Magic Mikes Last Dance Wins Super Bowl Weekend Box Office Chicago Tribune

The third installment in the Magic Mike series danced to the top of the box office charts over the weekend with a double-header from James Cameron, Avatar: The Way of Water and Titanic (yes that Titanic), which close profile.

” Magic Mikes last dance earned $8.2 million in its first weekend in North American theaters, according to studio estimates on Sunday. Cameron’s Avatar sequel earned another $6.9 million while the re-release of the 25th anniversary of Titanic made $6.4 million from Friday to Sunday.

North American cinema tends to shut down on Super Bowl Sunday, and studios are responding strategically, often releasing films more geared towards women. Star Channing Tatum also had several successful films in the Super Bowl/Valentine’s Day lane, including The Vow, Dear John and Dog.

It’s not known as a football weekend peak for theaters. But there are people who want to go to the theater, even on Super Bowl weekend, said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Comscore. And it’s perfect counter-programming.

Magic Mikes Last Dance, which returned Steven Soderbergh to the directors’ chair, received a modest theatrical release in just 1,500 theaters. The film, starring Tatum as the lovable stripper and introducing a wealthy benefactor played by Salma Hayek, was made to go straight to HBO Max. But as the ” house party After a reboot several weeks ago, Warner Bros. has pivoted and decided to go to theaters first with the two in a company effort to refocus on the theatrical experience and offer new pricing to exhibitors. .

The Magic Mike franchise was profitable. In 2012, the first film opened to some $39.1 million in just under 4,000 theaters, on track to earn $167.3 million worldwide (against a production budget of $7 million) . The second, XXL, was made for slightly more ($14 million) and slightly less ($122.5 million) in 2015. The films’ success also spawned a stage show in Las Vegas that has since expanded to Miami and London upstream. when Last Dance was released, ticket sales for Magic Mike Live also increased.

This latest installment is said to have a much larger production budget, around $40 million, according to Entertainment Trades.

Avatar: The Way of Water in its ninth weekend added $25.8 million worldwide, bringing its total earnings to $2.2 billion, retaining its spot as the 4th biggest movie release ever, but approaching Titanic.

Titanic was re-released at 2,464 domestic locations this weekend, with Paramount handling the North American release and The Walt Disney Co. handling the international rollout to 51 territories. In total, the film grossed $22.3 million worldwide, including $2 million from IMAX screens. Titanic has now earned an estimated $2.2 billion worldwide, maintaining its title as the third-biggest movie of all time.

In fourth place was the Super Bowl-themed 80 for Brady, in his second weekend, with $6 million. Paramount’s release has grossed just under $25 million so far. M. Night Shyamalans Knock at the Cabin, a Universal release, rounded out the top five with $5.5 million.

Super Bowl weekend is usually slow for theaters, and this one is no exception, but help is on the way with Ant-Man, Dergarabedian said. This will set off a chain reaction that is expected to continue throughout the year.

The Marvel/Disney movie Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania hits theaters on February 17.

Estimated Friday-Sunday ticket sales at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore, with Wednesday-Sunday in brackets. Final national figures will be released on Monday.

1. Magic Mikes Last Dance, $8.2 million.

2. Avatar: The Way of the Water, $6.9 million.

3. Titanic, $6.4 million.

4. 80 for Brady, $6 million.

5. Knock on the booth, $5.5 million.

6. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, $5.5 million.

7. A man named Otto, $2.6 million.

8. Missing, $2.6 million.

9. M3GAN, $2.4 million.

10. Airplane, $1.2 million.