Box Office Report for the Week of March 22

Here we are with the biggest opening of the year thus far for Project Hail Mary, exceeding initial expectations with a $80.5 million domestic tally and $141 million globally. This is a huge win for Amazon MGM Studios, which this year is finally unveiling its full theatrical library of titles after initially restructuring the company in the wake of MGM’s acquisition and promising at least 12 to 15 films annually in cinemas.

Jeff Bezos has been wanting to position Amazon as a blockbuster powerhouse for a very long time, and it is now unveiling their plans this year. With Project Hail Mary, they finally have a major hit on their hands and have undoubtedly made their mark in the theatrical landscape. This year, the slate of films also includes Masters of the Universe, Verity, I Play Rocky, and How to Rob a Bank, with more exciting motion pictures announced for next year.

The most impressive statistic of Project Hail Mary’s success is that 54% of its gross came from Premium Large Format screenings, with 22% of that share coming from IMAX screens alone. If you think these screens aren’t important, think again! There’s an online debate over whether Avengers: Doomsday should be delayed, given that Dune: Part Three is getting all the IMAX screens for the holidays. While time will tell what will occur, Marvel would be fools to leave free money on the table when the film carries a hefty price tag, without IMAX screens benefiting from it…

Before you say, “but Barbie didn’t open in IMAX and surpassed Oppenheimer,” there is one caveat: both of these films targeted different demographics. Avengers: Doomsday and Dune: Part Three target the same audiences. One will cannibalize the other. The writing is on the wall. At this point, it’s no longer a question of “if” but “when” Doomsday moves, and it should take place at the end of April 2027, when Avengers: Infinity War opened and crushed box-office records. And why not move Avengers: Secret Wars, which hasn’t even begun production, while we’re at it, to that same window in 2028? After all, what better way to celebrate Marvel’s 20th anniversary? You’re welcome…

As for other releases this weekend, Aditya Dhar‘s Dhurandhar The Revenge has beaten Ready or Not 2: Here I Come with a $10 million opening in 987 theatres, whilst Radio Silence’s sequel to 2019’s breakout horror hit opened at $9.1 million. The Pout-Pout Fish and the opera Fathom Event of Tristan and Isolde also made the top ten this weekend, with the former grossing $1.5 million and the latter over $722.000 in 709 screens.

Next week will be another quiet period at the cinemas, which will allow Project Hail Mary to leg out and continue its momentum…that is, until The Super Mario Galaxy Movie might win big and become the first film to gross over $1 billion at the global box office. Of course, no one knows what will happen in the future, but if the first film is any indication, this one will be just as big a hit.

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

1. Project Hail Mary (Amazon MGM Studios): $80.5M – 4,007 theatres
2. Hoppers (Disney): $18.0M (-37%) – 3,675 theatres
3. Dhurandhar The Revenge (Moviegoers Entertainment Ltd): $10.0M – 987 theatres
4. Ready or Not 2: Here I Come (Disney): $9.1M – 3,010 theatres
5. Reminders of Him (Universal): $8.0M (-56%) – 3,441 theatres
6. Scream 7 (Paramount): $4.3M (-50%) – 2,560 theatres
7. GOAT (Sony): $3.5M (-25%) – 2,537 theatres
8. undertone (A24): $3.0M (-66%) – 2,570 theatres
9. The Pout-Pout Fish (Viva Pictures Distribution): $1.5M – 1,854 theatres
10. MET Opera: Tristan und Isolde (Fathom Events): $722.449  – 709 theatres

Source: Comscore