Hold on to your hats, folks, because a real upset just happened at the box office! A movie about illusionists managed to outshine a big-budget action thriller starring one of Hollywood's rising stars. I'm talking about 'Now You See Me: Now You Don’t,' the third installment in the 'Now You See Me' series, which conjured up a stunning $21.3 million, leaving Glen Powell's 'The Running Man' in its dust. And it even outperformed the second weekend of 'Predator: Badlands'!
Now, you might be thinking, "Okay, a sequel did well. Big deal." But here's where it gets interesting... This is a huge win for Lionsgate, the studio behind the $90 million 'Now You See Me' adventure. Why? Because they've been struggling to find a hit lately, with films like 'Ballerina' and 'Good Fortune' failing to ignite the box office. This spells good news for Lionsgate, who are hoping to turn their luck around with upcoming releases like 'The Housemaid', an adaptation of Freida McFadden’s best-selling novel, arriving in December, and the highly anticipated 'Michael', a biopic about Michael Jackson, and 'The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping', both slated for release in 2026.
Ruben Fleischer, known for directing 'Venom' and 'Zombieland,' directed 'Now You See Me: Now You Don’t,' bringing back familiar faces like Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher, and Dave Franco as the mischievous magicians who target corrupt elites. And guess what? A fourth film is already in the works, signaling the studio's confidence in the franchise.
Industry expert Paul Dergarabedian from ComScore put it simply: "This is still a viable franchise. The international audience really delivered for the film.” And he's not wrong as the film grossed $54.2 million across 64 international territories this weekend, culminating in a $75.5 million worldwide total.
But what about 'The Running Man'? Well, despite pairing Glen Powell with the acclaimed director Edgar Wright, it couldn't keep up with the magic, landing in second place with a disappointing $17 million. Internationally, it added $11.2 million, resulting in a global total of $28.2 million. Considering Paramount invested a hefty $110 million in the film, this is definitely cause for concern. And this is the part most people miss... This could be considered Powell's first major setback after a string of successes like 'Anyone But You,' 'Top Gun: Maverick,' and 'Twisters'. It's also a tough break for Wright, who was hoping for a box office hit after his previous film, 'Last Night in Soho,' was unfortunately released during the Omicron surge in 2021. Paramount had initially hoped for a debut exceeding $20 million. It's also interesting to note that 'The Running Man' was approved and produced before David Ellison's Skydance took over Paramount in August.
One analyst, Jeff Bock from Exhibitor Relations, didn't mince words: "This thing is dead in the water. It doesn’t have enough traction to survive the coming holiday season.” Ouch!
Interestingly, the two films appealed to different audiences. 'The Running Man' drew a predominantly male crowd (63%), with a large segment between 18 and 44 (70%), while 'Now You See Me: Now You Don’t' attracted more women (54%) and a slightly older audience (65% over 25). This begs the question: Did the marketing strategies effectively target these different demographics, or did the inherent appeal of the films dictate their audience?
Now, for a bit of trivia: 'The Running Man' is actually the second attempt to adapt Stephen King's dystopian novel. The first was the campy 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger flick. And speaking of Schwarzenegger, he starred in the original 'Predator' movie, also released in 1987. Talk about a blast from the past! In its second weekend, 'Predator: Badlands' experienced a significant drop of 68%, earning $13 million and bringing its domestic total to $66.3 million. With a production budget of $105 million, its global earnings stand at $136.3 million.
Another new release, the indie horror film 'Keeper' from writer-director Osgood Perkins, had a dismal debut, earning only $2.5 million. This is a far cry from the opening weekends of Perkins' previous films, 'Longlegs' ($22 million) and 'The Monkey' ($14 million). Critics panned the film, and audiences seemed to agree, giving it a 'D+' grade. However, with a production cost of just $6 million, it might still break even. Perkins is hoping to bounce back with 'The Young People' next year, starring Tatiana Maslany and Nicole Kidman.
In other news, Paramount's 'Regretting You,' based on the Colleen Hoover novel, secured 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, adding $2.6 million to its stateside earnings, reaching $74.7 million after five weeks.
Finally, 'One Battle After Another' crossed $70 million domestically and $200 million globally after eight weekends. While these numbers sound impressive, it's important to remember that Warner Bros. invested a whopping $140 million in the film. Despite critical acclaim and Oscar buzz, the film needed to earn around $300 million to break even, leaving the studio facing a potential write-down. This highlights a controversial point: Is it possible that even a critically acclaimed film with a star-studded cast can still fail to meet financial expectations in today's evolving movie landscape?
Overall, the domestic box office reached just over $75 million, slightly higher than last year's $73.2 million, driven by Dwayne Johnson's holiday comedy 'Red One'. Next weekend brings the release of 'Wicked: For Good', giving theater owners hope for a brighter future after a challenging fall season. To build anticipation, Universal re-released 'Wicked', earning $1.2 million.
As Dergarabedian wisely stated, "We’re in the calm before the Thanksgiving storm. Things are about to heat up.”
So, what do you think? Are you surprised by 'Now You See Me: Now You Don't'’s success? And what are your predictions for the upcoming holiday movie season? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
