Weekend Box Office: Surprises and Struggles

The weekend box office brought a few surprises. Jason Statham's action flick "A Working Man" took the top spot with $15. 2 million in its first weekend. This movie, directed by David Ayer and produced by Amazon MGM, pushed Disney's "Snow White" to second place. Disney's live-action remake of the classic tale had a slow start with $45 million in its opening weekend. It dropped more than 66% in its second week, earning $14. 2 million from 4, 200 theaters. The film, starring Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot, has made $66. 8 million domestically and $143. 1 million worldwide so far. With a budget of over $250 million plus marketing costs, "Snow White" needs strong box office performance to break even. It faces tough competition from "A Minecraft Movie, " which opens next weekend. "A Working Man" received mixed reviews and a "B" grade on CinemaScore. The film features Statham as a retired military hero who comes out of retirement to rescue his boss's daughter from human traffickers. This opening is slightly behind Ayer and Statham's previous collaboration, "The Beekeeper, " which started with $16 million and eventually made $66 million domestically and $162 million globally. Three other films had nationwide releases but didn't make a big splash. Universal and Blumhouse's horror film "The Woman in the Yard, " A24's surrealist "Death of a Unicorn, " and Fathom's "The Chosen: Last Supper" all opened without much fanfare. Overall, box office revenues are down, with ticket sales 10. 9% behind 2024 and 39% behind 2019, according to Comscore. "The Chosen: Last Supper, " a faith-based series about Jesus and his disciples, debuted in third place with $11. 5 million from 2, 235 cinemas. Fathom Events is releasing the show's fifth season in cinemas with two-week runs of episodes. "The Woman in the Yard" collected $9. 4 million from 2, 842 cinemas in its first weekend. The film, starring Danielle Deadwyler, tells the story of a family who encounters a mysterious woman who delivers a cryptic message. The movie received a "C-" grade on CinemaScore and a 39% "rotten" average on Rotten Tomatoes. Despite the poor reviews, it only cost $12 million to produce. A24's horror comedy "Death of a Unicorn" earned $5. 8 million from 3, 050 theaters. The film stars Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega as a father and daughter who accidentally hit a mythical creature. These sales are an improvement from A24's previous wide release, the surrealist comedy "Opus, " which has only grossed $1. 8 million to date. In limited release, Bleecker Street's "The Friend" debuted on two screens in New York, earning $66, 853 for a weekend per-screen average of $33, 426. Sony Pictures Classics released "The Penguin Lessons" across 1, 017 screens, earning $1. 2 million.