Weekend Box Office: GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3 Crosses $500M Global

Photo Credits: Disney & Marvel Studios ("Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3"); Focus Features ("Book Club 2 - The Next Chapter")

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

Last weekend, the Disney and Marvel Studios superhero sequel debuted with $118.4M. While that was +25% above 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy ($94.3M), it started -19% below 2017’s sequel Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 ($146.5M).

Now in its sophomore frame and without facing significant competition, the third installment easily repeats in first place, with a -49% decline to $60.5M. That’s the mildest percentage drop in the franchise, as both the original and Vol. 2 fell -55% in their sophomore frames.

In fact, it’s the third-mildest percentage drop among all 32 MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) films, behind only 2018’s Black Panther (-44%) and 2011’s Thor (-47%).

Among the 32 MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) films, it earned the #16 opening weekend, and now improves to the #13 sophomore weekend. Vol. 3 earned the #58 opening weekend of all time, and now improves to the #38 sophomore weekend of all time.

Vol. 3 has earned $315.6M overseas and $528.8M globally, led by $58.4M in China.

For comparison, the first installment earned $770.8M globally, the second installment improved to $869.0M. It’s possible that Vol. 3 might not reach either of those numbers.

In China specifically, the first installment earned $86.3M, then the second installment improved to $99.3M. It’s similarly that Vol. 3 might not reach either of those numbers, either.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie

Weekend

In its sixth frame, Universal’s animated video game adaptation declines -30% to $13.0M, repeating in second place.

It’s now earned the:

  • #32 “traditional” three-day opening weekend of all time ($146.3M)
  • #17 five-day start of all time, since it opened on a Wednesday instead of a Friday ($204.6M)
  • #7 sophomore weekend of all time ($92.3M)
  • #7 third weekend of all time ($59.9M)
  • #6 fourth weekend of all time ($40.8M)
  • #17 fifth weekend of all time ($18.5M)
  • Now, the #28 sixth weekend of all time

Among animated films specifically, it’s now earned the:

  •  #3 opening weekend of all time, behind 2019’s The Lion King ($191.7M) and 2018’s Incredibles 2 ($182.6M)
  • #1 sophomore frame of all time, beating the prior record holder, 2019’s Frozen II with $86.0M
  • #1 third frame of all time, beating the prior record holder, 2018’s Incredibles 2 with $46.4M
  • #1 fourth frame of all time, beating the prior record holder, 2018’s Incredibles 2 with $28.4M
  • #3 fifth frame of all time, behind 2013’s Frozen ($19.6M) and 2016’s Zootopia ($19.3M)
  • #6 sixth frame of all time, behind:
  1. 2013’s Frozen ($28.5M)
  2. 1995’s Toy Story ($19.3M)
  3. 2019’s Frozen II ($16.8M)
  4. 2016’s Zootopia ($14.3M)
  5. 1994’s The Lion King ($14.0M)

Domestic total

With $535.9M to date domestically, Mario ranks as the #15 biggest film of all time.

Among animated films specifically, it ranks #3 all time domestically, behind only:

  1. 2018’s Incredibles 2 ($608.5M)
  2. 2019’s The Lion King ($543.6M)

Among post-pandemic films, it ranks #4 domestically, behind only:

  1. 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home ($814.1M)
  2. 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick ($718.7M)
  3. 2022’s Avatar: The Way of Water ($683.8M)

Overseas / global total

With $674.4M overseas and $1.21B globally, Mario ranks as the #24 biggest film of all time globally.

