‘Beekeeper’ tops the box office this weekend

This weekend, movie theaters and audiences settled for seconds. With no new wide release on the schedule, it kept a crowd on its feet, outpacing the North American box office led by “The Beekeeper” in its third week of release.

Amazon MGM Studios’ Jason Statham debuted at No. 1, earning $7.4 million, according to the studio’s estimates on Sunday. It was down just 14% from the previous weekend, bringing its domestic total to $42.3 million. It exceeded 100 million dollars worldwide.

Paramount’s “Mean Girls” musical, also in its third week, followed close behind with $7.3 million. The film has now grossed $60.8 million in North America.

In third place is Warner Bros. “Wonka” added $5.9 million in its seventh weekend as the Timothée Chalamet-led musical approached $200 million domestically. It is currently at $195.2 million in North America and $552 million worldwide.

Rounding out the top five is Universal and Illumination’s “Migration” with $5.1 million, taking it over $100 million domestically, while Sony’s romantic comedy “Anyone But You” has $4.8 million for a total of $71.2 million. .

“Overall, it’s a very slow weekend for box office revenue, but it’s a great weekend for moviegoers,” said Paul Dergarabedian, Comscore’s senior media analyst. “The strikes have created a lot of negativity, but the disruption in the release calendar creates opportunities and potential. It’s an ever-changing ecosystem.”

Beneficiaries included Hindi action movie “Fighter,” which ranked sixth with $3.7 million, “Godzilla Minus One,” which was re-released in black and white for a week and reached the top 10, and several awards. contestants.

This was the first movie-going weekend after the Oscar nominations. While many top contenders are already available for home viewing, including “Oppenheimer,” “Barbie,” “Killers of the Flower Moon” and “The Holdovers,” many movies still in theaters have gotten a big boost from the excitement. Amazon and MGM’s “American Fiction,” which was nominated for five awards including best picture and best actor for Jeffrey Wright, was up 65% in its seventh week with $2.9 million in ticket sales.

Searchlight’s “Poor Things,” which earned 11 Oscar nominations including best picture, best director and best actress for Emma Stone, was up 43% from last weekend with an estimated $3 million. The Yorgos Lanthimos film grossed $51.1 million worldwide.

“It’s really important for high-quality Oscar nominees to rise above the noise,” Dergarabedian said. “Because it was a quiet weekend, these movies actually made it into the top 10.”

Nominated in five categories, including best picture and best director for Jonathan Glazer, A24’s “The Zone of Interest” expanded to 317 screens and grossed $1.1 million. The majority of viewers in major markets are under 35, the studio said.

Universal released the Oscar-nominated “Oppenheimer” in 1,262 theaters and earned an additional million dollars this weekend. Focus Features also added 1,140 screens for major Oscar nominee Alexander Payne’s “The Holdovers,” also streaming on Peacock. He added an estimated $520,000, bringing his total to $19.3 million. “The Holdovers” also earned $3.3 million internationally, grossing $31.2 million worldwide.

Estimated ticket sales at U.S. and Canadian theaters from Friday through Sunday, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be announced on Monday.

1. “The Beekeeper,” $7.4 million.

2. “Mean Girls” $7.3 million.

3. “Wonka,” $5.9 million.

4. “Immigration,” $5.1 million.

5. “Everybody But You,” $4.8 million.

6. “Warrior,” $3.7 million.

7. “Poor Things” $3 million.

8. “American Fiction,” $2.9 million.

9. “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom,” $2.8 million.

10. “Godzilla Minus One,” $2.6 million.