Weekend Box Office: Bullet Train Arrives at $30M in Domestic Debut

Photo Credits: Sony Pictures ("Bullet Train"); Universal Pictures ("Easter Sunday")

‘Train’-ing day

Sony Pictures’ R-rated action-comedy Bullet Train was on the right track with a $30.1M debut, in line with pre-release projections.

[Read Boxoffice PRO’s interview with director David Leitch here.]

Compared to other comparable R-rated action comedies of recent years, that’s above:

  • +3% above 2015’s Spy! ($29.0M)
  • +15% above 2021’s The Suicide Squad ($26.2M)
  • +46% above 2017’s Baby Driver ($20.5M)

However, it’s:

  • -47% behind 2014’s 22 Jump Street ($57.0M)
  • -26% behind 2019’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, also starring Brad Pitt ($41.0M)
  • -22% behind 2013’s The Heat ($39.1M)
  • -22% behind 2017’s Kingsman: The Golden Circle ($39.0M)
  • -17% behind 2012’s 21 Jump Street ($36.3M)
  • -16% behind 2015’s Kingsman: The Secret Service ($36.2M)

Overseas, Bullet debuted with $32.4M, taking the top spot globally with $62.5M. Top markets included:

  • U.K. ($3.5M)
  • France ($3.1M)
  • Mexico ($3.0M)
  • Australia ($2.2M)
  • Saudi Arabia ($1.9M)
  • Germany ($1.5M)
  • Spain ($1.4M)

Japan, where the film actually takes place, won’t debut until September 1.

Not such super pets

Last weekend, Warner Bros.’ animated DC League of Super-Pets opened with $23.0M, below pre-release expectations. This weekend, it falls -51% to $11.2M and second place. That sophomore frame drop is steeper than:

  • 2017’s Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (-26%)
  • July’s Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank (-39%)
  • 2019’s The Secret Life of Pets 2 (-48%)
  • 2021’s PAW Patrol: The Movie (-49%)
  • 2016’s Central Intelligence (-49%)

However, it was equal to or less than:

  • 2016’s The Secret Life of Pets (-51%)
  • 2021’s Clifford the Big Red Dog (-51%)
  • 2019’s Jumanji: The Next Level (-55%)
  • July’s Minions: The Rise of Gru (-57%)
  • 2021’s Spirit Untamed (-58%)

Overseas, League stands at $38.3M, for $83.4M globally. Top market totals to date include:

  1. U.K. ($7.6M)
  2. Mexico ($4.3M)
  3. France ($3.0M)
  4. Spain ($2.1M)
  5. Germany ($1.8M)
  6. Brazil ($1.8M)
  7. Argentina ($1.4M)
  8. Poland ($1.2M)
  9. Saudi Arabia ($1.0M)

A bad miracle

Universal’s sci-fi horror-thriller Nope began two weekends ago with $44.3M, somewhat below pre-release projections which were generally around $48M-$55M.

Compared to writer-director Jordan Peele’s prior films, that opening was +31% above 2017’s Get Out ($33.3M) but -38% below 2019’s Us ($71.1M).

In its second frame, it fell -58%. That was steeper than Get Out (-15%, one of the mildest sophomore drops in recent memory due to terrific word of mouth) and Us (-53%).

Now in its third frame, it falls -54% to $8.5M and third place.

With a $97.9M total domestically, through the equivalent point in release it’s running:

  • -35% behind Us ($152.3M)
  • -34% behind 2018’s Halloween ($150.2M)
  • -25% behind 2018’s A Quiet Place ($131.2M)
  • -11% behind Get Out ($110.7M) – Nope was running ahead of Get Out through their first 13 days, but Get Out overtook it on day #14.
  • -10% behind 2021’s A Quiet Place Part II ($109.3M)
  • Less than -1% behind 2017’s Split ($98.5M)
  • +10% above 2019’s Glass (88,668,895)
  • +14% above 2021’s Halloween Kills ($85.8M, premiering day-and-date simultaneously in cinemas and on Peacock)
  •  

Thor ranks #4

Disney and Marvel Studios’ superhero sequel Thor: Love and Thunder debuted with the #30 opening weekend of all time ($144.1M), then fell to the #73 second weekend of all time ($46.6M).

