By Chris Kavan - 05/18/22 at 11:26 AM CT
With a light ratings update and little surprise at the box office, it's not the most compelling update of all time but here we are. Doctor Strange had no trouble holding on to the top spot at the box office. The main new wide release, Firestarter, was a dud with critics and audiences and the semi-wide Family Camp didn't have wide appeal apart from its faith-based crowd.
Coming into this weekend there was no doubt that Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was going to retain its top spot. The MCU sequel and Sam Raimi standout easily held on to first place with a $61.7 million weekend, giving the film a new domestic total of $292.6 million. The 67% drop is a bit larger than for Eternals (61%) or Shang-Chi (52%) but in line with the drop for Spider-Man: No Way Home (68%). It has already out-grossed the entire run for the first Doctor Strange film ($232.6 million) as well as the domestic totals of Eternals ($164 million), Black Widow ($183 million) and Shang-Chi ($224 million). Likewise, it continues to do great overseas as well with a $396.2 million for a worldwide total of $688.8 million. Will the film join the $1 billion club? It's looking strong - but we'll see where things stand by next week.
In second place animated hit The Bad Guys dipped just 26.5% and brought in $7 million for a new $66.4 million total. It has pulled in just under $100 million from international territories for a worldwide total of $165.6 million as it looks like the family film of choice right now.
Families are still also giving Sonic 2 plenty of love with a $4.65 million weekend (down 22.7%) which was just enough for the sequel to cross the $175 million mark with a new $175.8 million total. It has pulled in just above the same amount overseas - $179.5 million - for a worldwide total of $355.2 million.
In fourth place is where we find the week's widest new release in Firestarter. The latest Stephen King adaptation - starring Zac Efron as a father with special powers who has passed it along to his pyrokinetic daughter (Ryan Kiera Armstrong) and find themselves on the run from a shadowy agency - was a dud with critics (12% Rotten) and audiences (a terrifying "C-" Cinemascore). That amounted to just a $3.82 million opening - which couldn't even match the original film's $4.7 million opening all the way back in 1984. This was also available to stream on Peacock, which likely bit into its already small audience. International numbers aren't going to bail this one out, either, with just $2.1 million. No fire here - not even a spark, let's just move on, shall we?
Rounding out the top five, the little indie that could Everything Everywhere All at Once had the best hold among the top 12 with just a 5.9% drop and a $3.3 million weekend leading to a new $47.12 million total. The film should to $50 million by next weekend and with a modest $4.7 million international, is still going to be a massive hit for A24 who really hit a grand slam thanks to this bizarre and delightful multiverse tale with Michelle Yeoh leading the way.
Outside the top five: The semi-wide release (854 theaters total) of the faith-based family comedy Family Camp landed in 9th place with $1.39 million. With no big-name stars, the film probably landed about where you would think.
Two new wide releases look to test their mettle against Doctor Strange - Downton Abbey: A New Era will try to bring the female audience while the unsettling horror film Men looks to scare up a bigger crowd than Firestarter.
Onto the MPAA Ratings Update which, once again, is a bit light on content but has one film of note - the next, big film from Netflix (reportedly one of their most expensive to date) in The Gray Man.
Netflix has taken a brutal beating of late - losing subscribers and losing a lot on the stock market. Plus, their outlook isn't exactly rosy - they expect to lose even more subscribers as the streaming options heat up and it turns out releasing like 40 new shows a month and hoping a few stick isn't the best option, especially when they cost money. Still, that hasn't stopped the streaming giant from throwing a lot of money at movies, either. Red Notice, Don't Look Up and Th Adam Project are just a few - and the upcoming film The Gray Man is their next big project. The film stars Ryan Gosling as Court Gentry, the CIA's most deadly asset - whose anonymity is key to getting the job done, no matter what. But when Gentry uncovers some secrets the were meant to be buried - he becomes the target led by the ruthless Lloyd Hansen (Chris Evans) and his partner Dani Miranda (Ana de Armas) along with the the world's most deadly assassins. Thus begins your standard international cat-and-mouse game where the stakes couldn't be higher. Oh, and the director of this film - you may have heard of them, Anthony Russo and Joe Russo aka The Russo Brothers - you know, those guys who did a little film called The Avengers: Endgame (as well as Winter Soldier, Civil War and Infinity War). Granted, those films were outstanding and if they can bring that kind of excitement to this film? I'm all for it. They have an outstanding cast - Evans is playing against type as the bad guy - and you have the likes of Jessica Henwick, Regé-Jean Page, Wagner Moura, Billy Bob Thornton and Alfre Woodard along for this ride as well. Netflix has promised a lot and failed to deliver on things before but maybe The Gray Man can finally be their big film that puts them over the top. Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of strong violence, and strong language.
That's the big film for this week but you can check out the full MPAA Ratings Bulletin below:
5000 Blankets
Rated PG-13 for thematic material involving mental illness.
FIRE OF LOVE
Rated PG for thematic material including some unsettling images, and brief smoking.
FLOAT
Rater PG-13 for some strong language, suggestive material and brief drug use.
GOODBYE, DON GLEES!
Rated PG for thematic elements, some peril and suggestive material.
GOODNIGHT MOMMY
Rated R for some language.
THE GRAY MAN
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of strong violence, and strong language.
LUCK
Rated G
THE MENU
Rated R for strong/disturbing violent content, language throughout and some sexual references.
RYE LANE
Rated R for language, some sexual content and nudity.
