'Bad Guys' and 'Northman' Lead New movies into the Weekend Box Office
by EG
Despite a big crowd of new releases and returning number-one movies in theaters this weekend, the race for box-office champ has no clear frontrunner. The top spot could go to one of the last two weeks' winners, or it could go to one of the newcomers, which include the animated family film The Bad Guys and the Viking action flick The Northman. Read on for details.
Via Box Office Mojo.
After four weeks in a row of big ticket releases opening above $30 million, the momentum is keeping up with three new wide releases that, though they are smaller in scope than the past month’s big releases, all have solid mid-range box office potential. It may not be enough to make April beat March as the biggest month yet this year (or to give us another $100+ million weekend), but the new releases should keep the seats in the theaters warm as we await the arrival of the summer blockbuster season in two weeks with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
The holdovers Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 may hold onto the top spots (and the two have been neck and neck in the weekday grosses), but the expected winner of the newcomers is Universal’s The Bad Guys, which could hit number one if it overperforms. The latest DreamWorks Animation (DWA) toon is based on a children’s book series of the same name and portrays an animal gang that pulls off Ocean's 11/Reservoir Dogs style heists until the leader Mr. Wolf has a change of heart about their lifestyle. Sam Rockwell, Marc Maron, Anthony Ramos, Craig Robinson, Awkwafina, Richard Ayoade, Zazie Beetz, Lilly Singh, and Alex Borstein lent their voices to the family-friendly animated comedy.
The critical response is positive (88% on Rotten Tomatoes), and like Sonic 2 it should benefit by being one of the year’s only films that parents can take their kids to. The last wide release animated film was Sing 2 back in December, and The Bad Guys is the first film for DWA since 2019 to have a theatrical-exclusive release without a drastically shortened window (it will hit Peacock after 45 days, compared to a streaming/VOD availability after 22 days for The Croods: A New Age and Spirit Untamed and the same day for Trolls 2: World Tour and The Boss Baby 2). It already grossed $52 million overseas, having begun its rollout in mid-March.
Fourth place should go to the viking revenge epic The Northman from writer-director Robert Eggers (The Witch, The Lighthouse). The film, which is getting a stateside release from Focus, is based on the Scandinavian myth of Amleth and stars Alexander Skarsgård as Prince Amleth who seeks vengeance on his uncle (Claes Bang) who killed his father (Ethan Hawke) and kidnapped his mother (Nicole Kidman). Anya Taylor-Joy, Björk, and Willem Dafoe round out the cast. At 89% on Rotten Tomatoes, the reviews suggest it lives up to the high bar set by Eggers’ earlier works.
Get the rest of the story at Box Office Mojo.