about nature or music<\/a>. However, \u201cMelania\u201d cost more than just about any documentary in history. Amazon MGM spent a staggering sum of money, acquiring the film and an accompanying straight-to-streaming docu-series for $40 million and then shelling out $35 million on the theatrical marketing spend. Those are unprecedented costs considering documentaries aren\u2019t traditionally a driver of big box office dollars. (Amazon MGM\u2019s lavish spend has prompted others in the industry to speculate whether the doc is the studio\u2019s attempt to cozy up to the current administration.) Since theater owners keep about half of ticket sales, it\u2019ll be difficult to justify the cost of \u201cMelania.\u201d In an unusual move, though, Amazon MGM released a statement to address the second weekend results.<\/p>\n\n\t\u201c\u2018Melania\u2019s\u2019 strong theatrical performance is a critical first moment that validates our holistic distribution strategy, building awareness, engagement, and provides momentum ahead of the film\u2019s eventual debut on Prime Video,\u201d said Amazon MGM\u2019s head of domestic theatrical distribution, Kevin Wilson. \u201cTogether, theatrical and streaming represent two distinct value creating moments that amplify the film\u2019s overall impact. Audience response is already validating this approach, with exit data showing strong intent to rewatch on Prime Video and meaningful interest in the forthcoming docuseries.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tAmazon MGM, a deep-pocketed company that\u2019s newer to exhibition compared to rivals like Disney and Universal, has said the company views the theatrical window as an \u201cimportant first step in [\u2026] a long-tail lifecycle.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cThat interest is further amplified by the theatrical marketing halo we consistently see drive increased awareness and viewership once films launch on Prime Video, reinforcing long-term value across the movie\u2019s entire lifecycle,\u201d Wilson concluded.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cIron Lung,\u201d a very indie effort from the YouTube creator known as Markiplier, slid to third place with $6.2 million from 2,930 theaters. Although those ticket sales mark a steep 66% decline from its debut, \u201cIron Lung\u201d reportedly cost $3 million and has exceeded all expectations with $31.2 million to date, so it\u2019s a massive commercial success for Markiplier (whose real name is Mark Fischback). He self-financed and distributed \u201cIron Lung\u201d in addition to writing, directing and starring in the film. The gory, R-rated adventure is based on a post-apocalyptic 2022 video game about a fugitive who has to scavenge natural resources in an ocean of blood after a rapture.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tWith traditional studios sitting out Super Bowl weekend, several releases from independent distributors\u2013 such as the Angel Studios rom-com \u201cSolo Mio\u201d and K-pop concert documentary \u201cStray Kids: The Dominate Experience\u201d \u2014 managed to crack the top five. <\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cWith minimal competition in the marketplace, independent and alternative films have an opportunity to stand out,\u201d says Comscore\u2019s head of marketplace trends, Paul Dergarabedian. \u201cThese films may find a more receptive audience given the reduced presence of new major studio releases.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tSecond place went to \u201cSolo Mio\u201d with $7.2 million from 3,052 venues, on par with expectations. The PG film, which landed an \u201cA-\u201d grade on CinemaScore exit polls and 81% Rotten Tomatoes average, stars Kevin James as a man who goes on his honeymoon alone after getting left at the altar.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cThis is smart counter-programming against the weekend\u2019s big sports events. It\u2019s the right actor and story, made for very little money, from the right distributor,\u201d says David A. Gross, who runs the movie consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research. \u201cAngel Studios knows how to reach this audience.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tIn fourth place, \u201cStray Kids: The Dominate Experience\u201d opened to a solid $5.5 million from 1,724 theaters. Bleecker Street is releasing the film, which captures the music group\u2019s world tour and sold-out performance at Los Angeles\u2019 SoFi Stadium. Universal is rolling out \u201cStray Kids\u201d internationally, where the film has earned a mighty $13.2 million from 61 markets for an impressive global tally of $19.1 million.<\/p>\n
\n\tDirector Luc Besson\u2019s \u201cDracula\u201d remake, starring Caleb Landry Jones and Christoph Waltz, rounded out the top five with $4.5 million from 2,050 theaters. Those ticket sales mark the largest opening weekend to date for newer distributor Vertical, besting the recent debut of January\u2019s \u201cWe Bury the Dead\u201d with $2.5 million.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cVertical is thrilled to have landed in the top 5 this weekend for the first time with \u2018Dracula,’\u201d said president of theatrical distribution Steve Bunnell. \u201cIt is an astounding and romantic cinematic thrill ride arriving just in time for Valentine\u2019s Day.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tA final newcomer, Lionsgate\u2019s \u201cThe Strangers: Chapter 3\u201d crash-landed at No. 7 with $3.5 million from 2,565 locations. That\u2019s far below the two prior installments in the rebooted R-rated slasher series, including 2024\u2019s \u201cChapter 1\u201d ($12 million) and 2025\u2019s \u201cChapter 3\u201d ($5.8 million). However, the studio spent $20 million on all three films, and the first two have generated a combined $70 million globally. So, despite the sharp diminishing returns, the franchise will be profitable for Lionsgate.<\/p>\n
\n\tThe box office should finally heat up over the next weekend with the release of five new films \u2014 including Emerald Fennell\u2019s \u201cWuthering Heights\u201d adaptation with Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi, the Steph Curry-produced \u201cGOAT\u201d and the starry heist thriller \u201cCrime 101\u201d led by Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo and Barry Keoghan. Otherwise, it\u2019s been a dreary start to the year for movie theater owners, who are hoping that 2026 will finally, at long last, mark the great box office rebound.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Football festivities and frigid temperatures across the East Coast and Midwest kept moviegoers on the couch and contributed…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":575736,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[28],"tags":[171,148712,53,154140,67,132,68],"class_list":["post-575735","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-movies","tag-entertainment","tag-melania","tag-movies","tag-send-help","tag-united-states","tag-unitedstates","tag-us"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116036433727020542","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/575735","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=575735"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/575735\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/575736"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=575735"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=575735"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=575735"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}