For the first time since September 2019, the entire podium is occupied by new releases. The past weekend was particularly successful for cheap sequels. The second “Paw Patrol” and the tenth “Saw” found themselves at the top of the box office. Both films sold much better than their predecessors. Unfortunately, Disney wasn’t as fortunate. The studio once again failed to open a film successfully.
Taking the number one spot was the animation “Paw Patrol: The Movie.” Paramount claims that the opening will amount to $23 million. This represents a $10 million improvement over the previous film’s debut. Additionally, the animation had a modest budget, estimated at $30 million.
Lionsgate proved that the “Saw” franchise is far from over. The tenth installment kicked off with a strong $18 million. This is $10 million better than the spin-off/reboot “Spiral” recorded two years ago. However, the film couldn’t reach the heights of the second through fifth parts, which had openings of $30 million or more. Nevertheless, the studio only spent $13 million on production, so “Saw X” will certainly turn a profit.
Meanwhile, Disney faced another setback this year, albeit less painful than their summer disappointments. The budget for “The Inventor” was only $80 million. However, even with production costs of $14 million, the film’s $14 million opening is very disappointing. The original sci-fi spectacle relies on international support, but it’s not doing much better there. Estimates put it at just over $18 million.
The fourth newcomer in the lineup is a film aimed at a Christian conservative audience. “The Blind,” a biography of Phil Robertson, the patriarch of the “Duck Dynasty” reality show fame, earned $5 million on its opening.
The fact-based comedy “Amateur Investors” saw an increase in revenue (and ranking) after finally receiving wide distribution. The film earned $3.5 million over the weekend.
Meanwhile, “The Nun 2” is the sixth highest-grossing installment in “The Conjuring” franchise. To surpass “Annabelle,” which earned a total of $84.3 million, “The Nun 2” would have to gross over $102 million, which seems unlikely.
On the other hand, “The Expendables 4” is rapidly disappearing from the box office. They debuted at number 2 a week ago, and now they’re at number 9. Their revenue has dropped by almost 70%.
Next week, there will be only one major newcomer in theaters – “The Exorcist: Confessor,” directed by the director of the new “Halloween” trilogy.
