Audiences ain’t afraid of no ghosts; nor are they afraid to spend their money to see Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire. Which locked in the top spot this weekend.
Freezing Up The Box Office
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire was predicted to make $35-$49 million this past weekend and as per Box Office Mojo, the movie brought in $45.2 Million; which is definitely on the higher end of its predicted amount. Audiences weren’t swayed by low review scores; and were ready for some ghost-busting action.
The movie benefits from a multi-generational appeal, which attracts all age levels and demographics. The movie made a bit more than 2021’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife. Considering Frozen Empire had a slightly higher budget of $100 million versus the $75 million budget for Ghostbusters: Afterlife. Whether this movie has the staying power to earn that much remains to be seen; but the movie already faces some steep competition from Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire next weekend.
The rest of the box office was fairly standard. Dune: Part Two was in second place. Nearly 40% of the box office comes from premium large-format screens (i.e. Imax) and Dune: Part Two is still contributing to a large portion of that gross. The film will likely continue to be profitable for IMAX and other premium large-format screens for the next little while.
Kung Fu Panda 4 dropped to third place. Immaculate was the other new release this week and debuted in fourth with $5.4 million; undoubtedly fuelled by Sydney Sweeney’s recent success hot off the release of Anyone But You. Arthur the King rounded out the top five with $4.4 million.
Will Godzilla And Kong Take Down The Ghostbusters?
Next weekend sees the release of Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. The movie benefits from a long weekend release. If word of mouth and overall buzz helps drive a huge push early on, it could capitalize on the opportunity.
The movie is predicted to bring in $41-$50 million. However, it is a tough fight to call as Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire could have some staying power; and even if it doesn’t, Warner Bros. Discovery still has Dune: Part Two performing well, and repeat viewings of that could take away from the film’s success. The first film had a hybrid release, and presumably WBD is hoping those who watched it on HBO Max will show up to see it theatrically but while that was the case for Dune: Part Two; there’s no guarantee that lightning will strike twice.
If I had to guess, I think Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire will be number one but I do think it’ll be on the lower end of predictions in the $38-$41 range. It’s likely that Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire will see a 40% drop off, which would place it in second.
As always we’ll find out next week!
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