By ITZEL LUNA Associated Press
LOS ANGELES (AP) — “Weapons” scared its way to the top of the box office in its debut and managed to stay there during its second weekend, beating out “Freakier Friday” and newcomer “Nobody 2.”
Zach Cregger’s horror film earned $25 million in 3,450 North American theaters, a 43% drop from its first weekend. The highly anticipated film benefited from strong audience reviews and social media trends to attract large crowds.
“Freakier Friday,” which lost the battle for first place to “Weapons” during its double premiere, maintained its second spot, bringing in $14.5 million domestically. The films’ staying power comes during a slower box office weekend, said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for the data firm Comscore.
Both films prevailed against “Nobody 2,” the R-rated action sequel. The Bob Odenkirk-led film earned $9.25 million across 3,260 North American theaters in its debut weekend.
“August came on strong last year, so it makes comparisons tough,” Dergarabedian said, noting the box office success of movies like “Deadpool and Wolverine” and the horror sci-fi “Alien: Romulus” that premiered this time last year.
This summer is unlikely to hit the $4 billion benchmark but has provided moviegoers a dynamic and diverse slate of movies, he said.
“I can’t find a genre that’s not represented or a demographic that wouldn’t be attracted to one of these films out there,” Dergarabedian said. “It’s just that eclectic mix of films with appeal to every demographic.”
“Nobody 2” follows the pandemic success of the first in the series, “Nobody,” which was released in 2021. In the sequel, Hutch Mansell, the assassin-turned-nice-guy played by Odenkirk, returns to the big screen, this time taking a much-needed family vacation that goes awry. The calm weekend turns anything but as Mansell uncovers a corrupt town.
Jim Orr, president of domestic distributions at Universal Pictures, said he hopes the movie’s reaction scores — an 89% Audience score and B+ CinemaScore — point “to a long and successful run at the domestic box office.”
“The Fantastic Four: First Steps” took the fourth spot during its fourth weekend in theaters, bringing in $8.8 million domestically. The film stumbled at the box office after its initially strong $118 million debut.
Another sequel, “The Bad Guys 2,” took fifth place with $7.5 million during its third weekend in theaters.
Notably, Dergarabedian said, international movies made a splash in the top 15 this weekend.
“Coolie,” an Indian action thriller, debuted domestically and snatched the 10th spot, followed by “War 2,” another Indian action movie, at No. 11. The domestic re-release of “Shin Godzilla,” a Japanese film that initially premiered in 2016, came in at the 12th spot.
Top 10 movies by domestic box office
With final domestic figures being released Monday, this list factors in the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore:
1. “Weapons,” $25 million.
2. “Freakier Friday,” $14.5 million.
3. “Nobody 2,” $9.25 million.
4. “The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” $8.8 million.
5. “The Bad Guys 2,” $7.5 million.
6. “Superman,” $5.3 million.
7. “The Naked Gun,” $4.8 million.
8. “Jurassic World Rebirth,” $2.9 million.
9. “F1: The Movie,” $2.6 million.
10. “Coolie,” $2.4 million.