Spiral Adds $4.5M in Quiet Domestic Weekend, F9 Shines in Overseas Debut

Images Courtesy of Universal and Lionsgate.

Next weekend will bring the biggest shake-up to the domestic market since theaters first reopened last summer. Two wide releases from major studios with cross-quadrant appeal—Paramount’s A Quiet Place Part II and Disney’s Cruella—will test the market when they open on May 28 for Memorial Day weekend. This weekend, however, was anti-climactic in comparison. It was yet another frame at the domestic box office without a new wide release hitting the market.

Lionsgate’s Spiral: From the Book of Saw led the box office with a $4.55 million haul in its sophomore frame from 2,991 theaters, a 48% drop from last weekend’s debut, reaching $15.82 million domestically. The horror spin-off added $2.67 million from 21 overseas markets to take its international cume to $6.72 million. The film’s $22.5 million global total now lifts the Saw franchise above the billion dollar mark at the global box office.

“We congratulate our friends at Twisted Pictures and all of the filmmakers and stars who have been a part of the Saw legacy,” said David Spitz, Lionsgate’s president of domestic theatrical distribution. “Over the years, our partners have been innovative, creative, and open to new ideas as they have nurtured a microbudget  film into a billion-dollar-plus-grossing cultural phenomenon.”

Wrath of Man finished second in its third frame, adding $2.9 million to its tally from 3,007 theaters. The action flick has now earned $18.8 million at the domestic box office, slightly above Universal’s Nobody at the equivalent point of release.

The real action at the box office this weekend occurred overseas. F9 clocked in the biggest international debut for a Hollywood title during the pandemic, earning $162.4 million from only 8 overseas markets in its first weekend. The ninth instalment of the Fast & Furious franchise opened in China on May 21, becoming the first Hollywood title since 2019’s Avengers: Endgame to claim a $100 million debut in the market. Universal is estimating a $135.6 million bow for F9 in China, which includes a $59.1 million Friday that places the title fifth among the biggest opening days of all time in the market. $12.4 million of the global Imax gross came from China alone, the company’s third-best weekend in the country on record.

China is a crucial market for the franchise, responsible for nearly a third of its cumulative global gross in recent years. F9’s pre-pandemic predecessor, 2017’s The Fate of the Furious, set new box office benchmarks for a Hollywood release in China when it opened to $184.9 million, reaching $392.8 million in its theatrical run. The prior two installments in the franchise are among the three highest-grossing titles of all time in the market. 

The Fast & Furious franchise has earned over $6 billion worldwide across its 10 entries, including the spin-off Hobbs & Shaw. It ranks sixth among all Hollywood franchises at the global box office.

DOMESTIC WEEKEND BOX OFFICE ESTIMATES
MAY 21 – 23, 2021

TITLEWEEKENDLOCSPSATOTALWEEKDISTRIBUTOR
Spiral$4,550,0002991$1,521$15,827,7002Lionsgate
Wrath Of Man$2,935,0003007$976$18,809,0003United Artists Releasing
Those Who Wish Me Dead$1,835,0003379$543$5,537,0002Warner Bros.
Raya And The Last Dragon$1,662,0002375$700$48,301,54512Disney
Godzilla vs. Kong$1,435,0002552$562$96,910,0008Warner Bros.
Demon Slayer the Movie: Mugen Train$1,300,0001900$684$44,507,1415FUNimation Films
Mortal Kombat$935,0002386$392$41,239,0005Warner Bros.
Dream Horse$844,2791254$673$844,2791Bleecker Street
Finding You$670,3301447$463$1,906,3662Roadside Attractions
Profile$500,0002104$238$1,507,0002Focus Features
Tom & Jerry$330,0001623$203$45,621,00013Warner Bros.
Here Today$322,0001230$262$2,452,0003Sony
Nobody$315,0001464$215$25,745,0009Universal
The Unholy$310,000745$416$15,206,0008Sony
Separation$200,000704$284$4,391,5264Open Road/Briarcliff
Final Account$150,000308$487$150,0001Focus Features
The Croods: A New Age$140,0001054$133$58,199,00026Universal
New Order$130,000236$551$130,0001Neon Rated
The Dry$129,000186$694$129,0001IFC Films
Top Gun (Re-Release)$63,00056$1,125$434,0002Paramount
The Courier$44,440108$411$6,537,83010Roadside Attractions
The Girl Who Believes in Miracles$42,297322$131$3,118,3728Atlas Distribution Company
Minari$38,000149$255$3,108,82815A24
The Djinn$35,00044$795$92,1422IFC Films
Four Good Days$31,000170$182$828,7284Vertical Entertainment
Together Together$17,29783$208$1,400,0855Bleecker Street
The Truffle Hunters$17,00651$333$307,57612Sony Pictures Classics
The Killing of Two Lovers$15,48036$430$50,2542Neon Rated
The Father$12,60646$274$2,076,90513Sony Pictures Classics
The War With Grandpa$11,95462$193$21,258,96233101 Studios
The Resort$10,00026$385$190,6284Vertical Entertainment
Gunda$2,40014$171$110,7086Neon Rated
Images Courtesy of Universal and Lionsgate.

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