Broadway Box Office Slips 11% To $29.5M In Pre-Tony Early Summer Doldrums

It took 30 years to convince Tom Cruise to make a sequel to 1986’s “Top Gun,” hit by Tony Scott, but the decision has definitely paid off. Today, “Top Gun Maverick” crossed the $ 1 billion mark worldwide, becoming Cruise’s highest-grossing film ever worldwide.

The big screen debut of Marcel The Shell With Shoes On opened at $170K on six screens in New York and LA, the highest PSA of the weekend at $28,267 for the iconic lonely snail voiced by Jenny Slate.

Refresh for latest…: A wild weekend was had at the global and international box office with major milestones for Paramount/Skydance’s Top Gun: Maverick and Universal/Amblin’s Jurassic World Dominion, as well as a $50.5M result from Warner Bros’ newcomer, Elvis.

J. Kim Murphy It’s a 20th century showdown at the domestic box office this weekend, with the baby boomer epic “Elvis” contending against Gen X revamp “Top Gun: Maverick” for the top spot on domestic charts.Director Baz Luhrmann’s biopic about the King of Rock and Roll is projected to draw $30 million from 3,906 theaters in its opening.

Paramount’s Sonic The Hedgehog 2 has crossed the $400M threshold at the global box office, including $190.6M from domestic and $209.5M internationally through Tuesday. It is currently the No. 8 film worldwide in 2022 and is likely to jump up a few notches as it still has Japan and Hong Kong to release. At Paramount’s CineEurope presentation today, a threequel was touted.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media ReporterDirector Baz Luhrmann’s musical biopic “Elvis” dazzled at Cannes Film Festival, earning a 12-minute standing ovation. Will audiences respond with the same, sustained enthusiasm?According to early estimates, the Warner Bros. film is aiming to collect $30 million in its domestic box office debut over the weekend.

MJ and A Strange Loop saw Tony Award glory translate into box office surges in the week after the June 12 ceremony, with MJ leaping by $216,921 over the previous week’s take to a huge $1,660,978. A Strange Loop grossed $845,313 for the week ending June 19, a jump of $168,998 over the previous week.

The CineEurope conference kicks off here in Barcelona on Monday with distribution and exhibition expected to be in fine spirits, coming off a series of mega-drivers in the first part of the year and heading into a lucrative second half. There’s reason for backslapping and high-fiving, but there are also concerns that all sides need to continue to work together for the ongoing good of the business.

Pixar, after seeing its movies sidelined to Disney+ during the pandemic, returns to the big screen this weekend with Lightyear, the origin story of the spaceman toy which little Andy plays with in the Toy Story movies.

Though it’s too soon to say how Sunday’s Tony Awards will impact box office for the night’s winners and losers, figures for the week leading up to the ceremony show big gains for the multi-nominated (and eventual Best Musical winner) A Strange Loop. The Michael R. Jackson musical filled 98% of its available seats during the week ending June 12, a large gain over the previous week’s 89%.

The third installment in the "Jurassic World" franchise, "Jurassic World: Dominion," opened this past weekend with $143.3 million in box office sales in North America alone.The Universal Pictures film also grossed $398 million globally, with studio estimates optimistic as the film heads into its second week in theaters.  "Jurassic World 3" is the sixth in the entire Jurassic Parks franchise, opening in 72 international markets, according to Variety. China rounded in as the top international market, raking in $52.5 million in the film's opening weekend.  The newest Jurassic World includes several reprisal roles from the original cast, including Laura Dern, Sam Neill and Jeff Goldblum.  Despite its successful opening, "Dominion" falls behind the "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" opening weekend ($148 million) and the original 2015 "Jurassic World" opening weekend ($208.8 million).

The third installment in the "Jurassic World" franchise, "Jurassic World: Dominion," opened this past weekend with $143.3 million in box office sales in North America alone.The Universal Pictures film also grossed $398 million globally, with studio estimates optimistic as the film heads into its second week in theaters.  "Jurassic World 3" is the sixth in the entire Jurassic Parks franchise, opening in 72 international markets, according to Variety. China rounded in as the top international market, raking in $52.5 million in the film's opening weekend.  The newest Jurassic World includes several reprisal roles from the original cast, including Laura Dern, Sam Neill and Jeff Goldblum.  Despite its successful opening, "Dominion" falls behind the "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" opening weekend ($109 million) and the original 2015 "Jurassic World" opening weekend ($62 million).

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefA powerfully impressive opening by “Jurassic World Dominion” and a partial reopening of cinemas gave China its biggest box office weekend in more than three months. The dinosaur franchise movie earned $53 million (RMB355 million) in three days in China, according to data from consultancy Artisan Gateway. The film chewed off a massive 88% share of the total weekend market.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief“Broker,” the art house drama film that appeared in competition in Cannes last month had a bright start in Korean cinemas, picking up over $6 million in its opening foray. Its score, however, was not enough to unseat mainstream crime actioner “The Roundup” from the weekend’s top spot.“Broker” earned $4.13 million over the Friday to Sunday weekend, according to data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council (Kofic). That put it second behind “The Roundup” with a weekend score of $6.69 million.

J. Kim Murphy “Jurassic World Dominion” is the new apex predator at the box office.Universal’s dino-sequel is expected to earn $142.6 million from 4,676 theaters across North America over the weekend, which would mark the highest domestic opening for a non-superhero film since COVID-19 lockdowns were first introduced.

While that total is a few steps below the $148 million earned four years ago by “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom,” it has topped “The Batman” for the third highest domestic opening of the COVID era and could still crack $150 million if Saturday matinee turnout exceeds expectations. “Dominion” is also sharing another trait with its “Jurassic World” predecessors: it is proving to be critic-proof.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief“My Blue Summer,” a local romance led the Chinese box office higher over the latest weekend with a modestly respectable $7.2 million (RMB48.2 million) opening session. But the trend is hard to discern due to continually changing COVID conditions in China and the country’s uncertain economic direction.The nationwide Friday to Sunday box office total was $26.7 million, according to data from consultancy Artisan Gateway. The total was more than double the $11.5 million achieved the previous weekend.The performance was goosed by the Dragon Boat Holiday weekend, operating June 3-5.

Refresh for latest…: Paramount/Skydance’s Top Gun: Maverick, as projected yesterday, has flown past $500M worldwide, with $548.6M through its first two frames. The offshore weekend is estimated at $81.7M, an incredible hold of -20%, to lift the international box office cume to $257M in 64 markets. This does not include big Tom Cruise hub Korea which rolls out on June 23 (nor are China and Russia in the mix).

Having paid my $8.50 to see Top Gun: Maverick last weekend, my local cineplex inadvertently improved my appreciation of the film. For three minutes the sound clicked off and, minus dialogue, I was instantly caught up in the soaring jets, hyper-caffeinated cast and the durable charisma of its star. Then sound returned, the story unfolded and reality set in: This is not really a plot but a superbly crafted business plan, half video game and half military recruitment film. It’s the perfect structure for a Tom Cruise genre-bashing blockbuster.