' interview exceeds that number. Swift is among the celebrities who has drawn the president's ire. Swift's and the Kelces' teams were was particularly skillful in creating a huge demand for the interview with how its spread clips across various social media platforms, said Tom Webster, founder of Sounds Profitable, a firm that analyzes the podcast industry. By Thursday morning, Instagram highlights alone from the interview were viewed more than 350 million times, Cicero said.
