Would you believe it if I told you that the box office was lousy this past weekend? I know, totally shocking! For whatever reason, 2024 has not been a successful year for movies thus far. The last report I read stated this year was down 22% from last year in the same time frame. Damning it even further, 2024 is also down 42% from 2019, though that was a banner year for films.
So yeah, about the movies playing this weekend. John Krasinski’s IF, which stars Ryan Reynolds, debuted at $35 million domestically with another $24 million internationally. On a budget of $110 million, that’s pretty dour. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes took second place with $26 million, a stark 55% decline, but the movie made a ton of money last week. Its global gross is now rushing $237.5 million, which is solid.
About the only bit hit this weekend was The Strangers: Chapter 1, which nabbed $12 million for its debut. Off a budget of $8.5 million, it shows once again that horror films can turn a profit even when they don’t have massive numbers. You’d think Hollywood would get the message that tons of money isn’t required for a hit, but I guess that makes too much sense.
Rounding out the top five were The Fall Guy with $8.4 million, essentially cementing it as a flop, and Challengers with $2.9 million, bringing it at least somewhat closer to breaking even. Considering you can now watch both of those movies, I think all hope is gone for them having a turnaround.
Here are the top 10 films for the weekend of May 17-19, 2024. All totals listed are domestic:
- IF – $35 million
- Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes – $26 million
- The Strangers: Chapter 1 – $12 million
- The Fall Guy – $8.4 million
- Challengers – $2.9 million
- Back to Black – $2.8 million
- Tarot – $2 million
- Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire – $1.7 million
- The Blue Angels – $1.3 million
- Unsung Hero – $1 million
