I guess it shouldn’t be any surprise that Challengers, the sexy sports-themed movie about a broken love triangle, managed to score a first-place finish at this weekend’s box office. Starring Zendaya in a role that breaks from her usual big-budget fare, the film managed $15 million in its debut weekend with an additional $10 internationally. That isn’t particularly great against a $50 million budget, but then distributor Amazon MGM Studios likely doesn’t care. This will make for excellent streaming fodder in the future.
The second-place finisher, Unsung Hero, is a different story. While I personally haven’t heard of the film and its box office take isn’t explosive, a drama about the formation of a Christian rock duo earning $7.7 million is solid as hell. The budget for the Lionsgate-distributed movie was also only $6 million, meaning the film is well on its way to profitability. Challengers may have scored game, set, and match this weekend, but Unsung Hero will prevail overall.
Elsewhere in the top 10 are holdouts from previous weeks. We’re still not exactly close to blockbuster season, so I wouldn’t anticipate any major surprises until late May or perhaps even June. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire nabbed third with $7.2 million, Civil War hung in there in fourth with $7 million, and Abigail suffered a 49% decrease in its second weekend with just $5.2 million in gross. This weekend was, overall, pretty dire.
Here are the top 10 films for the weekend of April 26-28, 2024. All totals listed are domestic:
- Challengers – $15 million
- Unsung Hero – $7.7 million
- Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire – $7.2 million
- Civil War – $7 million
- Abigail – $5.2 million
- The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare – $3.8 million
- Kung Fu Panda 4 – $3.5 million
- Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire – $3.2 million
- Dune: Part Two – $1.9 million
- Boy Kills World – $1.6 million
