“‘Fire & Ash’ Dominates Snowy Weekend Box Office”
As a winter storm affected a large portion of the United States, the box office experienced one of its quietest weekends of the year. The Amazon MGM sci-fi thriller “Mercy” rose to the top, taking in $11.2 million, according to early estimates.
Top Box Office Performers
“Mercy” features Chris Pratt in a near-future storyline where a man faces trial before an AI judge. Despite its $60 million budget, the film garnered mixed reviews, holding a mere 20% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a “B-” CinemaScore. Nevertheless, it was enough to dethrone “Avatar: Fire and Ash” from the number one spot after a month of dominance.
Performance Comparison
- Mercy: $11.2 million
- Avatar: Fire and Ash: $7 million
- Zootopia 2: $5.7 million
- The Housemaid: $4.2 million
- 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple: $3.6 million
- Marty Supreme: $3.5 million
- Return to Silent Hill: $2.7 million
- Hamnet: $2 million
- Lord of the Rings: $2 million
- Primate: $1.7 million
“Avatar: Fire and Ash,” while slipping to second place, still performed well internationally with $28.1 million in its sixth weekend abroad. Its total global earnings have surpassed $1 billion. However, its domestic gross of $378.5 million lags behind its predecessors, “Avatar” and “The Way of Water,” which earned $2.9 billion and $2.3 billion, respectively.
Oscar Nominee Impacts
The traditional “Oscar bump” appears to be waning, as films nominated for awards are seeing varied success at the box office. “Hamnet,” directed by Chloé Zhao, entered wide release this weekend, earning $2 million and reaching a total of $17.6 million domestically. Meanwhile, “Marty Supreme,” starring Timothée Chalamet and nominated for nine Oscars, crossed $100 million globally with $86.2 million from domestic sales.
- Hamnet: $2 million (Domestic: $17.6 million; Worldwide: $42.1 million)
- Marty Supreme: $3.5 million (Domestic: $86.2 million; Global: $100 million)
New Releases Struggle
On the other hand, the box office welcomed several new titles that did not perform well. “Return to Silent Hill” opened to $3.2 million, while “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple” dropped a significant 71% in its second weekend, earning only $3.6 million. Other new entries like “H Is For Hawk” and “Clika” earned $150,000 and $1.2 million respectively, showcasing a tough environment for new releases.
The impact of the winter storm, alongside the ongoing evolution of movie-going habits, meant that Hollywood faced a challenging weekend in terms of box office figures. As weather patterns and audience preferences continue to change, studios may need to rethink their release strategies to navigate such turbulent waters in the future.
