In the box office battle of sequels, The Devil Wears Prada 2 slightly edged out Mortal Kombat II in North American theaters this weekend. According to studio estimates on Sunday, “The Devil Wears Prada 2” grossed more than $43 million in its second weekend, while “Mortal Kombat II” grossed $40 million in its first weekend.
Strong competition at the box office
This weekend saw a wide range of newcomers playing in wide releases, including the family film “The Sheep Detectives” and the James Cameron-co-directed concert film Billie Eilish.But persistence won. The Devil Wears Prada 2, which grossed $433.2 million worldwide in its first 12 days of release, helped push Walt Disney Studios to more than $2 billion worldwide for the year. It also surpassed the first film’s $327 million worldwide gross in 2006, not including inflation.Mother’s Day may have helped Prada gain the advantage over the newcomer and posted a modest 44% decline in its second weekend, said Paul Dergarabedian, head of market trends at Comscore.
Box office collection for the movie “Mortal Kombat II”.
“Mortal Kombat II” delivered some gender-related anti-programming in the second weekend of Hollywood’s summer movie season. Warner Bros. opened The film was released in 3,503 locations, where it attracted a large male audience. According to PostTrak, 75% of ticket buyers were men.
“The Devil Wears Prada 2” was almost completely gender-neutral in its first weekend.The first film in the series, “Mortal Kombat,” was released simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max in April 2021 as part of Warner Bros. Day-and-date strategy in the era of the pandemic. Reviews for the sequel were mixed, as was the B CinemaScore. It also earned US$23 million from 78 global markets, bringing it to a US$63 million global debut.
“Michael” received the third highest group
“Michael” came in third place in its third weekend, bringing in another $36.5 million over the weekend, down just 33% from the previous weekend. The Michael Jackson biopic has now grossed $240.5 million in North America, surpassing the domestic total of “Bohemian Rhapsody,” and $577.4 million worldwide.
“The Sheep Detective” earns $15.9 million
Fourth place went to “The Sheep Detectives,” produced by Amazon MGM Studios, which grossed $15.9 million in its first weekend in 3,457 theaters.
The twisty murder mystery for all ages features a star-studded ensemble including Hugh Jackman, Emma Thompson and Nicholas Braun, plus the voices of Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Bryan Cranston, Regina Hall and Patrick Stewart as sheep trying to find out who killed their shepherd.
Audiences gave it an A- CinemaScore. The film’s production cost was US$75 million.
Billie Eilish’s debut tour film grossed US$12.6 million
Rounding out the top five was “Billie Eilish-Hit Me Hard & Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D),” an immersive musical experience in which Cameron co-directed with Eilish.
Paramount released the film to 2,613 theaters, where it grossed US$7.5 million in North America and US$12.6 million internationally. The film received very good reviews from critics (93% on Rotten Tomatoes) and audiences, who gave it a CinemaScore.“Project Hail Mary,” in its eighth weekend, and “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie,” in its sixth weekend, are also still going strong — adding to a weekend that was up significantly from the same weekend last year.
The movies that seem to do well and attract new and repeat audiences week after week are those that offer “pure escapist entertainment,” Dergarabedian said.“This is going very well for movie theaters right now,” he said.
Top 10 films at the domestic box office
With final domestic numbers released Monday, this list takes into account estimated Friday-Sunday ticket sales at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore:1. The Devil Wears Prada 2 – US$43 million.2. Mortal Kombat 2 – $40 million.3. Michael – $36.5 million USD.4. Sheep Investigations – 15.9 million US dollars.5. Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour – $7.5 million.6. Super Mario Galaxy Movie – $6.6 million.7. Hail Mary Project – 6.1 million US dollars.8. Verdict – US$3.3 million.9. Deepwater – $780,274.10. Animal Farm – $663,624.
