NEW YORK – “Venom: The Last Dance” was not a success in North American theaters. But in a sluggish fall movie season, even a mediocrely performing superhero sequel can dominate the box office for three weeks straight.
For the third consecutive weekend, “Venom: The Last Dance” was the No. 1 film at the box office, raking in $16.2 million in ticket sales in U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to studio estimates Sunday. He fended off two new challengers in the Hugh Grant horror thriller “Heretic” and the heartwarming holiday film “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.”
With Tuesday’s elections, the major studios have chosen not to release new releases in theaters. This allowed Sony Pictures’ “Venom: The Last Dance,” the third installment in the Tom Hardy-led franchise, to maintain its position.
Although “The Last Dance” wasn’t a huge hit domestically — opening below expectations in late October — it thrived overseas, grossing almost triple what it made in North America. The “Venom” sequel grossed $279.4 million internationally, bringing its worldwide total to $394.2 million.
“Heretic” and “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” were neck and neck for second place. Counting only Friday-Sunday ticket sales, the edge went to “Heretic,” which opened with $11 million. “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,” however, took into account $2.2 million in previews from last weekend to claim an opening gross of $11.1 million.
A24’s “Heretic,” directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, follows two Mormon missionaries (Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East) who knock on the door of a man (Grant) to whom they will regret trying to evangelize. Although “Heretic” received critical acclaim for Grant’s darkest turn yet, audiences were less impressed, giving it a “C+” CinemaScore. Either way, with a budget of less than $10 million, “Heretic” will easily turn a profit.
“The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,” released by Lionsgate and Kingdom Story Company, which specializes in Christian entertainment, is about six disreputable siblings who take over the local church pageant. The film, an adaptation of Barbara Robinson’s 1972 children’s book directed by Dallas Jenkins, went down well with audiences, who gave it an “A” CinemaScore. The budget was also modest, around $10 million.
In its seventh week of release, Universal and DreamWorks Animation’s “The Wild Robot” continues to show little rust in theaters. It landed in fourth place with $6.6 million, bringing its domestic haul to $130.2 million and its worldwide gross to $292 million.
Sean Baker’s famous film “Anora,” starring Mikey Madison as a Brooklyn sex worker, was widely released. The film Neon, one of the expected Best Picture contenders, took in $2.4 million from 1,104 theaters. Its four-week total stands at $7.2 million.
The papal thriller “Conclave,” starring Ralph Fiennes, continues to work exceptionally well for a drama aimed at adults. The Focus Features release, in its third weekend of release, added 487 theaters and fell a modest 19% to earn $4.1 million. It raised $21.5 million. Likewise, A24’s “We Live in Time,” starring Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh, remained strong, taking in $2.2 million in its fifth weekend, for a total of $21.8 million.
Overall, however, ticket sales remain slow. The box office is lagging about 11% from last year, according to Comscore. Over the past two weeks, overall ticket sales are down about 50% compared to the pre-pandemic average, according to David A. Gross, a movie consultant who publishes a newsletter for Franchise Entertainment.
The good news for theaters: The next few weeks are marked by several major new releases, including Amazon MGM’s Christmas comedy “Red One” (November 15), Paramount Pictures’ “Gladiator II” (November 22), “Gladiator II ” from Paramount Pictures (November 22) and “Wicked” (also November 22) and “Moana 2” from Walt Disney Co. (November 27).
“Better late than never is the rule of the day and we can expect positive successes emanating from the Thanksgiving corridor, which appears to be on par with some of the largest such executives in recent years,” Paul said Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Comscore.
Before its release in U.S. theaters, “Red One,” starring Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans, opened in 75 foreign markets, grossing $26.6 million. The film will cost around $250 million to make.
Final national figures will be released on Monday. According to Comscore, estimated Friday through Sunday ticket sales at U.S. and Canadian theaters are as follows:
1. “Venom: The Last Dance,” $16.2 million.
2. “Heretic,” $11 million.
3. “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,” $8.9 million.
4. “The Wild Robot,” $6.7 million.
5. “Smile 2,” $5 million.
6. “Conclave,” $4.1 million.
7. “Anora”, $2.5 million.
8. “Here,” $2.4 million.
9. “We Live in Time,” $2.2 million.
10. “Terrify 3,” $1.4 million.
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