Box Office Round-Up ~ 10/3/22

By: [email protected] on

Like clockwork, horror reclaimed the box office just in time for October. Perhaps thanks to a crafty viral marketing campaign, Smile won the weekend with a debut gross of $22.6 million, the first movie of the fall to clear $20 million and the best opening of the year since Bullet Train back in early August. It’s another strong horror release in a year full of them, proving that audiences will still flock to theaters for a good communal scare. The rest of the top five saw less exciting numbers, as the box office struggles to return to pre-Covid attendance. Don’t Worry, Darling and The Woman King were practically tied, with the Viola Davis-led historical epic taking second place with $6.85 million. Olivia Wilde’s psychological thriller was close behind with $6.8 million. And in fourth place, the newly re-released Avatar added another $5 million to its mountain of money, a good sign for the upcoming sequel. The big letdown of the weekend was Universal’s rom-com Bros, from director Nicholas Stoller and writer/star Billy Eichner. Despite rave reviews from critics and audiences, and the distinction of being the first LGBTQ+ rom-com from a major studio, it only grossed $4.8 million, barely making it into the top five for the weekend. Unlike horror, audiences are simply not coming out to theaters for comedies—especially mid/low-budget comedies—and the genre is looking more and more likely to be relegated to streaming for the foreseeable future.

1. Smile ($22.6 MM)
Director: Parker Funn (CAA)
Writers: Parker Finn (CAA)
Cast: Sosie Bacon (CAA)        
         Caitlin Stasey (A3)        
         Kyle Gallner (Paradigm)

2. The Woman King ($6.85 MM)
Director: Gina Prince-Bythewood (CAA)
Writers: Dana Stevens (UTA), Maria Bello (John Carrabino)
Cast: Viola Davis (CAA)        
         Thuso Mbedu (WME)        
         Lashana Lynch (CAA)

3. Don’t Worry, Darling ($6.8 MM)
Director: Olivia Wilde (CAA)
Writers: Katie Silberman (UTA), Carey Van Dyke (CAA), Shane Van Dyke (CAA)
Cast: Florence Pugh (CAA)        
         Harry Styles (CAA)        
         Chris Pine (CAA)

4. Avatar ($5 MM)
Director: James Cameron (CAA)
Writers: James Cameron (CAA)
Cast: Sam Worthington (CAA)        
         Zoe Saldana (CAA)        
         Sigourney Weaver (UTA)

5. Bros ($4.8 MM)
Director: Nicholas Stoller (UTA)
Writers: Billy Eichner (UTA), Nicholas Stoller (UTA)
Cast: Billy Eichner (UTA)        
         Luke Macfarlane (APA)        
         Guy Branum (CAA)

Source: Box Office Mojo, The Numbers