By Chris Kavan - 03/02/23 at 08:01 PM CT
The weekend might have been topped once again by Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, but the film suffered an unprecedented MCU drop - and one of the biggest of all time for a film opening above $100 million. On the other hand, both Cocaine Bear and Jesus Revolution opened strongly - suggesting general audiences may be turning their attention to movies beyond the MCU. On the ratings side of things, the MPAA Ratings Board continues to provide solid updates with adventure and horror on the line this week.
While it may have appealed to fans and opened on a better-than-expected note given the lackluster critical reviews, it turns out a "B" Cinemascore does have consequences, even for the MCU. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania may have once again topped the box office in its second weekend, but at $31.9 million, it suffered a 69.9% drop - by far the worst second-week drop for and MCU film (Black Widow dropped by 67.8%) as well as having one of the worst second-week among super-hero films in general (beating Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice at 69.6%) and one of the worst drops among films opening $100 million or above. Given all that, Quantumania is still sitting at $167 million domestic with another $196 million overseas for a worldwide total of $369 million and is still pacing ahead of Ant-Man and the Wasp - though that could change in the weeks ahead if it can't stand up to the likes of Creed III and Scream VI. While I have defended the MCU against many attacks, Quantumania really feels like the first time the decline isn't an over-reaction as it seems general audiences have finally spoken rather than a small, highly-vocal minority. We'll see where it goes from here and also how Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and The Marvels plays out this year to see where the MCU truly stands.
In second place, Cocaine Bear opened with a mighty roar at $23.2 million - opening ahead of most pre-weekend estimations by courting a younger crowd - many of whom would typically show up to a film like Quantumania - and for an R-rated film to boot. Given the quite insance premise of the film, it seems like it has charmed critics - with a 70% Fresh rating and getting a solid "B-" Cinemascore, which may seem low, but for a coked-out bear violently killing many people, seems about right. It looks to have a decent run ahead of it. It added just over $5 million international as well.
Speaking of beating expectations, Jesus Revolution did just that as well, coming in at $15.88 million with pretty much everyone predicting a sub-$10 million opening weekend. While critics gave it a just Rotten 55%, audiences were much more impressed, awarding it the rare "A+" Cineascore. And while this type of film with a more religious message tends to be front-loaded, it also seems like a more genuine crowd-pleaser (having the likes of Kelsey Grammer and Joel Courtney on hand certainly helps) and could ride a feel-good wave to some strong numbers.
In fourth place, Avatar: The Way of Water dipped just under 26% in its 11th weekend with $4.86 million for a new $665.5 million domestic total. I think $675 million still seems like a safe bet but it looks to fall short of $700 million overall but we'll see how long it plays out. WIth $2.268 billion worldwide, it doesn't have to hit every milestone to be considered a big win.
Rounding out the top five was Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, still hanging on after 10 weeks in theaters with a $4.11 million weekend (down 22.8%) and a new $173.4 million domestic total. Even with it coming out on DVD/Blu-Ray, I'm sure it will cross the $175 million mark at least and remains the family-friendly film to beat this year. It has earned $444 million worldwide as well.
This week Quantumania will face another challenge in the form of Creed III as well as the action caper Operation Fortune: Ruse de guerre (Starring the likes of Hugh Grant, Jason Statham, Aubrey Plaza, Cary Elwes and Josh Hartnett). We'll see how the MCU film fares in the face of this new competition.
We have two big films to talk about this week as the MPAA Ratings Board continues a solid winning streak. And hopefully you're in the mood for dinosaurs and masked killers - because that's what you're going to get.
What happens when futuristic technology meets prehistoric past? We're going to find out in 65, which finds astronaut Mills (Adam Driver) crash-landing on a long-ago planet Earth (insert your favorite Ancient Aliens meme here) with only a single, young survivor (Ariana Greenblatt) as the only other human. But it's not the only other lifeform as the duo finds themselves up against a bunch of dinos - the deadly, hungry kind - and they must do everything in their power to survive the creatures and the planet itself. Looks like a lot of fun! I'm not sure I'm going to proclaim this theater-worthy fun just yet, but I like Driver and it looks like the special effects are great. Rated PG-13 for intense sci-fi action and peril, and brief bloody images.
Following a successful reboot that saw Scream reach $81.6 million domestic and over $137 million worldwide, the franchise is showing no signs of slowing down with the release of Scream VI. While the film will feature the return of Scream veterans Courteney Cox and Hayden Panettiere, fans are in an uproar over the lack of Neve Campbell (who was upset about her pay and declined to return). Still, the film is taking a new direction by taking place in New York City - with Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega, Jasmin Savoy Brown and Mason Gooding reprising their roles and adding some new names with Samara Weaving, Jack Champion, Tony Revolori, Dermot Mulroney, Henry Czerny, Devyn Nekoda and Josh Segarra all joining in the festivities (and more than a few of whom are likely to wind up on the receiving end of a large knife). While going to New York may not have played out that well for Jason Vorhees - I'm hoping our other masked killer will have better luck in these new digs. Rated R for strong bloody violence and language throughout, and brief drug use.
Those are the two big films for this week but you can check out the full MPAA Ratings Bulletin below:
57 SECONDS
Rated R for violence and language.
65
Rated PG-13 for intense sci-fi action and peril, and brief bloody images.
ALL DIRT ROADS TASTE OF SALT
Rated PG for thematic content and brief sensuality.
ANIMAL CRACKERS
Rated PG for rude humor and action.
EARTH MAMA
Rated R for language, some drug use, nudity and sexual references.
IT AIN'T OVER
Rated PG for smoking, some drug references, language and brief war images.
MOB LAND
Rated R for violence, and language throughout.
MOVING ON
Rated R for language.
MUSICA
Rated PG-13 for some strong language, suggestive references and brief violence.
QUIZ LADY
Rated R for some drug use and language.
SAKRA
Rated R for violent content.
SCREAM VI
Rated R for strong bloody violence and language throughout, and brief drug use.
SILVER DOLLAR ROAD
Rated PG for thematic content, language and brief smoking.
THE STARLING GIRL
Rated R for some sexuality.
SWEETWATER
Rated PG-13 for some racial slurs, violence and smoking.
TWO SINNERS AND A MULE
Rated R for violence, sexual assault, and sexual material.
