As summer came to an unofficial close with Labor Day weekend, the domestic box office largely continued to play the hits. September opens withDeadpool & Wolverinestill at the top in week six, followed by the horror hitAlien: Romulus. The holiday is rarely one of the more profitable days for theaters, but this year did see one notable overperformer in theDennis Quaid-ledReagan. Made on a $25 million budget,Sean McNamara’s adaptation ofPaul Kengor’s novelThe Crusader: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communismdebuted in third place with $10 million, just barely beating outBlake Lively’s romantic dramaIt Ends With Us. Brutal critical reviewshaven’t quelled audience love for the biopicas its 20% Tomatometer score has been outweighed by a stellar 98% Verified HotRotten Tomatoesaudience score.
Despite its hard charge,Reaganstill couldn’t hold a candle toDeadpool & Wolverine,whichbrought in another $19.4 million domestically, becoming only the sixteenth film in history, not accounting for inflation, to cross the $600 million milestone at home. TheRyan ReynoldsandHugh Jackman-led smashis now over $1.26 million worldwide and still climbing, officially making it the seventh highest-grossing comic book movie and placing it within striking distance ofBlack Pantherat $1.35 billion. Wade Wilson’s long-awaited return has been filled with box office records as it became thehighest-grossing R-rated movie of all time, and it’s the domestic side of things where the accolades have been especially impressive, as it has only once fallen out of the top spot thanks toAlien: Romulus' debut. Even as its secrets are divulged, likethe post-credits scene withChanning Tatum’s Gambit, audiences are still going out in droves for the multiversal adventure.
Speaking ofFede Álvarez's gory sci-fi horror hit, it pulled in another $11.5 million over the weekend to reach $90.9 million domestically and$285.6 million worldwide. Audience drop-off still isn’t slowing down the film, somethingespecially apparent at the IMAX box officewhere it again padded its numbers to reach $37.2 million and become the highest-grossing horror flick ever on the premium format. Strong word of mouthcontinues to carry the back-to-basics Xenomorph hitwitha killer group of young actorsincludingCaely Spaeny,David Jonsson,Archie Renaux, andIsabela Mercedleading the charge.
‘It Ends With Us’ and ‘Twisters’ Continue To Soar While ‘AfrAId’ Malfunctions
AlthoughReaganis currently in third place domestically, all of third through fifth place are currently in a dead heat, withIt Ends With Uscurrently #4 with $9.56 million andTwisters— which is in its7thweek — virtually tied at #5 with another $9.5 million. The final tally may ultimately see these titles shuffle around, though it’s hard to bet againstJustin Baldoni’s romantic dramagiven its massive run thus far. Despite the controversy surrounding the film and the attention ona rumored feud between Baldoni and Lively, it hasn’t suffered one bit as it’s up to $135.8 million domestically and$283 million globally, marking the actress’s biggest hit by far.Twisters, meanwhile,is now up to $361.6 million worldwidethanks to continued support for theDaisy Edgar-JonesandGlen Powell-led natural disaster flick.
Further down the list,Zoe Kravitz’s directorial debutBlink Twicecontinues to succeedwith another $6.1 million, bringing its total to $30.7 million and falling just shy of the religious featureThe Forgeat $6.3 million. The other big debut of the week,theJohn Cho-led Blumhouse flickAfrAId, couldn’t match fellow newcomerReagan’s totals, instead falling behindDespicable Me 4and only barely beating theCoralinere-release with $4.4 millionand a $6.8 million global debut.Poor reviews from critics and audiencescombined with a lack of buzz left little room for the artificial intelligence flick to succeed at a brutal time to break into the box office, continuing horror’s overall struggles financially this year.
What’s Coming to Theaters This Weekend?
There’s only one name on everyone’s mind for this week’s theatrical releases, and it’s not Deadpool, Wolverine, or evenRonald Reagan. It’sTim Burton’s Ghost with the Most, who is finally ready to return forBeetlejuice Beetlejuice.Michael Keatonsteps back in as the grubby bio-exorcistfor a new adventure that brings the Deetz family back to Winter River, includingCatherine O’HaraandWinona Ryder, alongsideJenna Ortega,one of many big newcomers to the horror comedy. Earlyreviews out of the Venice International Film Festivalhave been positive overall with a 78% onRotten Tomatoes, but the hype of the ghoul’s return alone should be enough to power the film to the top of the box office.
Stay tuned here at Collider for future box office updates.
A drama based on the life of Ronald Reagan, from his childhood to his time in the oval office.
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