Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguardis on track to top the domestic box office this weekend, despite opening on a Wednesday. The R-rated second outing forRyan Reynolds' beleaguered bodyguard Michael Bryce andSamuel L. Jackson’s legendary assassin Darius Kincaid brought in $3 million on Friday, tracking for a $10 million three-day bow and $15 million across its first five days in release.
The first installment also debuted at number one in August 2017, albeit with a much more robust haul of $21.6 million, before going to become one of the year’s steadiest sleeper hits, ending its theatrical run with a global tally north of $176 million. Of course, the pandemic is still very much a factor when it comes to limiting how high a new title can realistically fly, so a weekend win should be enough to put smiles on the faces of studio Lionsgate.
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Reviewshave been so-so, but if you’re a fan of undemanding action, Reynolds playing the sarcastic know-it-all, Jackson delivering some creative profanity andSalma Hayekscreaming obscenities in two languages while shooting people in the face, or even if you just fancy seeingRichard E. Grantfor all of five seconds, thenHitman’s Wife’s Bodyguardis the film for you.
The three-week reign ofA Quiet Place Part IIis poised to come to an end, but the second installmentin the expanding franchiseis set to take second place with another $8 million as it continued to extend a pandemic-era domestic record that’s edging closer to $130 million.Peter Rabbit 2: The RunawayandCruellaare both expected to leapfrogThe Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do Itinto third and fourth after bringing in $1.86 million and $1.4 million respectively, which means more bad news forIn the Heights. In only its second Friday,John M. Chu’s acclaimed adaptation ofLin-Manuel Miranda’s musical has already dropped down to sixth place with $1.38 million aftersuffering some serious disappointmentlast weekend.
A light and frothy odd-couple actioner is poised to win first as we approach the end of June, so the success ofHitman’s Wife’s Bodyguardalmost makes it feel as though we’re in typical summer season. That being said, it’s likely summer proper will kick off for real next week whenVin DieselandtheFast & Furious 9gangexplode back onto our screens.
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