A weekly film and box office newsletter.
Howdy, folks!
Adam Chitwood here, executive editor of TheWrap, with a brand new weekly film-focused newsletter, Reel to Real. I'll be in your inbox every Monday with a rundown of the weekend's box office performance — what did well, what didn't and why — along with film news you can use, stories you may have missed and some musings from yours truly.
The theatrical business remains a cornerstone of our industry, and we're eager to bring you what you need to know every Monday re: how things are going and where they're headed, with expertise from TheWrap's box office reporter Jeremy Fuster.
But this newsletter won't be relegated to just theatrical titles — we'll also cover the big happenings in streaming.
I'm thrilled to chat about movies with you every week. I have far too many bookcases filled with Blu-rays than I'd care to admit (or, as my wife would call it, "a problem"). Cinema is, I believe, one of America's greatest cultural exports, and a healthy film business is good for art.
Speaking of cinema, "One Battle After Another" crossed $100 million internationally this weekend and its worldwide box office total now stands at $163 million and counting. That's over twice what the next-highest grossing Paul Thomas Anderson movie made — "There Will Be Blood" at $76 million — and that's before the film will surely get a bump on VOD and Blu-ray (trust me, PTA fans are collectors).
With chatter going around about how much "OBAA" cost to make (it'll need post-theatrical revenue to break even), consider it's a smash hit relative to PTA's career and Warner Bros. releases have made over $4 billion combined at the worldwide box office this year. You make "Minecraft" and "Final Destination" to be able to give Paul Thomas Anderson the biggest budget of his career, so he can craft an action spectacle that gets rave reviews. If you ask me, that's smart strategy from Warner Bros. Pictures bosses Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy — and it'll only look smarter if "OBAA" holds its early Oscar frontrunner status.
Thanks for paying attention to this "coming attraction." Now, our feature presentation.
Adam Chitwood
Executive Editor
adam.chitwood@thewrap.com
Box Office: "Black Phone 2" is doing well, but theaters are in a slump
“Black Phone 2” has given Blumhouse a much-needed rebound with its $26.5 million opening weekend at the box office. That’s more than double the opening of any film from Universal’s horror production partner since the start of 2024, including the $10.2 million of the summer flop “M3GAN 2.0.”
Unfortunately, that’s the only good news from the weekend charts as the October slump that had long been expected by theaters has firmly set in. Overall grosses for the weekend are topping out at $68.5 million. That’s the lowest total the box office has seen since the weekend of March 7, when Warner Bros.’ “Mickey 17” was No. 1 with a $19 million opening and the hot seat rumors for Mike and Pam were getting stronger and stronger. We know how that ended.
Among the lowlights this weekend are a 66% drop for Disney’s “Tron: Ares” — it has earned $54.5 million domestic and $103 million worldwide after two weekends, putting it behind the pace of Disney’s spring bomb “Snow White.” Lionsgate’s “Good Fortune,” despite positive reviews and some audience buzz for Keanu Reeves’ comedic performance as a “budget guardian angel,” is opening to a muted $6.2 million.
But theaters are taking this all in stride with the belief that while the next two weekends will see more low numbers, there will be a rapid turnaround in November. It will start steady with the male-focused “Predator: Badlands” and “The Running Man” in the first half of the month but will explode in the latter half with “Wicked: For Good” and “Zootopia 2,” two films with a floor of $450 million domestic and a chance to go even higher.
- Jeremy Fuster
The Spotlight
The "Tron: Ares" flop caused us to take a closer look at Jared Leto's track record at the box office, and it's not pretty. The Oscar-winning performer hasn't had a hit since 2016's "Suicide Squad," so why does he keep landing franchise-anchoring roles like Disney's "Tron" and Sony's "Morbius?" According to our reporting, he's reached the end of the line. Read our full analysis here.
New Releases
Exclusive: Jim Carrey + "The Jetsons" + WB: Jim Carrey is in talks to star in a live-action "Jetsons" movie for Warner Bros. and Colin Trevorrow
Making "Black Phone 2": Scott Derrickson pulls back the curtain on expanding the mythology in his horror sequel
TheWrap "F1" Screening Q&A: Joseph Kosinski sat with Drew Taylor for a Wrap screening and Q&A at the Ojai Playhouse for awards hopeful "F1"
Enough Is Enough: Guest columnist and "The Road Between Us" filmmaker Barry Avrich calls for an end to the Israeli film boycott
Oscar Streaming: The Academy's screening room is filling up with FYC titles, but Best Picture favorites are still MIA
Concession Stand
