IFC’s ‘Werewolves Within’ Leads Specialty Box Office With Solid Debut

Black Widow is making history with its box office earnings and the film has now clinched a massive opening weekend collection of USD 80 million in the US as reported by Variety. It's the highest debut ever since the pandemic.

This weekend saw Disney test out a hybrid release with one of their top-tier releases, as “Black Widow” starring Scarlett Johansson hit both theaters and Premier Access on Disney+ this weekend. The studio had delayed the film’s release by more than a year due to the pandemic, and it seems to have paid off in a major way.

Rebecca Davis editorThe tear-jerking, patriotic pandemic film “Chinese Doctors” locked down a $53.5 million China opening weekend, according to Maoyan, setting itself up to become the most commercially successful political tribute film so far this year.Such films have been helped along by a line-up cleared of competitors.

Marvel's first release since the pandemic began, Black Widow is already setting records at the box office. After Vin Diesel's F9 provided the much-needed boost to the box office amid the pandemic-hit business, Scarlett Johansson's superhero film is now making a bigger impact with its strong start at the box office.

Ellise Shafer administratorMarvel’s “Black Widow” is poised to make an $87.8 million debut at the domestic box office, which would best the pandemic-era opening record previously held by “F9.”Having raked in a mighty $39.5 million on Friday from 4,160 theaters, “Black Widow” is set to easily earn another $48 million on Saturday and Sunday, with a final number that may shoot even higher than industry estimates.

Black Widow might be making major bank at the box office for opening weekend.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media ReporterWhen it comes to moviegoers, there are few that assemble as forcefully as the ones who pledge allegiance to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.Yet for the past two years, superhero enthusiasts have been deprived of Spandex-filled theatrical offerings as the pandemic forced studios to postpone “Black Widow,” “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” “Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” and “Eternals” over and over again.

Summer of Soul (Or When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) will report a three-day cum of $650K in 752 theaters in North America for a per screen average of $865, distributor Searchlight said of the Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson doc about the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival.

While Sunday numbers are expected to be lower than usual due to 4th of July festivities, Universal projects that its three films will gross a combined $75 million when Monday numbers are included. That would push the overall 4-day total to $101 million, just above the $98.3 million fueled by Paramount’s “A Quiet Place — Part II” on Memorial Day weekend.

Any other year, it wouldn’t be a massive surprise that a ‘Fast & Furious’ film debuted with a huge box office total. But after a year of basically no theatrical releases and no major blockbusters, the fact that “F9” debuted with a $70 million estimated opening weekend is noteworthy.

Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle EditorVin Diesel had plenty to celebrate on Saturday night.Not only did he place the winning bid of $70,000 for two court side seats at a Clippers game and a Breitling watch at a benefit for Charlize Theron‘s Africa Outreach Project (CTAOP), but “F9: The Fast Saga” broke the weekend box office record since the onset of the pandemic.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media ReporterThe only thing stronger than family? The box office debut of “F9,” the latest entry in Universal’s “Fast & Furious” saga.After many delays over the course of a year and a half, “F9” opened to a mighty $70 million from 4,179 North American venues. That’s by far the biggest start for a movie at the U.S.

Ellise Shafer administratorThe ninth installment in the “Fast and Furious” franchise is on its way to breaking a pandemic-era domestic box office record with an estimated $68 million debut.The action film, starring Vin Diesel and John Cena, raked in $30 million on Friday alone from 4,179 theaters.

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and Media“F9” is racing towards a pandemic era box office record after nabbing a mighty (at least for plague times) $7.1 million in Thursday previews.The homage to living life “a quarter-mile at a time,” in the words of one Dominic Toretto, is providing a welcome dose of adrenaline to a cinema business that’s been stalled out for months, as audiences slowly creep back to multiplexes and vaccination rates continue to rise.

Knives Out” of the horror genre, with a wacky ensemble having a blast while they play enormous characters and follow clues. They do, and their antics are enjoyable for the most part.

Alex Stedman News Editor, Variety.comFrom “Pokémon Detective Pikachu,” which pulled in $433 million globally in 2019, to “Sonic the Hedgehog,” which grossed $319.7 million worldwide last year before the pandemic shut down theaters, the message is clear: Gamers and nongamers alike are looking to explore their favorite video game characters and narratives in different mediums.Gaming developers are getting in on the action as well, forming production arms to work with networks and Hollywood

Just two films into his filmmaking career and Josh Ruben has fashioned his own brand of indie horror-comedy, with a little help from his friends. His debut “Scare Me” largely featured Aya Cash (“The Boys”) and the filmmaker himself play-acting through made-up horror stories, throwing in wild impressions and physical flourishes around a fireplace.

Specialty box office is ready for liftoff.