‘MJ’, ‘A Strange Loop’ & ‘Six’ Among Big Post-Tony Box Office Winners

Following its sold-out Off Broadway Encores! run this past spring, the revival of Into The Woods continued drawing audiences in the first performances of its Broadway transfer, filling 94% of seats at the St. James Theatre and grossing a big $1,380,760.

Refresh for latest…: Coming in slightly above the estimates we reported on Saturday, Universal/Illumination’s Minions: The Rise Of Gru has boogied to an $87.2M weekend at the international box office. That lifts the offshore cume to $93.7M for $202.2M worldwide to date.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media ReporterTiny yellow creatures are taking over the international box office.“Minions: The Rise of Gru” ignited to $93.7 million from 61 overseas markets and notched one of the biggest pandemic-era opening weekends for an animated film in many of those territories.Those returns take the fifth installment in Universal and Illumination’s popular “Despicable Me” franchise past $200 million at the global box office. In North America, “The Rise of Gru” debuted to $108 million over the weekend and looks to reach $127.9 million through Independence Day on Monday.Outside of the U.S. and Canada, “Minions: The Rise of Gru” enjoyed the strongest showing in the United Kingdom and Ireland with $12.9 million, followed by Mexico with $12.4 million and Germany with $4.8 million.

Broadway box office held steady last week, with total grosses of $30,789,627 showing a 4% increase over the previous week even with two fewer shows on the boards. Of particular note, A Strange Loop and MJ have held on to their post-Tony Award strength: Both productions were among the roster’s full houses.

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.

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.

Thania Garcia Although it wasn’t a winning night on the field for the Boston Red Sox on Saturday, baseball fans received a treat from Neil Diamond, who gave a rare live performance of “Sweet Caroline.”Diamond retired from concert touring in 2018 following his Parkinson’s disease diagnosis. This post-retirement appearance is the first time that Diamond has performed at Fenway since 2013.

“Lightyear,” Disney and Pixar’s animated feature that’s a spinoff and origin story of the beloved “Toy Story” character Buzz Lightyear, made $5.2 million at the box office in its preview screenings. The film opens in the U.S. and Canada on Friday in over 4,200 theaters.

More box office milestones here as the theatrical business bounces back and the pandemic eases: Disney/Marvel’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness crossed $400M yesterday at the domestic box office during its 41st day of release.

Naman Ramachandran Universal’s “Jurassic World: Dominion” debuted atop the U.K. and Ireland box office with £12.1 million ($14.8 million), according to numbers released by Comscore.Paramount’s “Top Gun: Maverick” scored £5.5 million in its third weekend and now has a mighty total of £50 million, jetting towards being one of the highest grossers of the year in the territory. In third place and in its sixth weekend, Disney’s “Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness” collected £398,401 for a total of £41.5 million.

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%.

Tony Awards returned to Radio City Music Hall, where relaxed mask mandates made it easier than ever (OK, easier than last year’s ceremony) to spot the stars mixing and mingling during Broadway’s biggest night.For some, it was an opportunity to reunite with old friends; for others, it was a rare chance to meet luminaries they’ve only admired from afar. Before the broadcast began, “Spring Awakening” co-stars Lea Michele and Jonathan Groff walked through the front door holding hands.

A Strange Loop, an irreverent, sexually frank work about Blackness and queerness took home the best new musical crown at the Tony Awards on Sunday, as voters celebrated Broadway’s most racially diverse season by choosing an envelope-pushing Black voice.

By Lisa Richwine(Reuters) - "A Strange Loop," the story of a Black gay man and his mental struggles as a playwright, won the Tony award on Sunday for best new musical as Broadway honored its first season since the long pandemic shutdown. "The Lehman Trilogy," about the rise and fall of investment firm Lehman Brothers, took the best new play honor at a live ceremony held at Radio City Music Hall in New York. "Strange Loop" triumphed over "MJ," a crowd-pleasing musical about Michael Jackson.

Jennifer Hudson, one of the celebrity producers of Broadway’s A Strange Loop, achieved EGOT status tonight when that musical took the Tony Award for Best Musical.

The cast of A Strange Loop is taking over the stage at the 2022 Tony Awards!

It’s official – Jennifer Hudson is now an EGOT winner!

After A Strange Loop capped the Tony Awards by taking the Best Musical prize, playwright Michael R. Jackson offered his main takeaway from the show’s unlikely path to the top: “It’s OK to be weird.”