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. Superman's decline in the North American market in its second weekend was 54% from its opening, an average decline for a big summer film.
Superman beats all new releases
Superman upstaged all the new releases this weekend - I Know What You Did Last Summer, Smurfs, and Eddington — none of which came close to touching Warner Bros. and DC Studios’ superhero success. However, the big test looms next weekend, when the Walt Disney Co. releases Marvel's The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
The film has also now reached $400 million worldwide, increasing its chances of a $1-billion haul. Strong audience scores and good reviews should help propel the $225 million-budgeted Superman toward profitability in the coming weeks. The film holds a lot of significance for the new DC Studios, which is hoping to kick off a 10-year plan for the comic book adaptation studio. After the old DC Extended Universe crashed and burned, the new co-heads Gunn and Peter Safran were tasked with rehabilitating the flagging operation.
I Know What You Did Last Summer and Smurfs fail to take off
But beyond Superman, things were a little gloomy at the North American box office. 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. 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.
Jurassic World and F1 still going strong
{{/usCountry}}But beyond Superman, things were a little gloomy at the North American box office. 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. 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.
Jurassic World and F1 still going strong
{{/usCountry}}But Superman is far from flying solo in theaters. Older releases are doing well. Universal Pictures’ Jurassic World: Rebirth came in second this weekend, with $23.4 million in its third week of release. Apple Studios and Warner Bros.’ F1: The Movie has also shown legs, especially internationally. In its fourth weekend, the Brad Pitt racing drama stands at $460.8 million.
(With AP inputs)