THR\u2018s review of Showgirl<\/a>, \u201cThe 89-minute cinematic experience \u2014 neither visual album nor concert film, and not quite a documentary \u2014 is strictly for the diehards. But while there\u2019s something to be said for the communal experience of absorbing an album surrounded by dozens of like-minded fans, what\u2019s actually being served up on screen is more filler than killer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\tPaul Thomas Anderson\u2019s critically acclaimed awards contender One Battle After Another, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, fell to second place in its sophomore outing as it crossed the $100 million mark globally. The Warner Bros. film declined an estimated 49 percent to $11.1 million in North America for a 10-day domestic tally of $42.8 million; overseas, where it opened in select markets ahead of its domestic debut, One Battle added another $21.7 million for a foreign tally of $58.9 million and $101.7 million globally. The movie is being closely scrutinized because of its $135 million net production budget, which is by far the most money Anderson has ever been given.<\/p>\n
\n\tFrom filmmaker Benny Safdie, Smashing Machine came in third. The awards hopeful reunites Johnson with his Jungle Cruise co-star and good friend Emily Blunt, who played a key role in bringing Johnson and Safdie together. The film is based on the real-life story of Mark Kerr, a former college wrestler who battled trauma and an addiction to painkillers during the early years of the UFC. The movie is a radical departure for the actor, who is best known for anchoring big-budget action pics or broad, all-audience tentpoles.<\/p>\n
\n\tSwift\u2019s Showgirl isn\u2019t hurting Smashing Machine in terms of stealing away moviegoers, but it did swoop in and book a number of premium large-format screens that Smashing Machine had wanted.<\/p>\n
\n\tInsiders close to the Safdie film say prerelease tracking was overly aggressive due to Johnson\u2019s star status, and that a $6 million start isn\u2019t uncommon during awards season. What\u2019s more important than a big opening weekend is sustaining momentum. While that\u2019s certainly true, many moviegoers don\u2019t seem to be connecting with Smashing Machine thus far, based on the worrisome B- CinemaScore (for an adult drama, that\u2019s like receiving a C). Box office pundits note that there could be consumer confusion since Johnson\u2019s fans aren\u2019t used to seeing him in roles like this.<\/p>\n
\n\tBut A24 has worked magic before. Darren Aronofsky\u2019s The Whale was neither a critical or box office hit in the U.S., yet Brendan Fraser went on to win the Oscar for best actor. And in 2019, the Safdie brothers\u2019 Uncut Gems, starring Adam Sandler, became both an awards darling and a box office success despite receiving a C+ CinemaScore.<\/p>\n
\n\tOne difference between Smashing Machine and those two films: A24 opened The Whale and Uncut Gems in only a handful of theaters in early December before expanding the two titles nationwide over Christmas (The Whale never played in more than 1,700 or so cinemas). Opening Smashing Machine in 3,345 locations is a far more aggressive move, although sources say A24 remains confident that the film will find its stride as word of mouth grows and becomes more positive. <\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cThe film presents a bold and deeply personal portrait of legendary MMA pioneer Mark Kerr and marks a dramatic turn from Johnson unlike anything he has done before,\u201d A24 said in its Sunday box office note. \u201cMatched by a powerhouse performance from the incomparable Emily Blunt, The Smashing Machine stands as a creative achievement that will resonate far beyond opening weekend.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tAnother offering over the weekend was James Cameron\u2019s Avatar: The Way of Water, which is being rereleased exclusively in 3D. Like Swift\u2019s team, Cameron and partner 20th Century\/Disney are using the box office for promotional purposes: this Christmas, Avatar: Fire and Ash opens.<\/p>\n
\n\tWay of Water pulled in a solid $3.2 million domestically from 2,100 cinemas and another $6.8 million overseas for a global total of $10 million. In North America, where it came in seventh, it is playing in 90 percent of all Imax auditoriums, a huge boon.<\/p>\n
\n\tIFC\u2019s Good Boy \u2014 a horror pic told from the perspective of a dog \u2014 debuted in ninth place with $2.5 million from 1,650 locations. That\u2019s the second-best opening ever for the specialty label. The movie was helmed by Ben Leonberg in his feature directorial debut.<\/p>\n
\n\tAmong holdovers, Gabby\u2019s Dollhouse: The Movie, from DreamWorks Animation\/Universal, tumbled 62 percent in its second weekend to $5.2 million from 3,507 locations for a domestic tally of $21.6 million. <\/p>\n
\n\tFollowing in fifth place was New Line\u2019s The Conjuring: Last Rites, which took in $4.1 million from 2,753 theaters for a domestic haul of $167.8 million and a franchise-best $458.2 million globally, not adjusted for inflation. That\u2019s nearly $100 million ahead of the previous record-holder, The Nun, which grossed roughly $366 million in 2018.<\/p>\n
\n\tJapanese box office sensation Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle placed sixth domestically with $3.5 million as it landed at No. 5 on the list of the year\u2019s top 10 grossing films globally after finishing Sunday with an estimated $757.6 million in worldwide ticket sales, including $633 million overseas. Of that, $324.6 million comes from markets outside of Japan where Sony\u2019s Crunchyroll is handling the manga pic.<\/p>\n
\n\tOct. 5, 8:03 a.m.<\/strong>; Updated with revised estimates.
Oct. 5, 11:40 a.m.<\/strong>; A previous version of this story incorrectly characterized Good Boy and its director. THR regrets the error.<\/p>\n\n\tThis story was originally published Oct. 4 at 8:45 a.m.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Swifties have struck again. Taylor Swift\u2018s special Life of a Showgirl album release event towered over the competition…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":477188,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3936],"tags":[12656,77,269,8733,158600,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-477187","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-music","8":"tag-dwayne-johnson","9":"tag-entertainment","10":"tag-music","11":"tag-taylor-swift","12":"tag-taylor-swift-the-eras-tour","13":"tag-uk","14":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115324881753372050","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/477187","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=477187"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/477187\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/477188"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=477187"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=477187"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=477187"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}