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This weekend was the first in some time without a specialty film in the top ten as wide releases ramp up from Civil War to Abigail and hang in theaters as per Kung Fu Panda 4 and Dune: Part Two — in weeks 7 and 8, respectively. One distributor calls late April a bit of a dumping ground for indies – no judgement on the films but in the sense that there are a bunch of them and they can sometimes struggle to find audiences — calling this an anomalous weekend after a spring dotted with breakout titles. IFC’s Late Night With The Devil ($9.7 million cume); A24’s Love Lives Bleeding ($7.8 million); Bleecker Street’s One Life ($4.5 million); Sony Pictures Classics’ Wicked Little Letters ($3.6 million) all did great and indies overall are taking bigger swings – with Civil War (A24) one of the biggest.   

“Bob Marley: One Love” continues to exceed expectations by claiming the No. 1 spot at the box office, overcoming two debut films and Sony’s “Madame Web” that’s still producing subpar numbers.The Paramount film starring Kingsley Ben-Adir pulled in $13.5 million during its second week of release.The project, which was produced for about $70 million, already eclipsed that mark, grossing nearly $72 million domestically in North America.It’s an impressive achievement for the Reinaldo Marcus Green-directed Marley’s musical biopic that’s focused on the Rastafarian legend’s story during the making of his 1977 album “Exodus” while leading up to his impactful concert in his native Jamaica.“Some of his greatest hits came out nearly 50 years ago, but his music still resonates through this film,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for data firm Comscore.“One Love” drew nearly $2 million more than “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba – To the Hashira Training” which placed No.

Timothée Chalamet and “Wonka” topped the box office charts for the third time in its four weekends in theaters.Warner Bros.’ family-oriented musical added $14.4 million in ticket sales according to studio estimates Sunday, bringing its total domestic grosses to $164.7 million.“’Wonka’ is following in the tradition of a film like ‘The Greatest Showman,’” said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore. That Hugh Jackman musical opened under $9 million in Dec.

MONDAY AM writethru: Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus, and he’s delivering the motion picture industry a $9 billion-plus year at the domestic box office, a feat many thought was unimaginable with the lack of a mega-tentpole over the holiday, coupled by a Q4 impacted by the double strikes. The numbers were compiled from Comscore data and Deadline calculations. Comscore called 2023 at $9.03 billion yesterday.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter There’s nothing super about the opening weekend of Disney’s superhero adventure “The Marvels,” which whiffed at the box office with $63 million internationally and $110 million globally. Those figures are far behind expectations (heading into the weekend, Disney hoped for $140 million or more, and even that wouldn’t have been great for the $220 million-budgeted tentpole) and rank as one of the worst worldwide debuts in the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. “The Marvels” is the 33rd MCU film and the sequel to 2019’s billion-dollar behemoth, “Captain Marvel,” which debuted to a massive $302 million internationally and $455 million globally.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Paramount’s animated “PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie” looks to rule the box office in a weekend that’s packed with new releases. Three other movies, Lionsgate’s gruesome “Saw X,” Disney and New Regency’s sci-fi thriller “The Creator” and Sony’s Game Stop stock-inspired “Dumb Money,” will open nationwide and attempt to break through during a crowded weekend.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” keeps climbing at the box office with more than $900 million in global ticket sales to date. Over the weekend, the R-rated historical drama added $12.8 million globally, including $10.7 million overseas and $2.1 million domestically. After nine weeks of release, “Oppenehimer” has grossed a staggering $910 million worldwide, with $318 million from North American theaters and $594 million internationally.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Few were expecting the bomb and the bombshell to save the summer box office. But thanks to the sky-high ticket sales for Greta Gerwig’s very pink “Barbie” and Christopher Nolan’s supremely dark “Oppenheimer,” domestic revenue hit $4 billion between May and August for the first time in the pandemic era.

More pressure on the AMPTP and the guilds to come to terms: This summer’s domestic box office is set to cross $4 billion, for the 13th year ever.

