“Big Bold Beautiful Journey” Disappoints with $2.7 Million Debut, While “Him” Surpasses Expectations with $15 Million Opening
Los Angeles – The box office saw a mixed weekend as Angel Studios’ sports drama “Big Bold Beautiful Journey” opened to a soft $2.7 million from 2,405 theaters, while Lionsgate’s “Him” exceeded projections with a $15 million debut. Overall box office returns are currently 4.4% ahead of 2024 but remain more than 22% behind 2019 levels, according to Comscore.
elsewhere, holdover titles rounded out the top five. “The Conjuring: Last Rites” added $13 million from 3,413 locations in its third weekend, bringing its domestic total to $151.2 million adn its global gross to $400 million, making it the highest-grossing film in the “Conjuring” franchise. The film continues a successful year for warner Bros.-owned New Line Cinema, which has surpassed $1 billion in revenue thanks to horror hits including “Final Destination: Bloodlines” and “Weapons.”
“The Long Walk” and “Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale” tied for fourth place, each estimating $6.3 million over the weekend, with the final order to be confirmed Monday. “The Long Walk” experienced a 46% decline from its debut, generating $22.7 million domestically against a $20 million production budget. ”Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale” declined by 66% from its opening weekend,grossing $31.6 million in North america and $59.5 million worldwide. The first “downton Abbey” film earned $96 million domestically and $194 million worldwide in 2019, while the 2022 sequel, “A New Era,” earned $44 million in North America and $92.6 million globally.
“big Bold Beautiful Journey,” the inspirational true story of a 59-year-old who becomes a college football linebacker, received an “A” grade on CinemScore exit polls despite its modest box office performance.
Looking ahead, the next two weekends are expected to see a boost with the release of Paul Thomas Anderson’s action epic “One Battle After Another,” starring Leonardo DiCaprio, and Taylor Swift’s concert film, “The Official Release Party of a showgirl.”