Among animated films specifically, Mario ranks as the #5 film of all time globally, behind only:

  1. 2019’s The Lion King ($1.66B)
  2. 2019’s Frozen II ($1.45B)
  3. 2013’s Frozen ($1.28B)
  4. 2018’s Incredibles 2 ($1.24B)

Among post-pandemic films, it ranks #4 globally, behind only:

  1. 2022’s Avatar: The Way of Water ($2.31B)
  2. 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home ($1.92B)
  3. 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick ($1.49B)

Book Club: The Next Chapter

Focus Features’ comedy sequel opened on the lower end of Boxoffice PRO’s pre-release projection, with a $6.5M debut in third place. It’s also far below the openings of some other similar “elderly comedies” of recent years, including its predecessor:

  • -52% below 2018’s Book Club ($13.5M)
  • -48% below February’s 80 for Brady ($12.7M)
  • -60% below 2013’s Last Vegas ($16.3M)
  • -45% below 2017’s Going in Style ($11.9M)
  • -63% below 2015’s The Intern ($17.7M)

Chapter earned a “B” CinemaScore, lower than the “A-” for the original Book Club.

The estimated audience demographics were 77% female, slightly lower than the original film’s 80% female opening. Chapter debuted with $3.1M overseas and $9.6M globally.

Love Again

Last weekend, Sony Pictures’ romantic comedy didn’t sing, with a $2.3M debut in fifth place. That was on the lowest end of Boxoffice PRO’s pre-release projection, which was in the $2M to $5M range. It’s also below virtually every other wide release romantic comedy of the past decade. Most debuted above $10M, though a few started below that – but really, none as low as $2.3M. Now in its sophomore frame, it redeems itself a bit, declining only -35% to $1.5M and eighth place.

That’s one of the mildest romantic comedy sophomore drops in recent memory, milder than:

  • 2019’s Long Shot (-36%)
  • 2022’s Ticket to Paradise (-40%)
  • 2017’s Home Again (-40%)
  • 2019’s What Men Want (-41%)
  • 2019’s Last Christmas (-43%)
  • 2016’s Trainwreck (-43%)
  • 2014’s Blended (-43%)
  • 2016’s Bridget Jones’s Baby (-46%)
  • 2019’s Isn’t It Romantic (-50%)
  • 2013’s Don Jon (-52%)
  • 2022’s Marry Me (-53%)
  • 2016’s How to be Single (-54%)
  • 2016’s The Perfect Match (-54%)
  • 2013’s Baggage Claim (-55%)

However, it’s slightly steeper than for:

  • 2013’s About Time (-30%)
  • 2014’s Magic in the Moonlight (-32%)
  • 2017’s The Big Sick (-34%)

Read Boxoffice PRO’s interview with Love Again writer-director Jim Strouse here:

https://www.boxofficepro.com/near-far-wherever-you-are-writer-director-jim-strouse-finds-his-inner-nora-ephron-with-rom-com-love-again/ 

Elsewhere at the box office

Ketchup Entertainment’s thriller Hypnotic, starring Ben Affleck, opened with $2.3M in sixth place. That’s below the openings of even some other Affleck underperformers of recent years: -50% below 2021’s The Last Duel ($4.7M) and -53% below 2015’s Live by Night ($5.1M).

Sony Pictures’ fantasy action adaptation Knights of the Zodiac opened with $535K. The film was only playing in 586 theaters, less than one-seventh the reach of the widest release in the marketplace.

Lionsgate’s John Wick: Chapter 4 has now earned $182.9M total. That’s +7% above the final total of 2019’s John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum ($171.0M), and +11% through the same point in release ($165.1M).

Warner Bros.’ Evil Dead Rise has now earned $60.1M total. That’s +11% above the final total of 2013’s Evil Dead ($54.2M), and +16% through the same point in release ($51.8M).

