‘Weapons’ horror film scores box office victory

AP:

It’s August, and horror and humour came to play.

In a month that’s long been known to let edgier movies thrive, Zach Cregger’s highly anticipated horror film Weapons did not disappoint, topping the box office during its début weekend with $42.5 million domestically from 3,202 theatres. It made $70 million internationally.

The film’s success also handed its distributor, Warner Bros. Pictures, the seventh No. 1 opening of the year, and became the studio’s sixth film in a row to début with over $40 million domestically.

Freakier Friday, Disney’s chaotic sequel to the 2003 classic, Freaky Friday, took the second spot during its première weekend, earning $29 million in 3,975 North American theatres. Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis return, this time for a double body-swapping between the mother-daughter duo and Lohan’s teen daughter and soon-to-be stepdaughter.

Viral marketing tactics, coupled with strong social media word-of-mouth, boded well for both films’ success, said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for the data firm Comscore.

“The top two films could not be more different, and that’s what makes this weekend so appealing for moviegoers,” Dergarabedian said. “Both are perfectly tailored for their audiences to react in real time over the weekend to these films and then post on social media.”

Weapons transports audiences to the small town of Maybrook, where 17 kids up and leave their homes at 2:17 a.m., leaving bewildered parents in their wake. The town is left to navigate the lingering effects of trauma through horror, paranoia and a touch of existential humour.

The success of the comedy-horror double première meant The Fantastic Four: First Steps surrendered its two-week run in the top spot and landed in the third position, bringing in $15.5 million domestically. The superhero movie enjoyed a strong $118 million début, but stumbled in its second weekend.

The Bad Guys 2, which got a healthy start at the No. 2 spot during its première weekend, came in fourth place, earning $10.4 million domestically. The Naked Gun had a similar fate, reaching the fifth position with $8.4 million in North American theatres.

Jurassic World Rebirth, which came in seventh this week, is expected to hit $800 million globally by Monday, according to NBC Universal, following a successful run in theatres.

Warner Bros. started off slow this year, but made a comeback with the box-office hit, A Minecraft Movie, which opened with $157 million domestically. Since then, movies like Sinners, Superman and now, Weapons, have found success.