A somber summer weekend unfolded at the box office as revenue slid 19% year on year, with a shocking 47% plunge compared to 2019. Not a single film crossed the coveted $20 million mark.
Defying expectations, Sony’s enduring favorite Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse triumphed over Pixar’s Elemental in a surprising fourth-weekend coup. This web-slinging wonder raked in approximately $19.3 million domestically, catapulting its North American total to a commendable $317.1 million, and a global score of $560.3 million.
Meanwhile, Elemental remained resilient despite the fiercest summer competition, garnering an estimated $18.5 million in its sophomore weekend. This is indicative of the film’s burgeoning popularity despite its tepid start, as the word of mouth seems to be working wonders. Internationally, Elemental shines in markets like South Korea, Argentina, and the Philippines, solidifying its status as 2023’s top-grossing film.
DC’s superhero flick, ‘The Flash’, stumbled from its sobering $55.1 million debut, witnessing a concerning 72% drop to merely $15.3 million domestically. Audiences appear to be rejecting this big-budget spectacle, leaving studio insiders to concede the film’s dismal performance.
The Flash’s struggle wasn’t limited to domestic shores; its global earnings of $210.9 million also raised eyebrows. This underperformance comes despite the slew of major markets it debuted in, signifying a global lack of enthusiasm.
Adding to the intrigue was the Jennifer Lawrence starrer, ‘No Hard Feelings’, which came in a hair’s breadth away from The Flash’s earnings, with an unexpected opening of $15.1 million. This might signal a promising summer for the forthcoming line-up of raunchy, R-rated comedies.
Among other notable performances, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts rounded out the top five, while Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City surprisingly landed at No. 6, marking Anderson’s best box-office weekend ever. Disney’s live-action The Little Mermaid is nearing the remarkable $500 million global threshold.
As these cinematic dramas unfold, the final tallies could still shift, redefining this summer’s box office narrative.
