Box Office: ‘Heretic’ and ‘Best Christmas Pageant Ever’ Vie for Second, ‘Venom 3’ Notches Third Weekend on Top

As a cinephile with over three decades of movie-going experience under my belt, I must say that this weekend’s box office scene is as intriguing as a well-crafted suspense thriller. The absence of major studio releases has left room for indie gems and holiday fare to shine, and it’s a delight to see the underdogs stepping up to the plate.


This weekend, the big Hollywood studios opted not to release any new movies, possibly trying to avoid an unpredictable public sentiment after the presidential election. However, this move benefits other studios like A24 with their suspenseful movie “Heretic” and Lionsgate’s holiday-themed production “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever”, as they aim to create a strong impact during their debut weekends.

However, Sony’s movie “Venom: The Last Dance” remains number one on domestic box office charts. Despite a less-than-impressive start, this Spider-Man spin-off has been maintaining strong performances, earning another $3.9 million on Friday. This brings its third-weekend total to approximately $14 million. With the latest earnings, it’s surpassed $100 million in North America. In the coming days, it’s expected to overtake “Alien: Romulus” ($105 million), “IF” ($111 million), and “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” ($113 million), moving up to become the 14th highest-grossing domestic release of the year.

Additionally, it’s important to mention that about 70% of its earnings are from foreign sources. It seems improbable that “The Last Dance” will achieve the same level of success as “Venom” or “Venom: Let There Be Carnage”, but given its $120 million production budget, it has managed to have a relatively successful theatrical release.

As a passionate movie enthusiast, I’m thrilled to share that “Heretic,” the captivating indie thriller, has taken a strong lead in the race for second place! With an impressive earnings of $4.2 million from Friday screenings and previews at 3,221 locations, it’s on track to reach an astounding $10.8 million over the three-day weekend, according to industry sources. Starring the talented Hugh Grant as a cunning master of mind games, who abducts two Latter-Day Saint missionaries portrayed by Sophie Thatcher from “Yellowjackets” and Chloe East from “The Fabelmans,” this movie is not to be missed!

Launching “Heretic” as an R-rated movie could be quite promising, potentially placing it among A24’s highest opening weekends. Last spring’s “Civil War” currently holds the top spot with a whopping $25 million debut, but “Heretic” is expected to perform similarly to “Hereditary” ($13.6 million) and “Talk to Me” ($10 million). Interestingly, these three films share a common genre – horror, where audiences tend to be more open to arthouse-style productions.

The film “Heretic,” helmed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, received positive critical acclaim following its screenings at the Toronto Film Festival and AFI Fest. However, audiences purchasing tickets seem to have mixed opinions. The movie-goer pollster Cinema Score assigned a C+ grade for initial viewers, which is typically average for a horror movie, especially one produced by an unconventional studio like A24.

For now, Lionsgate’s movie “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” has made approximately $5 million during its opening day and previews in 3,020 theaters. This could potentially rise to over $9.5 million by the end of the weekend. With a modest budget of $10 million for production, which is typical for Kingdom Story Company’s Christian-themed stories, this cheerful film seems poised to be a moderately successful box office hit. This success might help Lionsgate recover from its recent string of disappointing box office performances, such as “Borderlands” and “The Crow.

The Judy Greer and Pete Holmes comedy “Christmas Pageant” seems poised to gain popularity due to positive buzz as we approach the holiday season. With critical acclaim, a high Cinema Score of an A grade, it appears that this movie could have staying power.

In its seventh weekend, Universal’s “The Wild Robot” continues to hold strong among the top five, aiming to earn approximately $6 million this week. It experienced a minimal drop of 19% from its previous showing. The animated production by DreamWorks has surpassed a total domestic gross of $125 million.

The movie titled ‘Smile 2’ is expected to secure the fifth spot, with an estimated earnings of $4.9 million during its fourth week in theaters. By Sunday, it’s projected that this Paramount production will surpass $60 million in total revenue.

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2024-11-09 19:21