By Chris Kavan - 04/15/21 at 08:05 PM CT
There's not much excitement to be has in the MPAA Ratings Update - not a single new wide release got a ratings release and there isn't even any good streaming titles to talk about so we're going right into the box office.
Last week Godzilla vs. Kong brought a much-needed boost to the box office, which is still struggling to overcome the Covid blues. In fact, one of the biggest stories to come out recently was the unexpected closure of the Arclight / Pacific theaters in L.A. The chain is only 18 strong, but has a long and storied history, which makes the closure all the more startling, with an outpouring of a mixture of sadness and outrage from the film community. Granted, there is a good chance the chain will be bought up, but the fact it closed before announcing any such sale is just another sad result of what the Covid era has wrought.
In terms of box office, Godzilla vs. Kong had no problem repeating as the top film for the weekend, even as it suffered a rather large 57% drop, coming in at $13.8 million for a new domestic total of $70 million. That still amounts to a healthy $4,338 per-theater average and one has to remember you can stream it on HBO Max as well. I was hoping that it would have a bit more staying power, but it is still doing great overseas with $165.4 million (with China continuing go lead the way) for an international total of $288.3 for a worldwide total over $358 million. It easily passed Tenet on the domestic front ($57.9 million) and will soon pass it on the worldwide market ($363 million) to become the biggest U.S. film of the Covid era. Hopefully this is just the first of many big films to finally break out - the next month or so will be very telling to see if people are finally willing to give theaters a shot.
The rest of the box office wasn't as flashy, but things are rolling along smoothly. Nobody jumped from third to second place with a solid hold, dipping a light 11.8% to come in with $2.6 million and a new $15.6 million domestic total. With $13.2 million overseas, it is sitting at $28.8 million worldwide.
The Unholy switched places with Nobody, dropping to third after shedding about 24% of its audience, taking in $2.4 million and giving the horror film a new $6.7 million total. It has earned just a hair over $200,000 international thus far.
In fourth place Raya and the Last Dragon added $2.2 million, raising its domestic total to $35.3 million and has earned $54.8 million overseas for a worldwide total of $90 million.
Rounding out the top five was the only new wide release, the sci-fi teen space journey-meets Lord of the Flies film Voyagers. The film was savaged by critics, but the young star power (led by the likes of Tye Sheridan, Fionn Whitehead and Lily-Rose Depp) still managed to bring in $1.37 million. It has not yet opened internationally.
There are no new wide releases this coming weekend but Mortal Kombat drops on the 23rd, so we'll see how thing go.
As stated, since there are no new wide releases, or even any interesting streaming titles this week, you're going to get the list movies for the MPAA Ratings Bulletin and nothing else. Let's hope we get some more exciting news next week.
BLUSH
Rated PG for mild thematic elements.
FALSE POSITIVE
Rated R for disturbing/bloody images, sexual content, graphic nudity and language.
FATHER CHRISTMAS IS BACK
Rated PG-13 for sexually suggestive material and some language.
GRACE AND GRIT
Rated R for language.
GULLY
Rated R for strong violence, a sexual assault, sexual content, pervasive language, and drug use.
KIPCHOGE: THE LAST MILESTONE
Rated PG-13 for brief strong language.
NARCO SUB
Rated R for violence, language throughout, some drug use, sexual references and brief nudity.
PASSING
Rated PG-13 for thematic material, some racial slurs and smoking.
ROCKY IV: 35TH ANNIVERSARY RELEASE
Rated PG-13 for violent sports action and brief strong language. (NOTE: Different from the original "PG" Rating from Bulletin 876 - 1985)
TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE
Rated R for strong bloody horror violence and gore, and language.
TILL DEATH
Rated R for strong violence, grisly images, and language throughout.
WEREWOLVES WITHIN
Rated R for some bloody violence, sexual references and language throughout.
