In a box office twist, a film from the theatrical-averse Netflix appears to be No. 1 on North American charts. “Kpop Demon Hunters,” a singalong version of the hit animated musical, is estimated to have earned $18 million to $20 million on Saturday and Sunday.
Netflix isn’t reporting grosses, but projections from rival studios and exhibitors would put ticket sales for “Kpop Demon Hunters” ahead of those for “Weapons,” which was expected to claim first place with a strong $15.6 million from 3,631 North American theaters in its third weekend of release.
“Kpop Demon Hunters” is playing on 1,700 screens (that’s nearly double the theater count for the streamer’s “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” in 2022) and roughly 1,150 of those showings were reportedly sold out, according to knowledgable sources. That “Kpop Demon Hunters,” a fantasy adventure about a Kpop girl group who protects the world from demons with their music, is available on the big screen at all is rare — and not just because it’s backed by Netflix, which doesn’t prioritize theatrical.
It’s unusual because “Kpop Demon Hunters” isn’t new; the movie debuted on Netflix about two months ago. But in the time since, it has become the second-most watched film ever on the platform while three of the film’s original tunes — “Golden,” “Your Idol” and “Soda Pop” — are currently in the top 10 of Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. Though it’s a boon for theaters during a painfully slow weekend, that’s not why Netflix brought “Kpop Demon Hunters” to multiplexes. The streaming behemoth is hoping that excitement will drive fans back to the platform for re-watches (or the inevitable sequel).
“There is no CinemaScore, but audiences, particularly kids, love this movie. That’s why it’s here,” says analyst David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research.
Although “Weapons” likely didn’t finish in first place after all, the scary movie has achieved sleeper hit status with $115.9 million domestically and $199 million globally. The $38 million-budgeted film is the latest theatrical hit for director Zach Cregger, whose last film “Barbarian” became a quiet success for Disney in 2022 with $45 million. And it’s the sixth consecutive hit for Warner Bros. following “A Minecraft Movie,” “Sinners,” “Final Destination Bloodlines,” “F1: The Movie” (which the studio distributed for Apple) and “Superman.”
Right now the overall box office is 5.1% ahead of last year — a margin that has been rapidly shrinking over the past few months. By comparison, revenues in early June were 25% ahead of 2024. After a slower end to summer, the all-important season will fall short of the elusive $4 billion mark. Ticket sales are currently at $3.5 billion from May through late August, the four-month stretch that’s regularly the busiest of the year for the movie theater business. Only once since the pandemic has the summer season managed to surpass $4 billion, a benchmark that was common before COVID disrupted the industry.
“This is one of the slowest weekends of the year as we head into the final week and a half of the summer,” says senior Comscore analyst Paul Dergarabedian. “It’s not great news in terms of the summer revenue outlook.”
However, he notes, “The bright spot is that ‘Weapons’ continues its impressive run, as does ‘Freakier Friday,’ with both enjoying strong holds in their third weekends of release.”
Disney’s “Freakier Friday” likely placed third with $9.1 million in its third weekend, a scant 36% drop from the prior weekend. The PG sequel, reuniting Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis as mother and daughter who swap places, has earned $70 million in North America and $113 million worldwide to date. Those ticket sales are trailing the 2003 original, “Freaky Friday,” which earned $160 million (not adjusted for inflation) but it’s a promising turnout for a theatrical comedy in the current box office landscape.
This weekend’s only new nationwide release, Ethan Coen’s dark comedy “Honey, Don’t,” landed at No. 8 with a soft $3 million from 1,317 venues. Opening weekend crowds were largely female (56%) female and nearly 70% over the age of 25. Margaret Qualley, Aubrey Plaza, Chris Evans and Charlie Day star in the film about a small-town private investigator who delves into a series of strange deaths that are tied to a mysterious church. “Honey, Don’t” is the second installment in what Coen calls a “lesbian B-movie trilogy” following 2024’s “Drive Away Dolls.” That film, which also starred Qualley and also garnered mixed reviews, failed to connect at the box office with $2.4 million in its debut and under $8 million globally by the end of its run.
Elsewhere, A24 re-released an English version of China’s blockbuster smash “Ne Zha II,” but excitement didn’t translate to the States. The film, which boasts Oscar-winner Michelle Yeoh among the English-language voice cast, grossed a tepid $1.5 million from 2,228 theaters, marking one of the worst starts this year for a movie in wide release. Of course, “Ne Zha II” doesn’t exactly need the North American coinage; the sequel has already shattered all kinds of box office records in the rest of the world with $2.1 billion to date.
As the summer season grinds to a near halt, several holdover titles rounded out the top five. Disney’s Marvel adventure “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” remained in fourth with $5.9 million in its fifth weekend of release. After a promising $117 million bow, “Fantastic Four” didn’t have as much staying power as expected with ticket sales $257 million in North America and $490 million worldwide. The movie is far outselling this year’s prior Marvel entries, February’s “Captain America: Brave New World” ($415 million globally) and May’s “Thunderbolts” ($382 million globally). But it’s not quite the return to box office form that many were predicting for the once-untouchable Marvel Cinematic Universe.
“The Bad Guys 2” again took fifth place with $5.1 million in its fourth frame. Universal and DreamWorks Animation’s heist comedy has generated $66 million domestically and $149 million globally. By comparison, 2022’s original “Bad Guys” was a slow-and-steady hit with $250 million over the course of its entire run.
More to come…
