Well, the King of Pop has assuredly (and inevitably) returned to the top of the box office for the weekend, earning $26.125 million in its fourth weekend, bringing its domestic cume to $282.7 million. It debuted in South Korea at $4.9 million and will get released in Japan on June 12. So, yeah, it’s already past $703 million worldwide, and will most likely end its run around $350 million domestic and $880 million worldwide. But hang on, that does not factor in Japan, which has a great support for Jackson’s name, so it’s a safe thing to believe Bohemian Rhapsody‘s $910 million global total is in grave “musical hits” danger.
Could Michael do its utmost to leg out towards $400 million domestic? A bridge too far, shall we say, but the more it accumulates, the more it is on its way to pass Oppenheimer as the biggest straight-up drama in North America. To be honest, once it passes $337 million, it will only be behind The Hunger Games ($409 million) and Catching Fire ($425 million) under Lionsgate’s banner. Let’s presume it earns around $40-50 million in Japan (think along the lines of Spider-Man: No Way Home and Avatar: The Way of Water): that’ll easily make it the highest-earning musical in the world and the second-highest-earning biopic of all time, behind Oppenheimer‘s $960 million. If it supercharges its way in Japan, however, then all bets are off, and it will assuredly surpass $1 billion worldwide in June. Even if it’s six decades or more to come, Mr. Jackson still rules the world. (And yes, we didn’t factor in Russia’s soon-to-be-released date on the 28th, so we’ll play it safe and say it earns a minimal but helpful $10-15 million over there; who knows, maybe it does $26 million like Now You See Me 3).
In other news, The Devil Wears Prada 2 earned $18 million in its third weekend. It’ll probably have a better hold over Memorial Day weekend, since last weekend was Mother’s Day. It’s almost at $550 million worldwide. Newcomer Obsession opened with highly positive reviews and $16.1 million in its debut. That makes it Focus’s third biggest debut, just behind Atomic Blonde‘s $17 million and Nosferatu‘s $22 million. Ahem, this is the content Blumhouse should be releasing!
In more serious news, Mortal Kombat II took a rather substantial hit, earning $13.4 million (-65% drop) in its second weekend. Yes, it has passed $101 million worldwide and already soared past its predecessor’s $84.4 million total (still subject to COVID-related variables). You’d think WB would release this feature this weekend to give it the ample legs and juice expected for Memorial Day weekend. This weekend has proven to be a behemoth for the likes of Star Wars prequels, the Shrek quadrilogy, The Matrix Reloaded, Deadpool 2, John Wick: Chapter 3, and Final Destination: Bloodlines. Maybe next time.
The Sheep Detectives will be passing $30 million domestically by tonight. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie has passed $964 million worldwide, as it fights tooth and nail to get close to $1 billion. Project Hail Mary will end its run under $690 million worldwide. Top Gun re-released with $3.1 million. And newcomers In the Grey and Is God Is earned $3 million and $2.22 million in their debuts, respectively.
Next weekend sees the release of The Mandalorian and Grogu, Passenger, I Love Boosters, Tuner, and Corporate Retreat.
