Paramount Pictures’ Jack Quaid’s action-comedy “Novocaine” debuted at number one after a weekend where box office revenues dramatically declined. The film earned $8.7 million at the U.S. box office, making it the leader for the weekend. However, this is not a cause for celebration for cinema owners, as it marks one of the worst openings at number one since the pandemic began.
Despite the release of five new films, this weekend was one of the lowest-grossing weekends according to Comscore, with all films combined making a total of $52 million. Even though the Super Bowl weekend is usually a slow period for cinemas, February had a higher box office revenue with $54 million. The slow start to the first quarter of the year has been a major blow to the cinema industry after the impact of COVID and Hollywood labor strikes. Year-to-date box office revenues are 5% behind 2024 and nearly 38% behind 2019. Comscore senior analyst Paul Dergarabedian said, “The industry is tired of these $50 million weekends that are slowing down the market and now pushing the 2025 box office behind 2024.” He added, “Disney’s ‘Snow White’ and ‘Minecraft’ will premiere in two weeks, hopefully marking the last time we will see $50 million weekends until August.”
“Novocaine” opened slightly below expectations with around $10 million in 3,365 theaters in North America. The film also didn’t perform well internationally, earning $1.8 million in 19 countries, representing only 25% of its overseas markets. However, the good news is that “Novocaine” is not a high-budget film and has received positive feedback from audiences. Paramount made the film for $18 million, which means it doesn’t have a high threshold to make a profit. The film received a “B” grade on CinemaScore and an 81% average rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Quaid portrays a man who feels no pain and uses this advantage after his girlfriend is taken hostage in a heist.
Last week’s champion “Mickey 17” dropped to second place with $7.6 million from 3,807 theaters, experiencing a 60% decline since its opening weekend. So far, the dystopian sci-fi comedy starring Bong Joon Ho and Robert Pattinson has earned $33.3 million in America and around $90 million globally. However, the film’s production cost was $118 million, and it needs to earn between $275 million and $300 million worldwide to make a profit.
Another new film, Steven Soderbergh’s thriller “Black Bag,” struggled to attract crowds despite receiving critical acclaim. The espionage drama opened in third place with $7.5 million from 2,705 theaters. While it’s not a bad start considering the film aims to appeal to a larger audience, Focus Features spent $50 million on production. For “Black Bag” to pay off, it will need to become a word-of-mouth hit. International audiences may not be of much help; “Black Bag” earned $4.2 million in 37 foreign markets, resulting in a global revenue of $11.7 million. The film stars Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender as a married couple working as intelligence agents. When the woman is suspected of being a potential spy, her husband’s loyalty to the country is tested.
Disney’s Marvel sequel “Captain America: Brave New World” ranked fourth with $5.2 million in its fifth weekend. The superhero film starring Anthony Mackie has earned $185 million in America and $388.6 million worldwide, making it the biggest Hollywood production of the year, but not enough to balance its massive $180 million budget.
On the other hand, “The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie” opened in fifth place with $3 million from 2,827 theaters, while the Bible-themed drama “The Last Supper” ranked sixth with $2.8 million from 1,575 theaters. Both films were supported by independent distributors; Ketchup Entertainment distributed “The Day the Earth Blew Up,” while Pinnacle Peak Pictures distributed “The Last Supper.”
