Paramount’s action-comedy “Novocaine” secured the top spot at the box office with an $8.7 million opening weekend, a modest success for the $18 million production. The broader box office landscape remained sluggish, with total weekend earnings expected to reach just $55 million, marking one of the weakest March performances since 1996.
Theater owners continue to face challenges as year-to-date revenues lag 5% behind 2024 and nearly 38% behind 2019, according to Comscore. Industry analysts have expressed concerns about the downturn, though upcoming releases such as Disney’s “Snow White” and Warner Bros.’ “Minecraft” could provide a boost.
Despite missing initial projections of $10 million from 3,365 North American theaters, “Novocaine” showed some promise with an audience CinemaScore of B and Rotten Tomatoes scores of 82% from critics and 88% from viewers. The film follows an introverted banker, played by Jack Quaid, who cannot feel pain and uses this ability when his dream girl is taken hostage during a heist. Internationally, “Novocaine” added $1.8 million from 19 markets, covering just a fraction of its overseas potential.
Steven Soderbergh’s “Black Bag” debuted in third place with $7.5 million from 2,705 theaters. Despite strong reviews, the R-rated thriller, featuring Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender as intelligence agents, faces financial challenges due to its $50 million production cost. Overseas, “Black Bag” brought in $4.2 million from 37 markets, pushing its global total to $11.7 million.
A24’s “Opus,” a surrealist satire starring Ayo Edebiri and John Malkovich, struggled with just $1 million from 1,764 theaters, ranking 12th. Negative reception contributed to its weak debut, with a CinemaScore of C+ and a 40% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The film’s low production cost, reportedly under $10 million, could mitigate financial losses.
Animated feature “The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie” opened in fifth place with $3 million from 2,827 locations, while the religious drama “The Last Supper” followed closely with $2.8 million from 1,575 theaters. Both films were distributed by independent companies, Ketchup Entertainment and Pinnacle Peak Pictures.
Bong Joon Ho’s “Mickey 17,” which led the box office last weekend, fell to second place with $7.6 million, a steep 60% drop from its debut. The sci-fi film, starring Robert Pattinson, has grossed $33.3 million domestically and $60 million worldwide. With a production budget of $118 million and an estimated break-even point between $275 million and $300 million, the film faces a difficult financial path.
Marvel’s “Captain America: Brave New World” landed in fourth place with $5.2 million in its fifth weekend. The film has accumulated $185 million domestically and $388.6 million globally, making it the highest-grossing Hollywood release of the year so far. However, its $180 million production budget