It’s a quiet box office weekend as ‘GOAT’ edges ‘Wuthering Heights’

Family-Friendly “GOAT” Edges Out “Wuthering Heights” in Slow Box Office Weekend

Sony Pictures Animation’s “GOAT” maintained its lead at the North American box office this weekend, earning $17 million in its second weekend of release. The family-friendly film about a small goat with big sports dreams narrowly beat out Warner Bros.’ R-rated “Wuthering Heights,” which collected $14.2 million.

“GOAT,” produced by NBA star Stephen Curry, demonstrated impressive staying power with only a 38% drop from its opening weekend, which Sony attributes to positive word-of-mouth. The animated feature, which stars “Stranger Things” actor Caleb McLaughlin as the voice of the titular character, has now accumulated $58.3 million domestically and $102.3 million globally.

Meanwhile, “Wuthering Heights” experienced a steeper decline of 57% from its debut. Despite this, the film has reached $60 million domestically and $151.7 million worldwide against an $80 million production budget. The United Kingdom remains its strongest international market, contributing $22.5 million to its total.

The weekend was characterized by subdued ticket sales across the board, with all new releases opening below the $10 million mark. Lionsgate and Kingdom Story’s “I Can Only Imagine 2” took third place with $8 million, significantly underperforming compared to its predecessor’s $17 million opening in 2018. However, the faith-based sequel did earn a rare A+ CinemaScore from audiences, indicating strong viewer satisfaction despite modest numbers.

“These somewhat slower weekends can be a land of opportunity,” noted Paul Dergarabedian, head of marketplace trends for Comscore, suggesting that films can find their audience even during quieter periods at theaters.

Amazon and MGM’s crime thriller “Crime 101,” starring Chris Hemsworth and Mark Ruffalo, dropped to fourth place with $5.8 million, representing a 59% decline in its second weekend. The heist film has now earned $24.7 million domestically, a concerning figure against its reported $90 million budget. “Send Help” rounded out the top five with $4.5 million.

A24’s black comedy “How to Make a Killing,” starring Glen Powell, debuted in sixth place with a modest $3.6 million from 1,600 theaters. The film, directed by John Patton Ford and loosely inspired by “Kind Hearts and Coronets,” features Powell as a man plotting to eliminate his family members to secure a $28 billion inheritance. Critical reception has been lukewarm, with the film currently holding a “rotten” 47% rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.

One bright spot amid the quiet weekend was director Baz Luhrmann’s immersive documentary “EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert,” which earned an impressive $3.3 million from just 325 IMAX locations. The limited release will expand nationwide on February 27, potentially providing a boost to theaters in the coming weeks.

Faring significantly worse was 20th Century Studios’ horror thriller “Psycho Killer,” which opened outside the top 10 with a dismal $1.6 million from 1,110 theaters. The film, written by “Seven” screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker and marking the directorial debut of producer Gavin Polone, currently holds a 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Audience reception was equally poor, with PostTrak reporting that only 31% of viewers would “definitely recommend” the film.

Overall, the domestic box office is running approximately 5% ahead of last year’s pace, despite the current lull in ticket sales. Dergarabedian expects business to pick up next weekend with the release of “Scream 7.”

“It’s been a kind of rollercoaster ride at the box office,” he said, reflecting the industry’s uneven recovery in the post-pandemic era.

The weekend’s top 10 was rounded out by “Solo Mio” ($2.6 million), “Zootopia 2” ($2.3 million), and “Avatar: Fire and Ash” ($1.8 million), with final figures expected Monday.