Weekend Box Office: THE NUN II Edges Out EXPEND4BLES on Lowest Weekend of 2023

Images courtesy: Warner Bros. and Lionsgate

Monday Update: The Nun II came in above its original Sunday estimate, $8.5M vs. $8.4M, while Expend4bles came in lower, $8.0M vs. $8.3M.

While the two films were originally only 1.2% apart, a margin that Boxoffice PRO originally labelled “too close to call,” The Nun II ultimately finished with a much wider +6.3% lead.


Sunday Update: With a domestic box office of around $48.9M, this weekend marks a new low for 2023. The year’s prior lowest-grossing weekend—shared with the Super Bowl in February—saw a slate of films led by Magic’s Mike’s Last Dance ($8.3M) combine for a $52.6M total.

This weekend’s box office is also the lowest since December 9-11, 2022 ($37.7M), when there were no major new wide releases and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever led for a fifth frame with $11.2M.

Based on studios’ Sunday estimates, this weekend’s top two films are only 1.2% apart, so it’s possible they could reverse positions when box office actuals are released Monday afternoon. Check this page then for updates.


The Nun II

Last weekend, Warner Bros.’ horror sequel repeated in first place on its sophomore frame with $14.5M.

Its sophomore drop was -55%, milder than the sophomore drop for 2018’s The Nun: -66%.

Now in its third frame, it falls -42% to $8.4M and tentatively repeats in first place.

Through 17 days, the sequel has earned $69.2M. That’s -31% below The Nun through the same point in release: $100,610,942.

However, that’s an improvement over its opening weekend, which came in -39% below The Nun.

Overseas / global

This weekend, The Nun II fell -44% overseas in holdover markets, slightly steeper than its -42% domestic drop.

The Nun II has earned $135.0M overseas and $204.2M globally, or 66% from overseas.

The Nun finished with $248.1M overseas and $365.5M globally, or 68% from overseas.

The sequel’s top five overseas market totals are:

  1. Mexico: $18.7M
  2. Brazil: $8.7M
  3. Indonesia: $8.7M
  4. Italy: $6.7M
  5. U.K.: $6.4M

Expend4bles

Lionsgate’s R-rated action sequel debuted with $8.3M, tentatively opening in second place and far below the franchise’s three prior installments:

  • -76% below 2010’s The Expendables: $34.8M
  • -70% below 2012’s The Expendables 2: $28.5M
  • -47% below 2014’s The Expendables 3: $15.8M

It also opens -56% below Sylvester Stallone’s 2019 Rambo: Last Blood with $18.8M.

A Haunting in Venice

Last frame, 20th Century Studios’ horror-mystery debuted with $14.2M in second place, despite projections placing it in first.

It also opened below the prior installments in Kenneth Branagh’s ‘Hercule Poirot’ franchise.

Now in its sophomore frame, it falls -56% to $6.3M and third place.

That’s steeper than the sophomore drops for both prior installments:

  • 2017’s Murder on the Orient Express: -52%
  • February 2022’s Death on the Nile: -49%

Through 10 days, Haunting has earned $25.3M. Through the same point in release, that’s:

  • -51% below 2017’s Murder on the Orient Express: $51.7M
  • Less than +1% above February 2022’s Death on the Nile: $25.2M, earned during a shaky period in the post-pandemic recovery

Overseas / global

This weekend, Haunting fell -35% overseas in holdover markets, far milder than its -56% domestic drop.

Haunting has earned $46.2M overseas and $71.6M globally, or 64% from overseas.

Nile finished with $91.6M overseas and $137.3M globally, or 66% from overseas.

Haunting’s top five overseas market totals are:

  1. U.K.: $6.1M
  2. Italy: $5.4M
  3. China: $5.0M
  4. France: $3.2M
  5. Spain: $2.4M

The Equalizer 3

Now in its fourth frame, Sony Pictures’ R-rated action sequel dropped -35% to $4.7M and fourth place.

