LOS ANGELES (AP) 鈥� Sylvester Stallone and Jason Statham weren't enough to save 鈥� 鈥� from a debut box office flop. The fourth installment suffered the action-packed franchise's worst opening weekend while 鈥� 鈥� took home the top spot for a third straight week, data firm Comscore reported on Sunday.
The Lionsgate and Millennium's film, also known as 鈥淓xpendables 4,鈥� pulled in a mediocre $8.3 million for the big-budget project. It starred several popular names, including Stallone, Statham, Curtis 鈥�50 Cent" Jackson, Megan Fox and Dolph Lundgren. It's been nearly a decade since the franchise released a film, which opened with $15.8 million and eventually grossed $214 million globally.
But times have certainly changed, as the film barely placed second behind 鈥淭he Nun 2," a horror movie that earned $8.4 million in its first week. It's been a solid start for that Warner Bros.' project 鈥� a spinoff from the lucrative 鈥淐onjuring鈥� franchise. So far, the Michael Chaves-directed sequel has grossed more than $69 million.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a star-studded franchise, but horror is a different situation,鈥� said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore. 鈥淚t just seems no matter what if you鈥檙e scared in the movie theater a couple times in an hour and a half or two, that鈥檚 worth the price of admission."
In third, 鈥� 鈥� earned $6.3 million. Kenneth Branagh鈥檚 third Agatha Christie adaptation, following 2017鈥檚 鈥淢urder on the Orient Express鈥� and 2022鈥檚 鈥淒eath on the Nile," has drawn in over $25.3 million after two weeks.
鈥� ,鈥� starring Denzel Washington, only dropped to fourth place with $4.725 million. In four weeks, it has grossed $81.1 million domestically.
鈥� ,鈥� the biggest movie of 2023, is still carrying some momentum from the summer into the fall season. The Greta Gerwig box-office smash ranked in the top five, earning $3.2 million this week and a domestic total of more than $630 million after a 10-week period.
Sixth place went to 鈥� My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3,鈥� with $3 million, while 鈥淚t Lives Inside鈥� opened its first week with $2.6 million. The Sony film 鈥� ,鈥� a dramatization of the GameStop stock frenzy, stayed put in the eighth position for a second week in a row with $2.5 million.
鈥淏lue Beetle鈥� fell to ninth, with $1.8 million, and 鈥� 鈥� rounded out the top 10 with $1.6 million. The Christopher Nolan film has garnered $321 million domestically.
In all, it was another slow output for box office figures as many Hollywood projects are still on hold due to the ongoing Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, and Writers Guild of America strikes.
This weekend grossed the lowest since Dec. 9, 2022, Dergarabedian said. It was also the first time since the weekend of Feb. 10, 2023 to not have a movie earn over $10 million.
But Dergarabedian said a 鈥渟pectacular October鈥� could be on the way with the much-anticipated 鈥淭aylor Swift: The Eras Tour鈥� concert film, 鈥淭he Exorcist: Believer鈥� and 鈥淪aw X.鈥�
鈥淭hings are going to change next week or the weeks after when Taylor Swift hits the multiplex,鈥� he said. 鈥淭his is the natural ebbs and flow of the box office. That means one thing: We鈥檒l be back to normal.鈥�
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Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
1. 鈥淭he Nun II,鈥� $8.4 million.
2. 鈥淓xpend4bles,鈥� $8.3 million.
3. 鈥淎 Haunting in Venice,鈥� $6.3 million.
4. 鈥淭he Equalizer 3,鈥� $4.7 million.
5. 鈥淏arbie,鈥� $3.2 million.
6. 鈥淢y Big Fat Greek Wedding 3,鈥� $3 million.
7. 鈥淚t Lives Inside," 2.6 million.
8. 鈥淒umb Money,鈥� $2.5 million.
9. 鈥淏lue Beetle,鈥� $1.8 million.
10. 鈥淥ppenheimer,鈥� $1.6 million.
Jonathan Landrum Jr., The Associated Press
