In a move no one predicted, Disney’s Lightyear has failed to wow much at all over the Father’s Day weekend, and Jurassic World: Dominion instead holds the top seat- despite lukewarm critical reception. It’s a surprising recovery that’s left the Box Office in an overall favorable position that’s sure to please many. Brandon Blake, entertainment attorney at Blake & Wang P.A, looks at the overall state of the Box Office.
Lightyear Crash Lands, Jurassic Park Roars
These new developments also represent a three-blockbuster run of solid hits that’s pretty compelling. We should also stress that, while LIghtyear’s$51M takings may have been less than the $70M expected, it’s far from a terrible opening for the COVID era, and still manages to net the highest opening spot for a family-aimed animation to date. It’s just a little bit of a sour note in a summer that’s otherwise been most productive.
Jurassic World: Dominion has a brighter rags-to-riches story, bringing in 10-day totals of $247.8M domestically and $622.2M globally, being one of 7 films to have crossed the $600M mark in the pandemic era. It’s also managed to net $92.8M of that from China, a rare market indeed in the last few years. It has, however, seen a 60% downturn domestically in that period, which is still more than the other entrants in its franchise did.
Top Gun Stays Tops
Despite entering its fourth weekend, Top Gun: Maverick remains a strong performer, dropping only 15% to pull $44M domestically, and well on track to hit a domestic $500M target. Paired with over $900M internationally, that’s sure to please both Skydance and Paramount.
Disney’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness also continues to perform well, pulling in another $4.2M for a $400M domestic and $942M global total, as well as squeaking into 10th place in the Marvel Cinematic best-earners list.
All in all, it’s a surprising set of falls and successes for the weekend, but overall one thing is clear- the summer Box Office is shaping up better than ever expected, and predicts a solid return for the theatrical exhibition industry.
