The Nun II can claim bragging rights for being the number-one movie in America for the last three weeks but that is mostly due to very weak competition in its third weekend. Expendables 4 debuted this weekend and it it posted numbers that might finally put this franchise to bed.
The Nun II holds at number one for the third weekend in a row with a gross of $8.6 million, down 41.2 percent from last weekend. The film brings its domestic total to $70.9 million to date but the real gains for the sequel come from overseas. After taking in an international total of $135.2 million thus far, the latest entry in The Conjuring Universe has taken in $206.1 million globally. If you’re wondering why we keep getting more of these, the answer is all in the dollar signs.
Debuting embarrassingly in second place is Expendables 4 or Expend4ables, depending on who you ask, with a gross of $8 million. There is by far a franchise low for the brand which once started out strong ($34.8 million opening for the first film and $28.5 million for the sequel) before the shine started to come off with the third ($15.8 million opening). I think the lesson that should be learned here is that when no one is really asking for another installment, maybe not make one. The opening of the third film showed that the franchise was on life support so I’m not sure what the studio thought a fourth installment would do.
This is a franchise that is more a global earner rather than a domestic one but it doesn’t look like even that will stop the bleeding for a film that cost $100 million to make. China is reporting their grosses for the film at $20.8 million but other markets have yet to release their numbers. No matter how you spin this one, this is a disaster and it also helps lead the box office to a weekend low for 2023 with a gross of $52 million across the top ten.
Dropping to third is A Haunting in Venice, with a gross of $6.3 million. That’s a drop of 55.9 percent which is steeper than the second weekend drop of Death on the Nile (49.1 percent). Will this kill future mysteries provided to us by Kenneth Branagh with everyone’s favorite detective Hercule Poirot? Maybe not! This is a franchise that is still strong globally and once again that is proving to be the case here. The movie has grossed $46 million overseas so far and it brings its worldwide haul to $72.9 million to date. That just might be enough to keep this series going.
In fourth place, we find The Equalizer 3 with a gross of $4.67 million, down 34.4 percent from the previous weekend. There likely isn’t enough gas in the tank to get the third film across the $100 million mark domestically like the previous two installments but the performance is still a win for the studio. To date, The Equalizer 3 has grossed $81.2 million at the domestic box office and $149.8 million worldwide.
Rounding out the top five is Barbie, still in the top five after 10 weeks of release, with a gross of $3.2 million. There isn’t much more to say about Barbie at this point except that it’s still amazing that the film has remained in the top five since it debuted in July. To date, the film has grossed a staggering $630.4 million domestically and $1.42 billion worldwide.
What are your thoughts on this weekend’s box office? Things should get a bit more exciting this weekend with a slew of new releases that include Saw X, Paw Patrol 3, The Creator, and the wide expansion of Dumb Money.
Hello! My name is Gaius Bolling: movie, TV, and pop culture junkie! The industry has been in my veins since I was a kid and I have carried that on through adulthood. I attended Los Angeles Film Academy and participated in their screenwriting and editing program. From there, I have learned to hone my skills in the world of entertainment journalism. Some of my favorite genres include horror, action, and drama and I hope to share my love of all of this with you.