Through 24 days, it’s earned $81.2M. That’s below both of its two predecessors through the same point in release, despite opening +1% above the original:

  • -8% below 2014’s The Equalizer: $89.1M
  • -9% below 2018’s The Equalizer 2: $89.5M

Overseas / global

This weekend, Equalizer 3 fell -36% in overseas holdover markets, just slightly steeper than its -35% domestic drop.

The third installment has now earned $67.4M overseas and $148.7M globally, or45% overseas.

The first finished with $90.8M overseas and $192.3M globally (or 47% overseas), while the second finished with $88.3M overseas and $190.4M globally (or 46% overseas).

The third installment’s top five markets to date are:

  1. U.K.: $9.1M 
  2. Germany: $6.8M 
  3. France: $6.5M 
  4. Australia: $5.5M 
  5. Saudi Arabia: $4.9M

Barbie

Warner Bros.’ comedy has now spent 10 weekends in the box office top 5—a particularly impressive feat when you consider that it’s notable when a film spends 10 weekends even in the top 10.

Now its 10th frame, Warner Bros.’ comedy declines -16% to $3.2M and fifth place.

That marks its mildest weekend percentage drop yet, by far. Its prior mildest was a -28% drop in its sixth frame, which included National Cinema Day that Sunday.

All time, Barbie has now earned the:

  • #20 opening weekend: $162.0M
  • #7 sophomore weekend: $93.0M
  • #11 third weekend: $53.0M
  • #9 fourth weekend: $33.9M
  • #11 fifth weekend: $21.0M
  • #16 sixth weekend: $15.1M
  • #28 seventh weekend: $10.2M
  • #78 eighth weekend: $5.7M
  • Ninth weekend outside the top 100
  • #95 tenth weekend: $3.2M

With $630.4M total through 66 days, it now ranks as the #11 biggest movie of all time domestically, between 2015’s Jurassic World with $653.4M and 2012’s The Avengers with $623.3M.

Overseas / global

This weekend, Barbie fell -27% overseas in holdover markets, steeper than its -16% domestic drop.

Barbie has earned $797.0M overseas and $1.427B globally, or 55% from overseas.

Globally, that’s the #14 film of all time, ranking between 2019’s Frozen II with 1.45B and 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron with $1.40B.

Barbie’s top four overseas markets totals are:

  1. U.K.: $122.5M
  2. Germany: $58.6M
  3. Australia: $56.5M
  4. Mexico: $54.3M
  5. France: $50.0M

It’s also earned $35.2M in China.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3

Last weekend, in its sophomore frame, Focus Features’ comedy sequel fell -53%. That was steeper than the sophomore drop for its 2016 predecessor: -37%.

Now in its third frame, Focus Features’ comedy three-quel falls -37% to $3.0M and sixth place.

Through 17 days, the third installment has earned $23.8M. That’s -49% below its predecessor through the same point in release: $46.8M.

That’s a worse hold than its opening weekend, which debuted -43% below its predecessor.

It Lives Inside

Neon’s horror opened with $2.63M in seventh place. That’s +4% above Neon’s January horror release Infinity Pool: $2.51M.

Dumb Money

Last week, Sony Pictures’ comedy opened with $220,947 in eight locations, for a $27,618 per-theater average.

That marked the #9 per-theater average of 2023 so far, behind five similar limited openings and three wide ones: Barbie, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.

Money expands to a moderate release in its second frame, coming in eighth place with $2.5M in 616 theaters, for a $4,058 average.

That’s the top average for any film in release this weekend playing in more than one single theater.

The film will culminate with an expansion to wide release next weekend, September 29.

Read Boxoffice PRO’s interview with Dumb Money director Craig Gillespie here:

https://www.boxofficepro.com/get-rich-or-die-laughing-dumb-money-director-craig-gillespie-brings-the-gamestop-meme-stock-saga-to-the-big-screen/ 


Weekend comparisons

Total box office this weekend came in around $48.9M.