“Barbie” is continuing to shatter expectations at the box office, with the Greta Gerwig-directed film now projected to hit another big milestone by the end of its second weekend of release.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter It’s a “Barbenheimer” world, and we’re just living in it. The collective force of “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” continued to rule the box office in their second weekends of release, providing another needed jolt as two Hollywood strikes threaten the fragile exhibition industry. Greta Gerwig’s cotton candy-colored fantasy comedy again led the way, adding a massive $93 million between Friday and Sunday.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter For Tom Cruise, one of the most effective ways to sell tickets to blockbusters like “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Mission: Impossible” sequels has been recounting the horrors and headaches of performing his own death-defying stunts. In the lead-up to “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One,” however, Cruise hasn’t been able to talk up the antics of hanging off a runaway train or jumping out of airplanes on late-night shows due to the ongoing writers strike. And now, as the actors join the picket lines against Hollywood film and TV companies, the realm of promotion for upcoming projects is getting a lot narrower. According to SAG-AFTRA guidelines, stars aren’t allowed to appear on daytime shows like “Good Morning America” or “Today,” attend premieres, participate in interviews for completed work or even post about projects on social media while the strike is in effect. Talent is also unable to go to conventions such as San Diego Comic-Con, which is held at the end of July.

The very online showdown between Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” and Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” all started with a date: July 21.

Indiana Jones’ reign atop the box office was short-lived. In its second weekend in theatres, the Disney release was usurped by another franchise fifth – “Insidious: The Red Door.” The horror film starring and directed by Patrick Wilson scared up $32.7 million in ticket sales from 3,188 theatres, according to studio estimates on Sunday.

We’ve had a couple of tentpole missteps here this summer, read Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny this weekend with $60M, The Flash and Elemental; putting the running summer box office at $1.88 billion for May 1-July 2.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter At the end of last summer, Flix Brewhouse faced a dire situation, albeit one that wasn’t unique to the Texas-based movie theater chain. There weren’t any movies to show in August. “We were going to A24 or Briarcliff Entertainment saying, ‘Does anyone have anything we can put on our screens?” recalls Chris Randleman, the company’s chief revenue officer. That’s not the case this summer as exhibitors grapple with a different reality. Can several back-to-back blockbusters succeed at once? Or will the glut of big movies cannibalize each other? Those are the big questions as popcorn season kicks into high gear with the arrivals of Harrison Ford’s “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” (June 30), Tom Cruise’s “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” (July 12), Greta Gerwig’s neon-coated “Barbie” (July 21) and Christopher Nolan’s atomic bomb drama “Oppenheimer” (also on July 21). All of those films carry big budgets and require outsized ticket sales to turn a profit.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Spidey’s still got it. “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” a sequel to Sony’s 2018 Oscar-winning “Into the Spider-Verse,” collected $120 million in its box office debut — a towering figure that’s more than triple the original’s opening weekend. The first film, one of the intial cinematic introductions to the multiverse, started with a softer $34.4 million but turned into a word-of-mouth sensation during its theatrical run, which ended with $190 million in North America and $384 million globally. Now, thanks to the goodwill from “Into the Spider-Verse” and quality to match the hype, the follow-up film has managed to become a blockbuster from the jump. Already, “Across the Spider-Verse” has generated $208 million worldwide, including $88.1 million at the international box office. It cost $100 million.

“The Little Mermaid” made moviegoers want to be under the sea on Memorial Day weekend.

Chris Pratt had another box office success this weekend with the release of "The Super Mario Bros. Movie." Box office estimates released Sunday showed the Universal Pictures film grossed $146 million domestically across more than 4,300 theaters.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Wahoo! “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” racked up a blockbuster $146 million in its opening weekend and powered to $204.6 million in its first five days of release, squashing expectations and steamrolling the competition at the domestic box office. The animated movie, a collaboration between Illumination, Nintendo and Universal, has landed a number of records, thanks to positive word-of-mouth, nostalgia for the popular video game, and a huge turnout from family audiences. It currently stands as the biggest opening weekend of the year (overtaking “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” with $106 million), as well as the second-best debut ever for an animated title (surpassing 2016’s “Finding Dory” with $135.1 million). It’s also the highest-grossing debut for Illumination, beating 2015’s “Minions” with $115.7 million.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” rolled the dice at the weekend box office, taking out “John Wick: Chapter 4” with its $38.5 million debut. But Paramount and eOne’s adaptation of the popular role-playing game needs to hold up against “Super Mario Bros.” to be successful in its theatrical campaign. So far, “Dungeons & Dragons” has generated $71 million globally — including $33 million at the international box office. Those numbers aren’t bad, but the film cost a hefty $150 million to produce and tens of millions more to market, so it’s not yet a clear theatrical winner. The fantasy action-comedy needs to stick around in North American and overseas theaters through the spring to justify its price tag and potentially ignite a new franchise.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” emerged victorious at the box office, rolling $38.5 million from 3,855 North American theaters in its opening weekend. Buoyed by positive reviews and enthusiastic word-of-mouth, Paramount and eOne’s adaptation of the popular role-playing game landed on the higher end of expectations of $30 million to $40 million. And the ticket sales for the $150 million-budgeted film are expected to remain strong in the coming weeks. Inaugural audiences may be hardcore D&D players, but analysts believe it’ll appeal to broader audiences, who may not know as much about the game, as it continues its run on the big screen. “The opening weekend performance of ‘Dungeons & Dragons’ is just the first step in the journey for this well-reviewed film,” says Paul Dergarabedian, a senior Comscore analyst.

