By @HolocronJosh and @HolocronGeorge for @FilmCodex
Lionsgate’s The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard dethroned A Quiet Place Part II to take the top spot at this weekend’s domestic box office. Over the three day weekend, the film took in $11.7 million, a good start, especially for an R-rated comedy in the era of the pandemic. The longer five day period took the movie’s total to $17 million.
The film, which stars Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L Jackson returning in their roles from the first in the series alongside Salma Hayek, has received lukewarm reviews with 25% on Rotten Tomatoes. Still, the star power of the three leads was surely a factor in audiences wanting to decide for themselves on this comedy. It also received a B CinemaScore.
Meanwhile, A Quiet Place Part II returned to second place with a 22% drop, meaning it held extremely well again this weekend. Overall, the Emily Blunt led film earned $9.4 million and has now passed $200 million globally. This is arguably the greatest hit during the pandemic as reviews, audience reaction, and box office gross have all been exceptional, especially given the circumstances.
Unfortunately, In the Heights did not hold as well as A Quiet Place. After a disappointing opening weekend, Warner Bros.’ latest film fell to number 6 in the charts, earning a mere $4.2 million and dropping off 63%. Despite the excellent reviews and reactions from those who watched the film, it doesn’t seem to be getting the attention that other movies have recently. Whatever the reason for that is, perhaps In the Heights is bound to be a cult classic only appreciated in years to come.
Other films released in the last few weeks continued their release include The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, Cruella, and Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway. The Conjuring earned $5.2 million this weekend, while Cruella grossed $5.1 million and Peter Rabbit took in $6.1 million.
The box office is set to be jolted into life yet again with the release of F9 next week, which is projected to be the biggest domestic film of the pandemic thus far. It’s expected to benefit from the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions in many areas, such as capacity limits, which will allow theaters to seat more viewers per showing.
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