Here’s how this weekend compares to last weekend, the same weekend last year, and the same weekend in the last pre-pandemic year of 2019:

Weekend

Total

This weekend is:

Leader

Last weekend

$61.7M

-20%

The Nun II: $14.5M, second frame

Same weekend in 2022

$62.4M

-21%

Don’t Worry Darling: $19.3M

Same weekend in 2019

$123.4M

-60%

Downton Abbey: $31.0M

YTD comparisons

Year-to-date box office stands around $6.96B.

Here’s how that compares to last year and the last pre-pandemic year of 2019, through the equivalent point:

Year

YTD total

2023 YTD now:

2023 YTD after last weekend:

Trend

2022

$5.51B

+26.4%

+26.4%

Even

2019

$8.29B

-15.9%

-15.4%

Down

Top distributors

Grouped by parent company, the YTD leaders are:

  1. Disney + 20th Century + Searchlight + Star: $1.65B
  2. Universal + Focus Features: $1.54B
  3. Warner Bros.: $1.12B
  4. Sony Pictures + Sony Classics + Crunchyroll: $842.1M
  5. Paramount: $705.6M

Sunday’s Studio Weekend Estimates:

Title  Estimated weekend  % change Locations Location change Average  Total  Weekend Distributor
The Nun II $8,400,000 -42% 3,536 -207 $2,376 $69,222,020 3 Warner Bros.
Expend4bles $8,300,000   3,518   $2,359 $8,300,000 1 Lionsgate
A Haunting in Venice $6,300,000 -56% 3,305   $1,906 $25,352,729 2 20th Century Studios [Disney]
The Equalizer 3 $4,725,000 -35% 3,270 -258 $1,445 $81,261,243 4 Sony Pictures
Barbie $3,200,000 -16% 2,634 -378 $1,215 $630,450,000 10 Warner Bros.
My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 $3,000,000 -37% 3,078 -600 $975 $23,803,000 3 Focus Features [Universal]
It Lives Inside $2,630,000   2,005   $1,312 $2,630,000 1 Neon
Dumb Money $2,500,000 1031% 616 608 $4,058 $2,809,875 2 Sony Pictures
Blue Beetle $1,810,000 -28% 1,953 -433 $927 $69,823,000 6 Warner Bros.
Oppenheimer $1,630,000 -22% 1,459 -340 $1,117 $321,213,000 10 Universal
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem $1,625,000 -20% 1,751 -315 $928 $116,261,015 8 Paramount
Gran Turismo: Based on a True Story $1,525,000 -36% 1,630 -572 $936 $41,783,539 5 Sony Pictures
Stop Making Sense $800,637   264   $3,033 $1,429,264   Cinecom
Bottoms $607,940 -48% 645 -537 $943 $11,046,000 5 MGM
Haunted Mansion $475,000   605 -45 $785 $66,823,989 9 Walt Disney
Talk To Me $447,530 -21% 420 -150 $1,066 $47,641,317 9 A24
The Hill $250,000 -29% 625 -180 $400 $7,574,145 5 Briarcliff
Strays $175,000 -54% 374 -387 $468 $23,929,000 6 Universal
I Can $165,484   136   $1,217 $165,484 1 Atlas Distribution
Golda $94,425 -16% 141 -55 $670 $4,527,286 5 Bleecker Street
Amerikatsi $82,014 -13% 39 20 $2,103 $279,799 3 Variance Films
The Origin of Evil $45,950   206   $223 $45,950 1 IFC Films
Elemental $41,000 -60% 145 -110 $283 $154,409,516 15 Walt Disney
My Sailor, My Love $27,419   35   $783 $27,419 1 Music Box Films
Fremont $26,995 -18% 34 2 $794 $219,899 5 Music Box Films
Jules $12,970 24% 28 5 $463 $1,909,039 7 Bleecker Street
Theater Camp $12,000 -58% 45   $267 $3,994,383 11 Searchlight [Disney]
What Doesn’t Float $5,029   1   $5,029 $5,029 1  
Rebel $4,000 -38% 1   $4,000 $10,500 2 Yellow Veil
Images courtesy: Warner Bros. and Lionsgate