Rotten Tomatoes scores of 90% critics and 93% audience. But with a reported $150 million production budget before a marketing campaign that included a SXSW premiere, “Dungeons & Dragons” is still a very long way from ensuring theatrical profitability.

Gregg Goldstein Many are wondering about the state of the specialty film theatrical marketplace and how to save it. Talk to people in the industry and you’ll hear the same issues: too few new films, little market research data and theatrical windows so short that, by the time indies get to many art houses, they’re out on PVOD, cutting into box office. Longtime indie film chain Landmark Theatres has a novel idea for how to improve things: half-naked male dancers! How could Landmark top this? A cocaine bear at “Cocaine Bear?” Why, yes – on Feb. 18, 24 and 25 in Westwood and Pasadena, Ca., patrons took selfies with the titular bear and ate the “powdered” donuts he goes crazy for. Whether or not exhibitors will resort to actual strippers and cocaine in the future, it’s clear that there are signs of life, good ideas and ways to improve things that can be implemented right now.

“Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” set a new record over the weekend, but not for the reason Marvel would want.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” took a sizable hit in its sophomore outing at the box office. Ticket sales for the third Marvel movie starring Paul Rudd’s subatomic hero were down 69% from its $105 million debut, resulting in the biggest second-weekend drop in the franchise’s history. That fall has inspired plenty of debate among analysts and experts: Is the film’s performance a blip or an inflection point in Hollywood’s biggest property? The answer is likely somewhere in between, according to senior Comscore analyst Paul Dergarabedian. “As second weekend drops go, anything in the 70% realm is pretty significant,” says Dergarabedian. “But movies that open with over $100 million are generally front-loaded. In some cases, ‘the bigger they are, the harder they fall’ comes into play.”

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Despite 13 years passing since “Avatar” first hit theaters, moviegoers are apparently still dazzled by the striking world of Pandora. In anticipation of the sequel “The Way of Water,” which opens in December, Disney re-released James Cameron’s original science-fiction epic to promising returns. The film generated $10 million in North America and $20.5 million internationally over the weekend, a huge result for movie that opened more than a decade ago, even if that movie happens to be the highest-grossing global release in history. With this weekend’s returns, “Avatar” widens its lead as the biggest movie of all time with $2.85 billion worldwide.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter It’s been proven time and time again that Academy Award attention has little to do with box office glory. Just look at recent winners like “Moonlight,” “The Hurt Locker,” or “CODA,” the first streaming movie to land the Oscar’s top prize, all of which were more beloved than seen, at least by the general public. But during a year in which several commercial movies, including “Top Gun: Maverick” ($1.44 billion globally and counting), “Elvis” ($284 million globally) “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” (scheduled for Nov. 11) and “Avatar: The Way of Water” (scheduled for Dec. 16), look to find themselves in the awards race, film industry analysts believe the box office may play a part in keeping movies from major studios in the conversation.

The Viola Davis-led action epic “ The Woman King ” easily conquered the North American box office in its first weekend in theaters, against a crowded market of new releases. The film, directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, surpassed expectations and earned $19 million in ticket sales, according to estimates from Sony on Sunday.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media ReporterJordan Peele, of all filmmakers, shouldn’t be surprised that the conversation around “Nope’s” box office performance has stirred up several hot takes.The director’s cerebral science-fiction thriller took in $44 million in its box office debut, easily leading domestic charts and impressively landing one of the biggest opening weekends in years for a film that’s not based on existing IP.And yet, there’s still debate about the film’s first weekend in theaters, with suggestions that initial numbers for “Nope” were “disappointing” or “lackluster.” Like any good Peele movie, there’s plenty to unpack about opening weekend revenues for “Nope.” And in fairness, the movie — starring Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer as siblings who discover something spooky around their family’s ranch — had a lot to live up to at the box office. “The bar has been raised so high,” says Paul Dergarabedian, a senior ComScore analyst.Peele can thank his last film, 2019’s doppelgänger horror story “Us,” for those sky-high expectations.