'Matrix Resurrections' Has Disappointing Opening Weekend
by EG
Sci-fi sequel The Matrix Resurrections didn't do so well over the holiday weekend, likely because it opened in theaters and on HBO Max at the same time. The Christmas box office was dominated by Marvel blockbuster Spider-Man: No Way Home, which has now grossed more than $1 billion dollar worldwide. It's the first film of the pandemic era to reach that milestone. Read on for details.
Sony’s Spider-Man: No Way Home crushed it at the Christmas box office, earning $138.6 million from 4,336 theaters in North America for the long five-day holiday to finish Sunday with $467.3 million domestically and more than $1 billion worldwide.
No Way Home has shattered numerous records since opening last weekend and is the first film of the pandemic era to hurtle past the $1 billion threshold at the worldwide box office.
It also scored the third-best Christmas Day gross of all time ($31.7 million) in North America for a weekend gross of $81.5 million. The 10-day domestic total of $467.3 is the second-best showing ever for the month of December and the third-best for any superhero film, according to Sony.
Overseas, the international total through Sunday is $587.1 million from international — without China. The U.K. leads with nearly $69 million despite a surge in COVID-19 cases due to the new variant omicron.
The only other Hollywood holiday event pic to hold its tune over the long holiday corridor (Wednesday-Sunday) was Universal and Illumination’s Sing 2.
Sing 2, buoyed by an A+ CinemaScore and support from younger kids, posted a five-day opening of $41 million from 3,892 locations and a three-day gross of $23.7 million, in line with expectations. The $41 million total includes $1.6 million in Thanksgiving previews.
The Matrix Resurrections and The King’s Man both disappointed in their openings as males largely stuck with Spidey. The two films, along with Sing 2, launched on Wednesday.
From Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow, Matrix Resurrections had trouble getting to $22.5 million. Warners and Village Roadshow had been counting on at least $40 million for the Wednesday-Sunday stretch. Audiences, however, didn’t respond especially well between poor exit scores and a B- CinemaScore. The movie’s three-day tally was $12 million.
The Matrix reboot, playing in 3,552 theaters, opened simultaneously on HBO Max, likely dampening its box office.
20th Century and Disney’s King’s Man also came in well behind expectations with an estimated five-day debut of $10 million from 3,180 sites, including $6.4 million for the three-day weekend.
Both King’s Man and Matrix needed to make a strong showing among older male moviegoers, but older consumers continue to stay away from theaters in larger numbers because of concerns over COVID-19.
Get the rest of the story at The Hollywood Reporter.