It was another easy road to number one at the home box office for The Batman. Now, on its third weekend, the release of Warner Bros. continues to hold up remarkably well, grossing $10.6 million from 4,302 locations on Friday, down 43% from his sophomore year. The film is expected to grow domestically by about $39 million over the weekend.
The Batman is set to surpass $300 million in total domestic gross by Monday, becoming only the second pandemic-era release to do so after Spider-Man: No Way Home. Its stellar $134 million opening and low weekly drops have made Robert Pattinson’s the highest-grossing film of 2022 so far, and the second highest-grossing film since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic – again only Spider-Man: No Way Home.
The dark take on the superhero received very positive reviews, with Variety chief film critic Peter Debruge calling it a Critics’ Choice and writing that “the grounded, often violent, and nearly three-hour film noir ranks as one of the best in the genre, even if—or more accurately, because— what makes the film so great is its willingness to take apart and question the very concept of superheroes.” What’s more, the film received a Cinema Score of ‘A-‘, indicating a strong overall rating from ticket buyers.
In addition to Pattinson as the grumpy wizard Bruce Wayne, the film also stars Zoe Kravitz as Catwoman, Paul Dano as the registered version of the Riddler, Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth, and Colin Farrell as the damn Penguin. Production under Matt Reeves was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the production budget exceeding $200 million. However, it looks like The Batman shouldn’t have any trouble making a profit.
While Batman is firmly at the top of the domestic box office, it faced some toughest competition this weekend when Crunchyroll released a manga adaptation of Jujutsu Kaisen 0.
Since the studios are basically clearing out the calendar month of March to give Batman a place to hit the box office, Jujutsu Kaisen 0 will benefit from spare oxygen. The anime movie, released by Crunchyroll in association with Funimation, grossed $8.68 million from 2,340 locations on Friday, with a projected weekend total of $19 million. That’s not all that far off the $21.2 million that Demon Slayer: The Movie: Mugen Train made at its opening last spring. Jujutsu Kaisen 0 is further proof that anime in North America has gained a loyal following over the past few years.
Directed by Sunhu Park, Jujutsu Kaisen 0 is a prequel to the highly popular Jujutsu Kaisen series created by Gege Akutami. The film was released in Japan in December 2021, grossing a whopping $107 million and becoming the highest-grossing release of the calendar year. The second season of the Jujutsu Kaisen anime series will debut in 2023.
Also opening this weekend, the horror film A24 “X” did somewhat underwhelming business, opening $1.75 million on Friday at 2,865 locations. The film is expected to earn between $3 million and $5 million over the weekend. These are good numbers for a low-budget independent genre entry, though some hope the film will be more connected upon release, especially since horror films tend to do well at the box office.
The slasher directed by Ti West tells the story of a group of young men who are terrorized by a sinister force while filming a pornographic film on a farm in Texas. The film stars Mia Goth, Jenny Ortega, Martin Henderson, Brittany Snow and Scott Mescudi (aka Kid Cudi). “X” received overwhelmingly positive reviews, earning a 95% critical approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Sony’s Uncharted is set to take bronze on its fifth weekend at the box office. The video game adaptation is projected to gross $8.33 million over the weekend, down just 11% from the previous release. Uncharted has held up surprisingly well since its mid-February release, especially for a visual effects-driven spectacle adapted from a property with a dedicated fan base. The Tom Holland car should increase its domestic gross to $126.2 million by Sunday, continuing to be the second-highest-grossing 2022 release.
Speaking of Tom Holland, Spider-Man: No Way Home finally broke the top five at the box office after spending 13 weeks, a quarter of a calendar year. Marvel’s money monster is predicted to take 6th place, earning $3.6 million over the weekend. That would mean a drop of just 11% from the previous release, a particularly small drop considering No Way Home hit digital markets earlier this week. “No Way Home” should increase its domestic gross to $797.8 million by Sunday – a finish above $800 million is now right in its crosshairs.
Finally, United Artists Releasing’s “Dog” continues to be in the top five at the box office. Channing Tatum’s car is expected to earn $4.33 million over the weekend, down 18% from the previous show. The road drama is set to boost its domestic gross to $54 million over the weekend – an especially encouraging result for an original star-studded film that has a $15 million production budget.
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