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Super Bowl Weekend Brings Box Office Slump as “Send Help” Maintains Top Spot
Football claimed the attention of American audiences this weekend, resulting in one of the year’s slowest box office periods as Hollywood studios pivoted their focus to Super Bowl advertising rather than theatrical releases.
“Send Help,” the R-rated survival thriller directed by Sam Raimi, maintained its hold on the top spot with $10 million in its second weekend, according to studio estimates released Sunday. The Disney-20th Century Studios release has now accumulated $53.7 million globally, proving to be a solid mid-budget success in an otherwise quiet weekend.
Super Bowl weekend has historically represented a low point for theatrical attendance. Last year it ranked as the second slowest weekend of the year, while in 2024 it currently stands as the year’s worst period for moviegoing so far.
Rather than competing with the NFL championship game for audience attention, major studios targeted the massive television audience with high-profile trailer debuts. Viewers of Sunday’s game were treated to previews of upcoming blockbusters including Disney’s “Mandalorian and Grogu,” Lionsgate’s Michael Jackson biopic “Michael,” and Universal Pictures’ “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.”
The Melania Trump documentary “Melania” experienced a sharp decline in its second weekend, falling 67% to just $2.4 million despite adding 300 theaters to its run. The steep drop signals trouble for Amazon MGM, which invested heavily in the Brett Ratner-directed film, paying $40 million for rights and approximately $35 million for marketing. The documentary’s North American total now stands at $13.4 million, with international figures reportedly minimal.
Kevin Wilson, head of domestic distribution for Amazon MGM, attempted to frame the performance positively, calling it “a critical first moment that validates our wholistic distribution strategy” ahead of the film’s eventual streaming debut on Prime Video. However, the documentary’s theatrical performance became fodder for late-night comedians, with Jimmy Kimmel calling the results a “rigged outcome.”
While major studios largely sat out the weekend, several smaller releases found success. “Solo Mio,” a Kevin James romantic comedy set in Italy, debuted impressively with $7.2 million, representing a significant win for Angel Studios, a distributor primarily known for faith-based content.
The K-pop concert film “Stray Kids: The Dominate Experience,” released by Bleecker Street, launched with $5.6 million domestically and an additional $13.2 million overseas, demonstrating the continuing global appeal of the Korean music phenomenon.
Veteran director Luc Besson’s adaptation of “Dracula” opened with $4.5 million, marking the best debut ever for indie distributor Vertical.
Perhaps the most remarkable box office story continues to be “Iron Lung,” an R-rated video game adaptation self-financed and self-distributed by YouTube creator Markiplier (Mark Fischbach). In its second weekend, the low-budget indie collected $6.2 million, bringing its two-week total to an impressive $31.2 million against a production budget of just $3 million.
Meanwhile, Disney’s animated blockbuster “Zootopia 2” continued its extraordinary run, crossing the $1.8 billion mark worldwide in its eleventh week of release, cementing its position as one of the highest-grossing animated films of all time.
The weekend’s results reflect the challenging landscape for theatrical releases during major sporting events, as well as the growing polarization between mega-blockbusters and smaller, targeted releases that can find success with specific audience segments. As studios increasingly balance theatrical and streaming strategies, the traditional metrics for box office success continue to evolve in an entertainment landscape transformed by digital platforms and changing viewer habits.
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9 Comments
Interesting to see ‘Send Help’ maintaining its box office lead despite the Super Bowl distraction. Looks like a solid mid-budget thriller that’s resonating with audiences.
Agreed, it’s impressive for a smaller film to hold up so well against the big game. Speaks to strong word-of-mouth and audience appeal.
Interesting to see the box office slump during Super Bowl weekend. Guess football really does claim the attention of American audiences this time of year.
Absolutely, the Super Bowl is a cultural juggernaut that dominates the entertainment landscape. Savvy studios know to steer clear of that kind of competition.
Seems the studios strategically focused on Super Bowl advertising rather than new theatrical releases this weekend. Smart move to avoid getting lost in the big game’s shadow.
Definitely a wise choice. The Super Bowl is such a huge event, it’s better for smaller films to sit it out and wait for a less competitive weekend.
Surprised to see ‘Melania’ falling steeply – must not have connected with viewers. Box office can be so unpredictable, especially on a quiet weekend.
Yeah, that’s a big drop for ‘Melania’. Guess the subject matter just didn’t resonate broadly enough. Tough to compete with the Super Bowl’s massive audience.
Curious to see what kind of long-term legs ‘Send Help’ has. Survival thrillers can sometimes find an audience over time, even if they don’t debut at #1.