‘Top Gun 2’ Passes $1.35 Billion As ‘Thor 4’ Tops ‘Thor 3’

In holdover weekend box office news for the weekend, DC League of Super-Pets dropped 52% for an $11.2 million second-weekend gross. That’s a not-so-super hold for an animated film that didn’t exactly open sky-high. DreamWorks and Universal’s The Bad Guys dropped 32% from a $24 million debut. To be fair, Super Pets’ $45.102 million ten-day total is above The Bad Guys’ $44.6 million ten-day cume, thanks to decent ‘school’s out for the summer’ weekday grosses. Presuming a conventional rate of descent, we can expect an over/under $70 million domestic finish for the $90 million Dwayne Johnson/Kevin Hart kid-targeted caper. It’s not playing beyond the kid quadrants, and it could end up alongside the *original* Storks ($73 million in 2016) and Smallfoot ($83 million in 2018). Still, hope springs eternal as there are no other big animated releases until Walt Disney’s Strange World over Thanksgiving weekend.

Jordan Peele’s Nope earned $8.5 million (-54%) over its third weekend. That will give the Daniel Kaluuya/Keke Palmer release a $97.9 million 17-day total. Universal’s Nope is past Universal’s Halloween Kills ($92 million) as the biggest R-rated release since Bad Boys for Life ($204 million) in January of 2020. It’ll still crack $100 million domestic sometime this week. At this rate of descent, it’ll still end up just above $110 million domestic, on par with M. Night Shyamalan’s Glass in early 2019. However, most of this month’s releases are horror movies (Bodies Bodies Bodies, The Fall, Beast, The Invitation, Barbarian, etc.), so legs beyond that are not remotely guaranteed. Still, after last week’s Warner Bros. Discovery melodrama, Universal can correctly spin possibly losing a few bucks in theatrical (until PVOD rides to the rescue) on a $69 million, R-rated, live-action original as a badge of honor.

Thor: Love and Thunder earned $7.6 million (-42%) in its fifth weekend for a new $316.1 million 31-day domestic total. For all the pontificating online about Marvel being in trouble or Thor 4 being a disappointment, Love & Thunder just passed the $315 million domestic cume of Ragnarök. Once it tops $322 million, it will have sold more tickets than the previous Thor. It now sits with $698.9 million worldwide, nearing $700 million and Thor: Ragnarök’s no China/no Russia cume of $712 million ($854 million total in 2017). In terms of exchange rates, it’s already above Thor 3’s no Russia/China global cume. It’s not playing as a breakout sequel to Thor 3, but money is money. Besides, Thor 4 didn’t bring much new to the table after the last two Thor movies. While its reception may have been disappointing, it’s not like Marvel needs Thor: Triumphant.

Illumination’s Minions: The Rise of Gru earned $7.11 million (-37%) while entering the PVOD marketplace. That gives the $80 million animated prequel/sequel $334.578 million domestic, just behind Minions ($336 million in 2015), and $758 million global. It should finish with around $350 million domestic and around $810 million worldwide. Amblin’s Jurassic World Dominion has now earned $371.8 million domestic and $960 million, passing Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ $955 million cume. That’s partially thanks to $157 million in China, making it the second biggest global grosser in 2022. The $185 million threequel should finish with around $375 million domestic and $975 million worldwide. Blumhouse’s The Black Phone had now earned $85 million domestic and $148 million global Focus Features’ Vengeance will earn $710,000 (-60%) in weekend two for a $3.268 million cume as Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris earns $560,000 (-40%) for an $8.047 million total.

Tom Cruise’s Top Gun: Maverick earned another $7.03 million (-16%) in its 11th weekend for a $662 million domestic cume. It fell out of the top five for the first time, putting it fifth in terms of most consecutive top five weekends. Considering the lack of big August releases, I’d expect it to return to the top five, although E.T.’s record of 27 non-consecutive weekends is probably safe. Even if stays out of the top five going forward, it’s ahead of nine-weekend-wonders like Black Panther, The Force Awakens and The Sixth Sense. It sailed past the $659.5 million lifetime gross of James Cameron’s Titanic to become the seventh biggest domestic earner ever. It has earned $1.352 billion worldwide, past Last Jedi ($1.333 billion), Harry Potter And The Deathly Hollows part II ($1.342 billion) and Black Panther ($1.348 billion). I guess Peter Mitchell is now, uh, Earth’s Mightiest Hero?

Sony’s Where the Crawdads Sing grossed $5.65 million (-28%) weekend and $64.623 million domestic and $77 million worldwide cume. It’s embarrassing that Crawdads is the only big movie about/for women. Even the summer of 2012 had Brave *and* Snow White and the Huntsman. Sony, however, benefits from offering Crawdads amid a season of testosterone-fueled entertainment. The $24 million drama will pass Morbius ($74 million) and end its run over/under $80 million domestic. Finally, amid a chaotic week for Warner Bros. Discovery, Elvis is again showing that, say it with me now, Warner Bros. is more than Batman and Harry Potter. The well-reviewed and well-received Austin Butler/Tom Hanks musical biopic earned $4 million (-30%). That will give the $85 million drama a $136.517 million domestic and $251.2 million worldwide cume. Whatever else Zaslov said, I’m heartened that he gave due credit to The Batman *and* Elvis.