Mid-budget theatrical movies aren’t dead after all. DirectorGina Prince-Bythewood’s historical dramaThe Woman Kingexceeded expectations with an estimated $19 million in its debut weekend at the box office. The film — starring and produced byViola Davis— was projected to make between $13 million and $16 million going in to the weekend.
The Woman Kingis coming off a buzzy premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival earlier this month, and strong reactions from both critics and viewers. The film eceived a rare A+ CinemaScore from opening day audiences. Women and Black audiences were the dominant demographic over the weekend, accounting for 60% and 59% of the total turnout, respectively. The reviews highlighted Prince-Bythewood’s handling of the action scenes, and singled out newcomerThuso Mbedu’s performance. Collider’s ownChase Hutchinsonwrotein his review, “The Woman Kingis a film that has the confidence to be completely sincere in both the sharp moments of humor and the stunning battle sequences.”
The Woman Kingmarks yet another win for adult-skewing dramas this year, after the blockbuster success ofTop Gun: Maverick(which claimed the sixth spot in its 17th weekend, by the way) and directorBaz Luhrmann’sElvis, which has made nearly $285 million worldwide. Last year was particularly dismal for films directed at older audiences, such asWest Side StoryandThe Last Duel.
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The number two spot was claimed by last week’s word-of-mouth hitBarbarian, which is expected to make $6.3 million this weekend. The horror picture was given a theatrical release by 20th Century Studios, after reportedly testing through the roof. The studio’s decision was validated this weekend, afterBarbarianfell by just 42% — the average horror title will drop by over 60% in its sophomore weekend. The film’s running domestic total now stands at just a hair under $21 million, against a reported budget of $10.5 million.
Fox Searchlight’s caper filmSee How They Run— featuring an ensemble cast led bySam Rockwell— is expected to finish with an estimated $3.1 million. Unlike several other Searchlight titles this year, the film was given a theatrical release by parent company Disney. DirectorTi West’s horror sequelPearltook the fourth spot in its debut weekend, finishing just behindSee How They Runwith an estimated $3.1 million. This is lower than the $4.3 million that its predecessor,X, debuted with back in March.Xfinished with over $14 million worldwide. But A24 has already greenlit a third film in the unlikely trilogy —MaXXXine— for a 2023 release. Both films cost peanuts, and scored excellent reviews. The top five was rounded out by the summer hitBullet Train, which is expected to make $2.5 million in its seventh weekend, for a running domestic total of $96 million. TheBrad Pitt-starrer appears to have just enough gas to pass the $100 million mark at the domestic box office, against a reported budget of around $90 million.
Next weekend,The Woman Kingcould face some competition from directorOlivia Wilde’scontroversialDon’t Worry Darling, which will also target female crowds. You can watch an interview with Davis and Mbedu here, and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