Then it fell out of the top 100 all time for its third weekend and beyond. In this, its fifth frame, the film falls -42% to $7.6M and fourth place.

Thunder has now earned $316.0M domestically. Compared to the equivalent point in release, that’s:

  • +86% above 2011’s Thor ($169,122,948)
  • +63% above 2013’s Thor: The Dark World ($193,711,187)
  • +8% above 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok ($291,633,535)
  • -18% below May’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness ($388,633,292)
  • -9% below March’s The Batman ($349,203,396) – The Batman was running behind Thunder through their first nine days, but overtook it on day #10.

Overseas, Hammer stands at $382.8M, for $698.9M globally. Top market totals to date include:

  1. U.K. ($40.3M)
  2. Australia ($28.6M)
  3. Mexico ($27.5M)
  4. South Korea ($22.6M)
  5. Brazil ($21.2M)
  6. France ($20.3M)
  7. Germany ($16.7M)
  8. India ($16.2M)
  9. Indonesia ($12.6M)
  10. Spain ($10.8M)

It was all yellow 

Universal / Illumination’s animated sequel Minions: The Rise of Gru earned the:

  • #59 opening weekend of all time ($107.0M)
  • #75 second weekend ($46.1M)
  • #80 third weekend ($26.8M)
  • #74 fourth weekend ($18.0M)

Last frame, it fell out of the top 100 on its fifth weekend. That continues this frame, its sixth, with a -35% drop to $7.1M and fifth place.

Gru has now earned $334.5M domestically. Through the equivalent point in release, that’s:

  • +50% above 2010’s Despicable Me ($222,197,390)
  • Less than +1% above 2013’s Despicable Me 2 ($334.4M) – didn’t debut on a Friday
  • +6% above 2015’s Minions ($312.9M)
  • +38% above 2017’s Despicable Me 3 ($240.9M)

Overseas, Gru stands at $423.3M, for $757.8M globally. Top market totals to date include:

  1. U.K. ($44.0M)
  2. Mexico ($36.8M)
  3. Australia ($28.2M)
  4. Germany ($26.1M)
  5. Japan ($20.0M)
  6. France ($19.9M)
  7. Brazil ($18.9M)
  8. Spain ($18.1M)

Mach 11

After debuting with “only” the #41 opening weekend of all time ($126.7M), Paramount’s action-adventure sequel Top Gun: Maverick remained in the top-10 for every subsequent frame:

  • #8 second weekend of all time ($90.0M)
  • #10 third weekend of all time ($51.8M)
  • #3 fourth weekend of all time ($44.6M), behind only American Sniper and Avatar.
  • #4 fifth weekend of all time ($29.6M), behind only American Sniper, Avatar, and Titanic.
  • #4 sixth weekend of all time ($25.5M), behind only Avatar, American Sniper, and Frozen.
  • #7 seventh weekend of all time ($15.5M), behind only Avatar, Titanic, Home Alone, American Sniper, Frozen, and Gran Torino.
  • #8 eighth weekend of all time ($12.3M), behind only Titanic, Avatar, American Sniper, 1993’s Aladdin, Frozen, Chicago, and Home Alone.
  • #6 ninth weekend of all time ($10.2M), behind only Titanic, Avatar, 1987’s Platoon, Forrest Gump, and Frozen.
  • #10 tenth weekend of all time ($8.4M), behind only Titanic, Avatar, Home Alone, The King’s Speech, 1993’s Aladdin, Silver Linings Playbook, 1990’s Driving Miss Daisy, Frozen, and 1999’s Shakespeare in Love.

Now it finally falls out of that top-10 tier. This weekend, it ranks as the still-impressive #17 eleventh weekend of all time, after declining a mild -16% to $7.0M and sixth place.

Among the films whose eleventh weekend beat it include such 20th century releases as 1982’s On Golden Pond, 1985’s Beverly Hills Cop, 1982’s E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, 1993’s Aladdin, 1991’s Home Alone, and 1977’s original Star Wars.

