Continuing the admirably healthy streak that the domestic box office has been in this summer, this weekend saw several movies across genres delivering strong performances. WhileDespicable Me 4retained its number one positionfor the second time in a row, Neon delivered its best-ever opening with the buzzy horror filmLonglegs. Directed byOsgood Perkinsand starring scream queenMaika MonroealongsideNicolas Cageas the titular serial killer,Longlegsmore thanquadrupled Neon’s previous best opening weekend haul.
The movie generated an estimated $22.6 million this weekend, besting the $5.3 million debut ofImmaculatesome months ago. Not only is this Neon’s best debut, but also the best opening weekend haul of the year for an original horror movie. The last few months have seen plenty ofstudio horror filmsunder-performing at the box office, leading to concern about the usually dependable genre’s box office potential. But with the recentA Quiet Place: Day Onealso in the mix this weekend, it would seem like things are back on track.
Longlegsbenefited from a solid marketing campaign that created curiosity around the titular character, whose appearance wasn’t revealed in any of the promotional material. It helps that the movie hasearned strong reviews, and is sitting at a “fresh” 87% approval rating on the aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes. Inhis review, Collider’sRoss Bonaimewrote that the movie takes audiences on a “horror journey of pure evil.” Audience reception, however, seems to be more muted, which raises concerns about its… long legs. The movie earned a disappointing C+ CinemaScore from opening day crowds.
Continuing its solid run with a strong second weekend hold,Despicable Me 4generated an estimated $44 million this weekend,pushing its running domestic total to $210 millionin two weeks.Despicable Me 4is facing stiff competition from the holdover mega-hitInside Out 2, which took third position this weekend — its fifth — with over $20 million. This takes the film’srunning domestic total to over $570 million, which means that it is only a day away from overtakingThe Super Mario Bros. Movie’s $574 million lifetime haul to become the second-biggest animated film of all time domestically, behind only Pixar’s ownIncredibles 2($608 million).
The fourth spot was claimed byA Quiet Place: Day One, which recently crossed the $100 million milestone domestically and the $200 million milestone worldwide. Now having entered its third week, the movie grossed around $12 million this weekend, taking itsdomestic total to over $115 million. Debuting at number five was Sony’s release of Apple’sFly Me to the Moon, starringChanning TatumandScarlett Johansson. The well-received (but expensive) period dramagrossed over $10 million this weekend, against a reported budget of $100 million. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
A chilling horror thriller directed by Osgood Perkins. The film stars Maika Monroe as Lee Harker, a promising new FBI agent assigned to solve the mystery of an elusive serial killer played by Nicolas Cage. As Harker delves deeper into the case, she uncovers disturbing evidence of occult practices connected to the murders.
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