Weekend comparisons

Total box office this weekend came in around $99.2M, which is:

Weekend

Total

This weekend is:

Leader

Last weekend

$159.8M

-38%

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 ($118.4M)

Same weekend in 2022

$91.7M

+8%

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, second frame ($61.7M)

Same weekend in 2019

$168.2M

-41%

Avengers: Endgame, third frame ($63.2M)

YTD comparisons

Year-to-date box office stands around $2.92B, which is:

Year

YTD total

2023 YTD now:

2023 YTD after last weekend:

Trend

2022

$2.25B

+29.6%

+35.1%

Down

2019

$3.92B

-25.4%

-25.0%

Down

Top distributors

Grouped by parent company, the YTD leaders are:

  1. Universal + Focus Features: $916.8M
  2. Disney + 20th Century + Searchlight + Star: $744.3M
  3. Lionsgate: $296.8M
  4. Paramount: $259.3M
  5. MGM + United Artists + Amazon Studios: $231.4M
  6. Sony Pictures + Sony Classics + Crunchyroll: $186.5M
  7. Warner Bros.: $157.1M

Disney looks poised to likely retake the lead in May or June, thanks to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and The Little Mermaid.


Sunday’s Studio Weekend Estimates:

Title  Estimated weekend  % change Locations Location change Average  Total  Weekend Distributor
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 $60,500,000 -49% 4,450   $13,596 $213,201,000 2 Disney
The Super Mario Bros. Movie $13,000,000 -30% 3,800 -109 $3,421 $535,959,000 6 Universal
Book Club: The Next Chapter $6,500,000   3,508   $1,853 $6,500,000 1 Focus Features [Universal]
Evil Dead Rise $3,728,000 -37% 2,821 -215 $1,322 $60,188,000 4 Warner Bros.
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret $2,500,000 -23% 2,365 -978 $1,057 $16,476,954 3 Lionsgate
Hypnotic $2,355,000   2,118   $1,112 $2,355,000 1 Ketchup Entertainment
John Wick: Chapter 4 $1,930,000 -18% 1,613 -45 $1,197 $182,964,089 8 Lionsgate
Love Again $1,550,000 -35% 2,703   $573 $5,007,000 2 Sony Pictures
Air $875,357 -37% 1,210 -422 $723 $51,709,648 6 MGM
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves $740,000 -49% 934 -817 $792 $92,170,000 7 Paramount
Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant $637,376 -48% 837 -970 $762 $16,037,441 4 MGM
Knights of the Zodiac $535,000   586   $913 $535,000 1 Sony Pictures
Sisu $511,000 -54% 693 -313 $737 $6,659,295 3 Lionsgate
Blackberry $473,000   450   $1,051 $473,000 1 IFC Films
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania $377,000 -50% 135 -50 $2,793 $214,146,000 13 Disney
Nefarious $361,975 -3% 393 125 $921 $4,571,801 5 SDG
The Pope’s Exorcist $340,000 -21% 545 -61 $624 $19,505,000 5 Sony Pictures
Big George Foreman $260,000 -68% 1,304 -1,750 $199 $5,260,000 3 Sony Pictures
Beau is Afraid $167,302 -58% 246 -264 $680 $7,216,457 5 A24
Suzume $115,000 -43% 84 -32 $1,369 $10,478,000 5 Sony Pictures
Polite Society $57,000 -74% 76 -626 $750 $1,512,000 3 Focus Features [Universal]
Renfield $51,000 -71% 105 -275 $486 $17,117,000 5 Universal
Chevalier $50,000 -45% 110 -45 $455 $3,282,000 4 Searchlight [Disney]
The Eight Mountains $30,100 92% 24 20 $1,254 $93,772 3 Janus Films
Showing Up $28,578 -44% 75 -27 $381 $708,854 6 A24
Monica $26,500   2   $13,250 $26,500 1 IFC Films
The Starling Girl $24,736   4   $6,184 $24,736 1 Bleecker Street
Avatar: The Way of Water $24,000 -8% 35 n/c $686 $684,045,000 22 20th Century Studios [Disney]
Joyland $12,024 -60% 23 -11 $523 $209,128 6 Oscilloscope
L’immensita $9,281   2   $4,641 $9,281 1 Music Box Films
Photo Credits: Disney & Marvel Studios ("Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3"); Focus Features ("Book Club 2 - The Next Chapter")