411 Box Office Report: Jurassic World: Dominion Beats Lightyear For #1

Jurassic World: Dominion wasn’t ready to say goodbye to the box office crown yet, as it beat Lightyear for a second weekend at #1. The dinosaur-laden sequel retained its position atop the charts with $58.7 million, a somewhat better-than-expected drop of 60% from its opening weekend take. That hold is on par with the hold of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom which slipped 59% in its second frame back in June of 2018.

While a 60% drop is high for a second weekend, the hold is actually stronger than the 63% to 66% that most expected it to do. The predictions were based on the strong start of the film as well as middling buzz, but so far, so not-bad for this one. Dominion has now grossed $249.8 million domestically and an impressive $622.2 million worldwide thus far, making it profitable even against a hefty $165 million budget. The film still looking likely to gross around $390 million to $400 million by the end of its domestic run, a result Universal will be quite happy with.

On the flip side, Disney and Pixar can’t be too happy with how Lightyear performed. The Toy Story spinoff film took in $51 million over the three-day weekend, well below the $80 million that most expected it to do. This is the lowest start for a film in the Toy Story franchise since the first one launched with $29.1 million back in November of 1995, and that was on a $30 million budget (a fraction of Lightyear’s $200 million cost). By comparison, Toy Story 4 opened to $120.9 million in June of 2019.

Now, it must be said that Lightyear was never expected to hit the heights of Toy Story 4. After all, it’s a spinoff that tells a story only indirectly related to the original quadrilogy. But $51 million is a low result by any measure for a franchise with this name recognition, as well as Pixar in general.

Part of the problem here was that, quite simply, Lightyear was a poorly marketed concept. The studio’s materials left many fans of the franchise confused as it its nature as the in-universe fictional story that inspired the Buzz Lightyear toy played by Tim Allen in the original films. The promotional work didn’t do much to clarify that, and while the movie had solid reviews at a 77% aggregate score on Rotten Tomatoes, that’s a long way down from the 97% that Toy Story 4 did. The audience reaction was similarly good but below previous entries, with an A- CinemaScore (compared ton A or A+ for the previous films) and an 87% audience reaction.

The sum total of this situation adds up to a film that will likely struggle to make back its budget. The last two Toy Story entries were in the 3.59 to 3.76 range in terms of multiples, and while Pixar tends to be a strong performer in terms of box office legs this one seems likely to perform more in the 3.25 range. That would in theory put it at around a $165 million domestic total, and while it could get higher than that it will need a lot of help overseas. Right now, it’s not off to a great start there with just $34.6 million in 43 markets for a $85.6 million worldwide total. Expect this one to be a loss when it’s all said and done.

Meanwhile, Top Gun: Maverick continued its strong run become the top-grossing domestic film of the year thus far. The action sequel brought in $44 million in its fourth weekend, down just 15% from last weekend. The Tom Cruise starrer has a total of $466.2 million domestically and $885.2 million worldwide, massive numbers for the movie even with a $170 million budget. The movie is now locking into a likely $550 million gross by the end of its run in the US and perhaps even greater. $1 billion worldwide looks to be very much in reach too, making it a cash cow for Paramount.

Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness had a great hold this weekend as well, down 20% in its seventh weekend with $4.2 million. The MCU sequel now has $405.1 million domestically and $942.5 million worldwide, with $420 million in sight. The movie is another Marvel megahit against its $200 million budget.

The Bob’s Burgers Movie dropped another 55% in its fourth weekend, adding $1.1 million to its totals. The FOX animated film is now at $29.8 million domestically and $31.8 million worldwide, creeping toward a likely $33 million final stateside number. Still no word on how much the movie cost, though it’s safe to guess that the studio was hoping for a higher total.

The Bad Guys finally ran out of gas against Lightyear, as the animated crime comedy dropped 61% in its ninth weekend to $980,000. That brings the Universal film to $94.2 million domestically and $236.2 million worldwide. The studio is very happy with this one, which is looking to end its run at around $97 million or so. With a $69 million production budget plus marketing, this one is ringing up a profit.

Everything Everywhere All at Once was off 27% in its 13th weekend with $890,000. The A24 film has now grossed $64.9 million domestically and $86.8 million worldwide, and is looking like it will end its domestic run at around $68 million. It’s a big hit for the studio against a $25 million budget.

Downton Abbey: A New Era slipped another 53% in its fifth weekend, bringing in $830,000. The sequel is now at $42.2 million domestically and $87.4 million worldwide against a $40 million budget. It is going to be cutting it close but should be profitable for the studio, though a big drop from the first film. It should end its domestic run at around $45 million.

Sonic The Hedgehog 2 was off 70% in its 11th weekend with $228,000. The Paramount film has now grossed $190.5 million domestically and $400 million worldwide, with a likely $191 million stateside total. It’s a big hit against a budget of $90 million.

Slipping into the top 10 was Focus Features’ comedy Brian and Charles. The offbeat British comedy about an inventor who builds a robot for a friend took in $198,000, a middling number considering the 279 theaters that it opened in. This film has solid reviews (79% on RT) and a similar audience reaction, but it won’t make much of a splash beyond this.

Next weekend looks to see the King of Rock reign at the box office, as Elvis opens wide. The Baz Luhrmann-directed biopic is expected to gross in the $35 million to $40 million range, which will put it in close competition with this week’s top two. Meanwhile, Scott Derrickson’s long-awaited horror film The Black Phone is expected to gross in the mid-to-high teens.

BOX OFFICE TOP TEN (Three-Day Domestic Numbers)
1. Jurassic World: Dominion – $58.6 million ($249.8 million total, $622.2 million WW)
2. Lightyear – $51 million ($51 million total, $85.6 million WW)
3. Top Gun: Maverick – $44 million ($466.2 million total, $885.2 million WW)
4. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness – $4.2 million ($405.1 million total, $942.5 million WW)
5. The Bob’s Burgers Movie – $1.1 million ($29.8 million total, $31.8 million WW)
6. The Bad Guys – $980,000 ($94.2 million total, $236.2 million WW)
7. Everything Everywhere All At Once – $959,000 ($64.9 million total, $86.8 million WW)
8. Downton Abbey: A New Era – $830,000 ($42.2 million total, $87.4 million WW)
9. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 – $228,000 ($190.5 million total, $400 million WW)
10. Ante Sundharaniki – $198,000 ($198,000 total, $198,000 million WW)