This image released by Sony Pictures shows characters, from left, Modo, voiced by Nick Kroll, Lenny, voiced by Stephen Curry, Will, voiced by Caleb McLaughlin, Olivia, voiced by Nicola Coughlan, Jett, voiced by Gabrielle Union, and Archie, voiced by David Harbour, in a scene from the animated film “GOAT.” (Columbia Pictures and Sony Picture Animation via AP)
It was a battle of the holdovers at the North American box office this weekend, with the family friendly film ‘GOAT’ edging out the R-rated ‘Wuthering Heights’.‘GOAT’ took in USD 17 million, while Warner Bros.’ ‘Wuthering Heights’ earned USD 14.2 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. Both films are in their second weekend.
Dull weekend at US box office
Overall, it was a quiet weekend at movie theaters around the country, with new offerings all opening under USD 10 million. Those results applied to the faith-based sequel ‘I Can Only Imagine 2’, the Glen Powell black comedy ‘How to Make a Killing’ and the horror film ‘Psycho Killer’, which currently has a 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. One bright spot in theaters was Baz Luhrmann’s immersive documentary ‘EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert’, which earned USD 3.3 million from only 325 locations in its limited IMAX release. That film expands to nationwide distribution on Feb. 27.
‘GOAT’ vs ‘Wuthering Heights’
‘GOAT’ dropped a slim 38% in its second weekend in theaters, which the studio attributed to positive word-of-mouth. The Stephen Curry-produced movie, about a small goat with big sports dreams (voiced by ‘Stranger Things’ Caleb McLaughlin) has made over USD 58.3 million. Globally, its running total is at USD 102.3 million.‘Wuthering Heights’ meanwhile fell 57% from its opening last weekend, bringing its domestic total to USD 60 million. Internationally it added another USD 26.3 million, pushing its global total to USD 151.7 million against an USD 80 million production budget. The movie’s top international market continues to be the U.K., where it has made USD 22.5 million alone.
Top 5 hihghest earning film
Third place for the weekend went to Lionsgate and Kingdom Story’s ‘I Can Only Imagine 2’, a follow-up to the 2018 Dennis Quaid movie that made USD 86 million against a USD 7 million budget. The sequel opened with USD 8 million, a far cry from the first film’s USD 17 million launch, though that was in line with expectations. It did score a rare A+ CinemaScore.Amazon and MGM’s ‘Crime 101’ fell 59% in its second weekend, bringing in USD 5.8 million to take fourth place. The Chris Hemsworth and Mark Ruffalo heist thriller has now made USD 24.7 million against a reported USD 90 million budget. ‘Send Help’ rounded out the top five with USD 4.5 million. ‘How to Make a Killing’ landed in sixth place with USD 3.6 million. A24 released the StudioCanal movie in 1,600 North American theaters. The film, loosely inspired by ‘Kind Hearts and Coronets’, stars Powell as a man who, in a quest to acquire a USD 28 billion inheritance, decides to kill off his family members. Directed by John Patton Ford (‘Emily the Criminal’), ‘How to Make a Killing’ was not well-received by critics: it’s sitting at a “rotten” 47% on Rotten Tomatoes. ‘Psycho Killer’, released by 20th Century Studios, fared much worse and opened outside of the top 10. The horror-thriller written by Andrew Kevin Walker ( ‘Seven’ ) and directed by Gavin Polone (a notable television and film producer in his directorial debut) tanked in its first weekend in theaters with USD 1.6 million in ticket sales from 1,110 theaters. Audiences were not any happier with it than critics; According to PostTrak, only 31% of ticket buyers would “definitely recommend” it. The year’s box office is running about 5% ahead of last year and things are expected to pick up when ‘Scream 7’ opens next weekend.
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. ‘GOAT’ – USD 17 million.2. ‘Wuthering Heights’ – USD 14.2 million.3. ‘I Can Only Imagine 2’ – USD 8 million.4. ‘Crime 101’ – USD 5.8 million.5. ‘Send Help’ – USD 4.5 million.6. ‘How to Make a Killing’ – USD 3.6 million.7. ‘EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert’ – USD 3.3 million.8. ‘Solo Mio’ – USD 2.6 million.9. ‘Zootopia 2’ – USD 2.3 million.10. ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ – USD1.8 million.
