Box Office: 'Now You See Me 3' Surpasses 'Running Man' with $21.3 Million
The magic of 'Now You See Me: Now You Don’t' continues to captivate audiences, outshining Glen Powell's action-thriller, 'The Running Man', and the second weekend of 'Predator: Badlands'.
The third installment of the 'Now You See Me' franchise has enchanted viewers, earning a substantial $21.3 million over the weekend. This achievement is particularly notable since the series hasn't had a new entry since 2016. The film's global appeal is evident, as it grossed $54.2 million across 64 international territories, resulting in a worldwide total of $75.5 million. This success is a welcome turn for Lionsgate, the studio behind the $90 million illusionist adventure, which has been struggling with recent flops like 'Ballerina' and 'Good Fortune'. The studio's upcoming releases, including 'The Housemaid', a Freida McFadden adaptation, and 'Michael', a Michael Jackson biopic, as well as 'The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping', offer a glimmer of hope for a potential resurgence.
Paul Dergarabedian, head of marketplace trends at ComScore, highlights the franchise's resilience, stating, 'This is still a viable franchise. The international audience really delivered for the film.'
In contrast, 'The Running Man', a collaboration between Glen Powell and Edgar Wright, struggled to find its mark. The film, which cost $110 million to produce, only managed a second-place finish with $17 million domestically and $11.2 million internationally, totaling $28.2 million globally. This underperformance is a stark contrast to the hopes Paramount had for the film, especially considering the involvement of David Ellison's Skydance in its production. The film's audience demographics, with 63% male and 70% aged 18-44, differ from 'Now You See Me: Now You Don’t', which attracted a more female-skewing and older crowd.
Despite the challenges, 'The Running Man' is not the first attempt at adapting Stephen King's dystopian novel. The 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger flick, a campy take on the story, shares a connection with 'Predator: Badlands', where Schwarzenegger starred in the original entry. The sequel, 'Predator: Badlands', saw a significant drop in its second weekend, earning $13 million and bringing its domestic haul to $66.3 million. With a production cost of $105 million and a global total of $136.3 million, the film's performance is a mixed bag.
Another new release, Neon's 'Keeper', a horror film from writer-director Osgood Perkins, struggled to find an audience, earning only $2.5 million in its seventh-place debut. This is a stark contrast to Perkins' previous films, 'Longlegs' and 'The Monkey', which had stronger opening weekends. Critics' negative reception and the film's low grade of 'D+' suggest that word-of-mouth won't be a strong factor in its success. Perkins is set to try again with 'The Young People', a project that stars Tatiana Maslany and Nicole Kidman.
In other box office news, Paramount's 'Regretting You', an adaptation of Colleen Hoover's novel, took fourth place in its fourth weekend, earning $4 million and pushing its domestic total to $44.9 million. Universal's 'The Black Phone 2' rounded out the top five, collecting $2.6 million and reaching a stateside haul of $74.7 million after five weeks.
'One Battle After Another' crossed a significant milestone, surpassing $70 million at the domestic box office and $200 million globally after eight weekends. However, the film's high production cost of $140 million, coupled with its R-rated nature and adult-oriented themes, has led to concerns about its profitability. Critics' praise and Oscar buzz don't make up for the potential losses, as the film needed to make around $300 million to break even.
The domestic box office for the weekend topped $75 million, slightly ahead of the same period last year, when Dwayne Johnson's 'Red One' drove earnings to $73.2 million. The upcoming release of 'Wicked: For Good' next weekend offers renewed hope for theater owners, who have endured a challenging fall season. Universal's re-release of 'Wicked' brought in $1.2 million, signaling a potential turnaround in the industry.
