‘Superman’ Retains Box Office Crown; Recent Releases ‘Smurfs’, ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’ Underwhelm

James Gunn’s ‘Superman’ continues to dominate the North American box office in its second weekend. According to studio estimates, the film grossed $57.3 million over the weekend – a 54% drop from its first-week earnings, which is considered normal for big summer releases. This indicates that the audience interest remains strong, keeping the film at the top spot for the second consecutive week.

Although many new films released this week, Superman left them all behind, be it Sony’s ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’, Paramount’s ‘Smurfs’ reboot, or the independent film ‘Eddington’. None of these could stand in front of this mega budget film from Warner Bros. and DC Studios.

But next week could be challenging, as Disney and Marvel’s much-anticipated ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ hits theaters – potentially challenging Superman’s top position.

Global Performance

The worldwide total of ‘Superman’ has now crossed $400 million. This figure is very strong for this film made on a budget of $225 million, and it is now seen as moving towards the $1 billion club. The praise from the audience and the positive response from critics could give it more strength in the coming weeks. For DC Studios, now run by James Gunn and Peter Safran, this film is considered a symbol of a new beginning, leaving the old DCEU behind.

Slow Start For New Films

While ‘Superman’ did well, this weekend was a dull one for the new films. ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’ opened to just $13 million, which is decent compared to its $18 million budget, but would still be considered low for a popular horror franchise. Directed by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, the film comes years after the 1997 classic, but has failed to attract younger audiences.

The ‘Smurfs’ reboot, with Rihanna voicing Smurfette, also failed to impress. The animated film opened to just $11 million and finished in fourth place. Critics didn’t like it either – it scored just 21% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Amid the poor performance of newer releases, some older movies are still holding strong at the box office. ‘Jurassic World: Rebirth’ finished second in its third weekend, earning $23.4 million, and continuing a strong showing for Universal. Brad Pitt’s F1: The Movie – Apple Studios and Warner Bros. racing drama – is making a strong international collection in its fourth weekend. Its total earnings have so far reached $460.8 million.