Here is a box office recap for Thursday with new entrance musical ‘Mean Girls’ and action thriller ‘The Beekeeper’ taking the center stage with their previews. Sony R-rated comedy still tops the box office charts for regular releases leading over musical ‘Wonka’ and superhero flick ‘Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’. Read on!
“Mean Girls” Preview Numbers & Weekend Projection
Paramount’s much-anticipated musical remake of “Mean Girls”, going by the same name as the 2004’s hit, is off to an impressive start, delivering a stellar $3.3 million in Thursday previews at the US box office.
The Regina George-led production is projected for a blockbuster comeback at the box office, all set to be outperforming movies like “Wonka”, No Hard Feelings” and “Free Guy.”
Projections suggest a promising 3-day weekend, with estimates ranging from $25 million to $30 million, and a potential Martin Luther King (MLK) 4-day holiday opening between $30 million and $35 million.
If these numbers hold, the film could be up for success at the domestic box office for the Paramount production.
Related: Box Office Buzz: ‘The Beekeeper’ and ‘Mean Girls’ Opening Day Collections
“Godzilla Minus One” First International Release post-Covid to Hit $50M in USA
Meanwhile, the monster hit from the monsters franchise, “Godzilla Minus One” continues its dominance, approaching the coveted $50 million mark at the US box office.
In its sixth full week, the TOHO actioner saw a slight dip of -61.7% from the previous Thursday, reaching a cumulative total of $49.9 million, all set to hit the half-century by Friday gross.
The film is on track to become the first international post-COVID release to surpass the $50 million milestone in the US and the second biggest Japanese film in the US, highest-grossing international film since “Parasite” which grossed $53.3M in the market.
“Anyone But You” Secures Top Spot For the 4th Day in a Row
Sony’s romantic comedy “Anyone But You” maintains its stronghold at the box office, securing the top spot for the fourth consecutive day.
Starring Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney, the film grossed an impressive $965,000 on its third Thursday, displaying a mere -51.7% drop from the previous week.
With a cumulative gross of $48.2 million in the US, the R-rated romcom continues to bring in good numbers for Sony.
“The Book of Clarence” Sony’s New Comedy’s Challenging Start
On the flip side, Sony’s new comedy “The Book of Clarence” faces a challenging start, grossing a meager $285,000 in Thursday previews. This places it among the lowest post-COVID previews for a nationwide release.
“The Beekeeper” David Ayer and Jason Statham’s R-rated Actioner
There is a new entry into the action genre on the box office scene as David Ayer and Jason Statham’s “The Beekeeper” arrives with much expectations from the genre fans.
The Amazon and MGM collaboration exceeded expectations of the trade with an excellent $2.4 million in Thursday previews, outshining recent action releases like “Expend4bles”, “Cocaine Bear,” and “Evil Dead Rise.”
Trade projections for the action thriller, also starring Emmy Raver-Lampman, Josh Hutcherson, Bobby Naderi, Jeremy Irons, David Witts, indicate a promising 3-day weekend of $15 million to $20 million and a MLK 4-day holiday opening between $19 million and $25 million.
“Wonka” and “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” Thursday Collections
As for “Wonka,” the musical drama starring Timothée Chalamet experiences a sharp decline of -75% from the previous Thursday, grossing $675,000 on its fourth Thursday.
However, the cumulative gross stands strong at $167.8 million in the US and the movie is likely to benefit from the 4-Day MLK extended weekend on its way to post $200M run.
Finally, “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” faces a challenging third week, dropping -71.1% from the previous Thursday with a modest $550,000.
Despite the decline, the film has accumulated $103 million in the US, poised to surpass “The Flash’s” domestic run by this Sunday. The domestic box office run of the final movie in DC Extended Universe superhero flick has been widely underwhelming compared to the blockbuster first part released in 2018.
Stay tuned for more box office updates in this space.