411 Box Office Report: Jackass Forever Soars To #1, Moonfall Falls Short

Jackass Forever brought new blood to the box office this weekend, claiming the #1 spot with over $20 million. The fourth film in the stunt-laden franchise took home $23.5 million for an easy #1 spot, putting an end to Spider-Man: No Way Home’s reign. The opening is above the $15 million to $20 million most expected the film to go coming into the weekend and gets the Paramount Pictures production off to a good start.

While Jackass Forever did mark the lowest opening for the franchise since the first film took in $22.8 million in 2002, that was not unexpected. After all, Jackass as a franchise has been dormant for over eight years, with the last film in this series arriving in October of 2013. And there was plenty of question whether there was even a need for this franchise anymore considering the proliferation of this kind of comedy on other platforms.

In the end though, audiences did turn out – in part because of franchise nostalgia, but certainly not only for that. After all, PostTrak reports that the audience was 67% in the 18 – 34 range, which suggests an appeal to younger viewers. And the fact that this was far and away the best-reviewed film of the franchise (an 85% aggregate score on Rotten Tomatoes) didn’t hurt, neither did the strong word of mouth (a B+ CinemaScore).

Now, it must be said that this is a front-loaded franchise. No film in the main Jackass series has ever managed a 3.0 multiple (Bad Grandpa did, but that has a more traditional narrative structure). Still, this isn’t a big concern for Paramount. Jackass Forever cost just $10 million to produce, so the film is already well on the way to profit even after marketing. It seems likely to make at least $55 million or more by the end of its run domestically, and that will be perfectly fine to everyone involved.

Meanwhile, Lionsgate had a much less positive weekend as Moonfall fell flat with just $10 million. The Roland Emmerich disaster film is on track to become the director’s worst opening weekend of his career, depending on whether it can finish slightly up in the finals and beat the $10.06 million opening of Emmerich’s directorial debut, the 1992 action flick Universal Soldier.

If there is any good news for this film, it is that it more or less met the expectations for it going into the weekend. However, that’s not really good news. Disaster movies have been Emmerich’s bread and butter for years, with the likes of 2012, The Day After Tomorrow and Independence Day delivering big numbers. But this is a franchise that audiences have been tired of for years. Geostorm was a disappointment when it arrived in 2017, and films like San Andreas and Skyscraper only succeeded because of their star (Dwayne Johnson in both cases). Moonfall had recognizable names, but none who have been reliable box office draws for a while and the result was a need to rely on the effects. Audiences weren’t interested.

Moonfall is in real bad shape for Lionsgate; the film reportedly cost $140 million, and there’s no way it makes that back even if there it has impossibly good legs over the rest of its run. It may do better overseas – disaster movies generally do – but here in the US it seems likely to max out at $25 million to $30 million.

Spider-Man: No Way Home was down to #3 but doing fine, as the MCU film brought in $9.6 million in its eighth weekend. That’s down just 13% from last weekend’s take, a strong hold in the face of new competition. That number puts the film at $749 million domestically, just $11.5 million away from passing Avatar to become the #3 domestic grosser of all time. It’s also at $1.775 billion worldwide, amazing numbers against its $200 million budget. The domestic run seems likely to end at around $770 million or so.

Scream continues to do well, down just 35% in its fourth weekend with $4.7 million. The slasher sequel is now at $68.9 million domestically and $120.3 million globally, big profit against a budget of just $24 million. A sequel is already on the way for this film, which should top out at around $80 million domestically.

Sing 2 also continued to hold on strong, down a mere 11% in its seventh weekend to $4.2 million. The animated sequel has proven to have great box office legs, sitting at $139.6 million domestically and $291.5 million worldwide. It’s already a profit for Universal Pictures against an $85 million production budget and should finish off at around $145 million to $150 million in the US.

The King’s Man slipped just 29% in its seventh weekend, taking in $1.2 million. The Kingsman prequel now has $35.8 million domestically and $120.7 million worldwide, great numbers considering the film’s low start but still a money loser due to a $100 million production budget. The film is looking to end off with around $38 million to $40 million stateside.

Redeeming Love fell 43% in its third weekend to $1 million as it looks to slide off the charts relatively soon. The romantic period faith-based drama now has $8.1 million in the US and $8.2 million worldwide, with a final tally around $12 million expected. No word on the budget, but this is a low profit if any.

American Underdog rolled on with a 31% slip in its seventh weekend to $800,000. The Zachary Levi-starring sports drama now stands at a perfectly decent $25.9 million and should close out at around $28 million.

The 355 dipped 47% in its fifth weekend with $700,000. The action ensemble film is already on VOD and should vanish from the box office soon. It’s at $14.2 million domestically and $23.7 million worldwide, a bomb against a $75 million production cost. It should end its run at around $16 million.

Finally, the family movie The Wolf and the Lion managed to surprise and make the top 10, opening with $675.027. The French and English language film from director Gilles de Maistre claimed #10 despite little buzz and middling-at-best reviews (32% on RT), buoyed by strong audience reactions. The film comes from Blue Fox Entertainment and is their biggest hit to date with ease. No word on the budget but it likely wasn’t too expensive. It shouldn’t last long in the box office, but the brief showing should jolt eventual streaming/digital sales from name recognition so it’s a win.

Next weekend will see Johnny Knoxville battle Agatha Christie for the top spot, as Jackass Forever looks to compete against Death On the Nile. The ensemble mystery drama is looking at around $15 million or so, which may be enough to beat Jackass. In addition, the Jennifer Lopez/Owen Wilson rom-com Marry Me opens but will be day-and-date on Peacock. It should lure in enough of the pre-Valentine’s Day crowd for around $8 million to $10 million. And the Liam Neeson action-thriller Blacklight will hope for the high single digits.

BOX OFFICE TOP TEN (Three-Day Domestic Numbers)
1. Jackass Forever – $23.5 million ($23.5 million total, $28.7 million WW)
2. Moonfall – $10 million ($10 million total, $10 million WW)
3. Spider-Man: No Way Home – $9.6 million ($749 million total, $1.775 billion WW)
4. Scream – $4.7 million ($68.9 million total, $120.3 million WW)
5. Sing 2 – $4.1 million ($139.6 million total, $291.5 million WW)
6. The King’s Man – $1.2 million ($35.8 million, $120.7 million WW)
7. Redeeming Love – $1 million ($8.1 million total, $8.2 million WW)
8. American Underdog – $800,000 ($25.9 million total, $25.9 million WW)
9. The 355 – $700,000 ($14.2 million total, $23.7 million WW)
10. The Wolf and the Lion – $675,027 ($675,027 million total, $13.8 million WW)