NEW YORK (AP) – David O. Russell’s star-studded 1930s mystery “Amsterdam” flopped and the children’s book adaptation “Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile” had a soft debut, allowing the thriller horror “Smile” is repeated at the box office in the US and Canadian cinemas, according to estimates from the studio on Sunday.
None of the new releases caught fire with moviegoers, but the disappointment was most acute for “Amsterdam,” a poorly reviewed $80 million romp starring Christian Bale, Margot Robbie and John David Washington. The 20th Century Studios production, co-financed by New Regency and published by Walt Disney Co., opened to just $6.5 million, a stinging rebuke for the decorated “Silver Linings Playbook” filmmaker, whose ensemble also features Chris Rock, Anya Taylor. -Joy and Taylor Swift.
Sony Pictures’ “Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile,” a musical based on Bernard Waber’s children’s book that features Shawn Mendes as the voice of a computer-generated reptile, fared better, taking in $11.5 million in ticket sale. But it was still a relatively modest result, especially for the first big family movie to hit theaters since the summer. The film, which cost $50 million, could benefit from children being out of school for Monday’s Columbus Day and the children’s film competition this month.
A week after topping the charts with a $22 million release, Paramount Pictures’ “Smile” remained at No. 1 with $17.6 million at the box office, an impressive second week for the film horror film with a modest budget. Horror movies usually fall hard in their second week of release, but “Smile,” a chilling thriller about trauma and evil spirits, dropped just 22 percent. To keep the momentum going, Paramount announced a series of week-long promotions on Sunday, including discounted tickets and a “Smile” NFT raffle for select ticket buyers on Thursday.
The best news for Hollywood over the weekend was a sign that adult audiences, after two pandemic-plagued seasons, might be eager to tune in to the fall’s top awards contenders. Todd Field’s “Tár,” starring Cate Blanchett as a world-renowned conductor, debuted to $160,000 from four theaters in New York and Los Angeles, good for a stellar $40,000 per theater average . After its premiere at the Venice Film Festival, Field’s first film since 2006’s “Little Children” has received critical acclaim and Oscar nomination predictions for Blanchett.
The promising start will fuel a long line of award contenders to come in the coming weeks, including MGM’s Emmett Till drama “Till,” MUBI’s Park Chan-wook thriller “Decision to Leave” and “The Banshees of Inisherin” by Searchlight Pictures, by MUBI. writer and director Martin McDonagh.
At the same time, an extended period of slowness in theaters may be coming to an end. Since “Bullet Train” opened in early August, a film hasn’t taken in $23 million, a drop due in part to a light release schedule. But next week, Universal Pictures opens “Halloween Ends” in both theaters and the Peacock. The following weekend opens Warner Bros.’s “Black Adam,” starring Dwayne Johnson.
Estimated Friday-Sunday ticket sales at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. The final national figures will be published on Monday.
1. “Smile,” $17.6 million.
2. “Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile,” $11.5 million.
3. “Amsterdam,” $6.5 million.
4. “The Woman King,” $5.3 million.
5. “Don’t Worry Darling,” $3.5 million.
6. “Avatar,” $2.6 million.
7. “Barbarian,” $2.2 million.
8. “Bros,” $2.2 million.
9. “Ponniyin Selvan Part One,” $910,000.
10. “Terrifier 2,” $825,000.
