NEW YORK (AP) — For the first time in nearly two months, the box office doesn’t belong to blue people.
What you need to know
- “Knock at the Cabin” Made $14.2 Million in Ticket Sales in U.S. and Canadian Theaters This Weekend for the No. 1 Spot
- Second place was “80 for Brady”, earning an estimated $12.5 million
- “Avatar: The Way of Water” moves into third place with $10.8 million domestically in its eighth weekend
- “The Way of Water” continues to perform especially strongly overseas, where its $27.9 million this weekend pushed its grand total to $2.17 billion worldwide
After being the best movie in theaters for seven weeks, “Avatar: The Way of Water” was finally knocked off the No. 1 position by the M. Night Shyamalan thriller “Knock at the Cabin” and the octogenarian comedy ’80s for Brady. “
“Knock at the Cabin,” a home invasion horror flick with an apocalyptic riff, dethroned James Cameron’s 3D sci-fi epic with $14.2 million in ticket sales in U.S. and Canadian theaters, the studio estimates Sunday . The Universal Pictures release stars Dave Bautista as one of four strangers who approach a family vacationing in a rural cabin.
The opening for “Knock at the Cabin” came up with some of Shyamalan’s recent releases. His latest film, 2021’s ‘Old’, about a beach that quickly ages with visitors, launched with $16.9 million and eventually grossed $90.1 million worldwide. with $40.3 million en route to grossing $247 million worldwide. Every other film directed by Shyamalan has opened higher than ‘Knock at the Cabin’.
But “Knock at the Cabin” still marks Shyamalan’s seventh film as a director to open No. 1. With a modest $20 million budget, “Knock at the Cabin” should make an easy profit. The film, which received mostly positive reviews from critics (68% on Rotten Tomatoes), added another $7 million internationally.
Runner-up was “80 for Brady,” a comedy about four friends (Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Rita Moreno, and Sally Field) who take a trip to the 2017 Super Bowl. It opened with an estimated $12.5 million . Tom Brady, who retired from football (again), attended the film’s premiere.
Paramount Pictures employed a unique strategy in releasing ’80 for Brady’. While many movies tried to capitalize on higher ticket prices through large format or 3D screenings or high prices, which is what movies like ‘The Batman’ tried, Paramount went the other way with ’80 for Brady’. The studio worked with exhibitors, including the largest chains, to play “80 for Brady” at matinee prices to entice the largely elderly audience (half of ticket buyers were over 55).
It seemed to work. At a time when comedies were struggling immensely in theaters, “80 for Brady” (with a $28 million production budget) had one of the best openings for a live-action comedy in years. Discounted prices will continue for the rest of the film.
“Avatar: The Way of Water” moves into third place with $10.8 million domestically in its eighth weekend. The film’s No. 1 streak matched that of 2009’s “Avatar.” In the past four decades, only the two of Cameron and his “Titanic” (1997) have had such sustained reign at the box office.
“The Way of Water” continues to perform particularly strongly overseas, where its $27.9 million this weekend pushed its grand total to $2.17 billion worldwide. That places it at the fourth-highest gross of all time; Cameron – with two “Avatar” films and “Titanic” – now accounts for three of the top four.