'Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire' is No. 1 with $45.2M, Sydney Sweeney's 'Immaculate' lands in fourth
NEW YORK (AP) â Ghost busting is still a good business.
âGhostbusters: Frozen Empireâ collected $45.2 million in ticket sales over the weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday, handing Sony Pictures the studioâs first No. 1 film since last summer.
The opening weekend for âFrozen Empire,â in 4,345 theaters, was nearly exactly the same as the $44 million launch for âGhostbusters: Afterlife" in 2021. âAfterlifeâ rebooted the franchise with a sequel built around the descendants (Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace) of Harold Ramisâ Egon Spengler, along with Paul Ruddâs seismologist Gary Grooberson.
Neither film has been a hit with critics, but audiences have been more receptive. âFrozen Empireâ garnered a B+ CinemaScore from moviegoers, a tick down from the A- score for âAfterlife.â âFrozen Empireâ isn't assured of profitability, but it will hope for sustained business over spring break.
âGhostbustersâ films tend to make a low impact internationally. In 25 overseas markets, âFrozen Empireâ added $16.4 million.
The latest âGhostbustersâ cost about $100 million to make. After Jason Reitman took over directing duties from his father, Ivan Reitman, to helm âGhostbusters: Afterlife,â âFrozen Empireâ is directed by Gil Kenan, co-writer of âAfterlife.â
Those two sequels took âGhostbustersâ in a more family-oriented, albeit PG-13 rated, direction, with original cast members Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson and Bill Murray returning in supporting roles. After the 2016 female-led âGhostbustersâ prompted a backlash, Sony rebooted the franchise.
The weekendâs other new wide release was âImmaculate,â the horror film starring Sydney Sweeney as an American nun at a remote Italian convent. The film, released by Neon following a premiere at SXSW, debuted with $5.4 million on 2,354 screens. Sweeneyâs ascending star power helped make âAnyone But Youâ one of the most successful rom-coms in years. But âImmaculate,â an independent production that cost less than $10 million make, isnât getting the same bounce.
âThe movie features the popular Sydney Sweeney, but horror movies are not cast-driven,â wrote David A. Gross for the consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research. âTheyâre driven by the hook: the evil doll, the wicked smile, the invisible or silent presence, the found footage, the possessed child. Thatâs what terrifies the horror crowd. The hook is not completely clear here.â
The No. 2 spot went to âDune: Part Two,â which continues to hold well. The Denis Villeneuve-directed sci-fi sequel starring TimothĂ©e Chalamet added $17.6 million in its fourth weekend of release, bringing the Warner Bros. release's domestic total to $233.4 million. Overseas sales are just as strong, adding up to a $574.4 million worldwide haul.
After two weeks atop the box office, Universal's âKung Fu Panda 4â slid to third place with $16.8 million over its third weekend. The well-performing DreamWorks animated sequel is up to $133.2 million domestic. It debuted with $25.7 million in China, where the movies have historically been popular. When the 2008 âKung Fu Pandaâ was released, its success partly inspired China to expand its own film production.
Estimated ticket sales are for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
1. âGhostbusters: Frozen Empire,â $45.2 million.
2. âDune: Part Two," $17.6 million.
3. âKung Fu Panda 4,â $16.8 million.
4. âImmaculate,â $5.4 million.
5. âArthur the King,â $4.4 million.
6. âLate Night With the Devil,â $2.8 million.
7. âImaginary,â $2.8 million.
8. âLove Lies Bleeding,â $1.6 million.
9. âCabrini,â $1.4 million.
10. âBob Marley: One Love,â $1.1 million.
___
Follow AP Film Writer Jake Coyle on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP