This was an acid test that starTom Hollandhad to pass. Holland has crucially never had a hit outside the Spider-Man franchise, but the stellar opening weekend performance of his latest film, the video game adaptationUncharted, has changed that. Not only does it mark a back-to-back win for the star afterSpider-Man: No Way Home— which came in at number three this weekend, by the way — but also for Sony and directorRuben Fleischer, who is fast becoming the studio’s go-to franchise man.
Having directed twoZombielandfilms and the record-settingVenomfor the studio, Fleischer appears to have delivered another hit withUncharted, which exceeded expectations in registering a $44 million three-day opening. That total could increase to $52 million across the four-day Presidents' Day weekend. That’s a solid figure for the $120 million action-adventure, which has had an infamously long road to release.
But ultimately, the film’s success will depend on how well it performs internationally. Fleischer’sVenombroke records for a Sony release in China, and importantly,Unchartedhas secured a release date in the Middle Kingdom (March 14), despite increasingly strict censorship protocols. The film has already crossed the $100 million mark globally after having premiered in select international territories ahead of its domestic debut.
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Total box office stood at $107 this weekend, which is down 41% from Presidents' Day weekend in 2020, the last time that the box office was truly alive around this time of the year. The weekend’s third new offering,The Cursed, finished at the number 10 spot with $2 million across four days.
Unchartedwasn’t the only new release to over-perform;Channing Tatum’sDogmade $15.1 million across three days and is estimated to make $18 million through Monday — a strong result for an original property featuring a once-prominent star who hasn’t had a live-action release in about five years.Dogalso serves as Tatum’s directorial debut — he partnered up withReid Carolin— as he attempts to relaunch his career in a big way. With a strong A- CinemaScore —Unchartedgot a B+ —Dogmight have legs.
After breakingAvatar’sall-time recordearlier this week and dominating the box office for two months, Sony’sNo Way Homefinished its 10th weekend at the number three spot, with an estimated $8.8 million across four days. The film has made around $772 million domestically and over $1.8 billion worldwide for a record-breaking pandemic era performance that would’ve been impressive even under normal circumstances.
DirectorKenneth Branagh’ssecondAgatha Christieadaptation—Death on the Nile—added an estimated $7.2 million to its domestic tally in its second weekend, for a running domestic total of just over $25 million, which is less than what its predecessor,Murder on the Orient Express, made in its debut weekend back in 2017. That movie legged it to over $100 million domestically and over $350 million worldwide, but it looks likeDeath on the Nile, with its heftier budget and less-starry cast, might not match that. The film has also been marred by several delays — some owing to the pandemic and others perhaps to disgraced starArmie Hammer’spresence — as well as a general hesitance in its target older audiences about making trips to theaters.
The top five was rounded out by Paramount’s holdover hitJackass Forever, which is estimated to make another $6.2 million this extended weekend for a running domestic total of $47.7 million. That’s a solid result for a film that reportedly cost just $10 million to produce and validation for the studio’s decision to hold out for a theatrical release, just as it did with January’sScream.
It’s expectedUnchartedwill repeat next weekend beforeThe Batmanstorms the box office on March 4.