Overseas, Maverick stands at $690.0M, for $1.35B globally – the top film of 2022 both globally and domestically. Top overseas market totals to date include:

  1. U.K. ($96.2M)

  2. Japan ($78.7M)

  3. Australia ($60.9M)

  4. France ($51.6M)

  5. South Korea ($61.0M)

  6. Germany ($32.6M)

Sunday morning coming down

Universal’s family comedy Easter Sunday opened with $5.2M in eighth place, about in line with pre-release projections.

The film, about a Filipino-American family, had an estimated 37% Asian-American audience, versus only 31% white (along with 15% Hispanic and 11% black).

Weekend comparisons

Total box office this weekend came in around $91.2M, which is:

  • 6% below last weekend’s total ($97.7M), when DC League of Super-Pets led with $23.0M.
  • +16% above the equivalent weekend in 2021 ($78.6M), when Jungle Cruise led with $35.0M, debuting day-and-date simultaneously in cinemas and Disney+.
  • -38% below the equivalent weekend in the last pre-pandemic year 2019 ($148.9M), when Hobbs & Shaw led with $60.0M.

YTD comparisons

Year-to-date box office stands around $4.95B. That’s:

  • 2.88x this same point in the pandemic recovery year of 2021 ($1.71B), down from 2.93x after last weekend.
  • -30.4% behind this same point in 2019, the last pre-pandemic year ($7.12B), down from -30.5% last weekend. The peak was -29.5%, set in mid-July.

Top distributors

  1. Universal ($1.15B)
  2. Paramount ($1.11B)
  3. Disney ($852.1M)
  4. Warner Bros. ($657.9M)
  5. Sony Pictures ($582.6M)

Sunday’s Studio Weekend Estimates:

Title  Estimated weekend  % change Locations Location change Average  Total  Weekend Distributor
Bullet Train $30,125,000   4,357   $6,914 $30,125,000 1 Sony Pictures
DC League of Super Pets $11,200,000 -51% 4,332 18 $2,585 $45,101,882 2 Warner Bros.
Nope $8,500,000 -54% 3,016 -791 $2,818 $97,969,055 3 Universal
Thor: Love and Thunder $7,600,000 -42% 3,400 -250 $2,235 $316,064,051 5 Walt Disney
Minions: The Rise of Gru $7,110,000 -35% 3,188 -391 $2,230 $334,577,685 6 Universal
Top Gun: Maverick $7,030,000 -16% 2,760 -248 $2,547 $662,510,244 11 Paramount
Where the Crawdads Sing $5,650,000 -25% 3,164 -362 $1,786 $64,623,404 4 Sony Pictures
Easter Sunday $5,250,000   3,175   $1,654 $5,250,000 1 Universal
Elvis $4,000,000 -30% 2,411 -490 $1,659 $136,516,741 7 Warner Bros.
The Black Phone $1,460,000 -42% 1,197 -441 $1,220 $85,897,535 7 Universal
Jurassic World: Dominion $1,140,000 -47% 1,232 -515 $925 $371,812,030 9 Universal
Vengeance $710,000 -60% 1,003 5 $708 $3,268,025 2 Focus Features
Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris $560,000 -40% 669 -202 $837 $8,047,285 4 Focus Features
Marcel the Shell with Shoes On $318,150 -50% 498 -323 $639 $4,913,344 7 A24
Bodies Bodies Bodies $226,526   6   $37,754 $226,526 1 A24
Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank $148,000 -80% 497 -1,670 $298 $17,563,512 4 Paramount
Everything Everywhere All At Once $129,350 -81% 347 -1,143 $373 $69,493,657 20 A24
Lightyear $87,000 -68% 280 -190 $311 $118,102,152 8 Walt Disney
Sharp Stick $20,195 11% 54 52 $374 $42,968 2 Utopia
A Love Song $19,075 19% 18 14 $1,060 $40,375 2 Bleecker Street
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness $10,000 -43% 45 -5 $222 $411,327,714 14 Walt Disney
Photo Credits: Sony Pictures ("Bullet Train"); Universal Pictures ("Easter Sunday")