Zach Cregger’s Weapons continued to dominate the box office in its second weekend, holding the top spot with surprising strength while Bob Odenkirk’s Nobody 2 opened softly and Sydney Sweeney’s Americana failed to ignite in its debut.
From New Line and Warner Bros., Weapons delivered an estimated US$25 million from 3,450 theatres, a drop of just 43 per cent, a minimal decline for a horror release. The film also collected US$18.4 million overseas, bringing its worldwide tally to US$148.8 million. With its buzzworthy reputation and strong word-of-mouth, the film is being hailed as a water-cooler sensation, further solidifying Warner Bros.’ impressive streak this year.
Meanwhile, Universal’s Nobody 2 had to settle for third place, launching with US$9.3 million domestically across 3,260 locations, with a global opening of US$14.2 million. Audiences gave the sequel a B+ CinemaScore, though its Rotten Tomatoes audience score sits at a stronger 89 per cent. While its debut is at the lower end of forecasts, Universal is expected to recoup quickly through premium VOD, a strategy that proved lucrative for the first Nobody in 2021, which released during the pandemic, opening with US$6.8 million and ultimately earning US$68 million domestically. The sequel, which had a budget of US$25 million before marketing, is well-positioned to follow a similar profitability path.
Disney’s Freakier Friday also held strong in its sophomore outing, claiming second place with US$14.5 million from 3,975 cinemas, a 41 per cent domestic drop. Its domestic gross now stands at US$54.9 million, while international markets contributed another US$4.9 million, lifting its worldwide total to US$86.3 million. With a budget of US$42 to 45 million, the Lindsay Lohan (Mean Girls) and Jamie Lee Curtis (Halloween) reunion is already looking like a commercial win, boosted by nostalgia and family appeal.
The biggest disappointment of the weekend came from Lionsgate Premiere’s Americana, starring Sydney Sweeney (Anyone But You), Paul Walter Hauser (Black Bird), Zahn McClarnon (No Hard Feelings), and Halsey (MaXXXine). Despite a favourable critical reception, the long-delayed crime-heist film opened in 1,123 theatres to a meagre US$500,000, landing in sixteenth place. Even the annual re-release of The Grateful Dead Movie outperformed it with US$550,000. Still, insiders insist Americana fits Lionsgate Premiere’s multi-platform model, designed for niche audiences, limited marketing, and strong post-theatrical performance.
While Weapons continues its winning streak and Freakier Friday shows staying power, the contrasting fortunes of Nobody 2 and Americana continue to highlight the unpredictability of late-summer releases.
Conversation with Ting Wei is like chatting with a weird AI bot programmed only with One Piece lore and theories, sitcom quotes and other miscellaneous pop culture references. When he’s not sleeping, he’s highly likely reading manga. In fact, the only thing he reads more than manga is the Bible, and it’s honestly pretty close.
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