Box Office Report for the Week of May 11

It looks like the marketing gimmick for Thunderbolts* has worked in its favor, as the movie is holding pretty well after Marvel Studios renamed it The New Avengers in the wake of its title reveal during the end credits. Some cinema chains even went ahead and renamed the film this way, even though Disney still refers to it as Thunderbolts*. In any event, we can say that this could pave the way for Marvel’s return as the undefeated kings of the box office after a few missteps and critical duds. Fantastic Four will likely light up the box office when it releases in July, and could even bring some friendly competition to James Gunn‘s Superman, which will release around the same time.

There wasn’t much movement this weekend, other than A Minecraft Movie surpassing the $400 million domestic mark, and a $900 million worldwide tally. As far as new releases were concerned, we had three mid-budget titles that performed as expected, which means not drawing crowds, but making some money in a relative lull before the major titles of the summer kick into gear, starting next week with Final Destination: Bloodlines.

The biggest draw out of the three was Eli Craig‘s Clown in a Cornfield, which opened at $3.6 million. And it’s a pretty sizeable amount, considering the film was made under $1 million. It’s another win for low-budget horror, which has grown in popularity over the past few years for the theatrical landscape. As far as its action films are concerned, Joe Carnahan‘s Shadow Force and James Madigan‘s Fight or Flight, which respectively made $2.01 million and $2.0 million in around the same number of cinemas.

Mid-budget action fans came in droves to see these movies, but none of them drew a big crowd. Still, we need those types of films in theatres to counterprogram the heavyweights and give lighter alternatives for audiences who want to see them on a big screen. That’s the sign of a healthy moviegoing environment, offering something for everyone, no matter how big or small.

Here is the full list of the top ten films of the weekend:

1. Thunderbolts* (Disney): $33.1M (-55.4%) – 4,330 theatres
2. Sinners (Warner Bros): $21.1M (-36.2%) – 3,502 theatres
3. A Minecraft Movie (Warner Bros): $7.9M (-42%) – 3,468 theatres
4. The Accountant 2 (Amazon MGM Studios): $6.0M (-36%) –3,402 theatres
5. Clown in a Cornfield (IFC Films): $3.6M – 2,277 theatres
6. Shadow Force (Lionsgate): $2.01M – 2,170 theatres
7. Fight or Flight (Vertical Entertainment): $2.0M – 2,153 theatres
8. Until Dawn (Sony): $2.0M (-48%) – 2,465 theatres
9. The Amateur (Disney): $1.1M (-42.6%) – 1,200 theatres
10. The King of Kings (Angel Studios): $680.656 (-60%) – 1,089 theatres

Source: Comscore