The holiday is probably why the Dwayne Johnson vehicle fell five points more in its second weekend than “Shazam!” did in April 2019. “Adam” should reach around $175 million domestic and perhaps $400 million worldwide, likely above combined marketing and production costs. WBD would get somewhat more than half of that back in film rental, suggesting that it will rely on post-theatrical revenues for profit. “Adam” contributed over 40 percent of the weekend’s total $106 million gross. That represents 60 percent of the same weekend in 2019, and gives us a four-week rolling average of 60 percent compared to three years ago. “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” (Disney) and its potential $200 million+ beginning will improve that.
The PG-13 “Prey for the Devil” (Lionsgate) was the sole opener. The company has been a steady force for low-budget horror success, but not this time. With a weak $7 million start and a C+ Cinemascore, not much more is likely. It place third. Universal Pictures “Ticket to Paradise” (Universal) fell 39 percent its second weekend with $10 million. The George Clooney/Julia Roberts rom-com is a success worldwide with $119 million. It might take stars with this history to make a middle-budget original film work, but that’s a positive for a flailing theatrical genre. Also impressive, especially for its microbudget and non-studio backing, is “Terrifier 2” (Iconic/Cinedigm). It nearly doubled its theaters to 1,550 to come in #8 with $1.8 million and $7.6 million total. A flurry of expansions included “Till” (United Artists) at #7, with the most positive results, but none (including Focus’ “TÁR” at #10) performed in the range of similar titles pre-pandemic. More details on these in our specialized report. Horror, as usual, had a higher than normal presence with four of the top 10. “Smile” (Paramount) dropped 40 percent in fourth place with $92 million total. “Halloween Ends” (Universal) dropped 52 percent, an improvement over last weekend’s steep fall. It’s grossed $60 million while also streaming on Peacock. Other than “Terrifier” (which was up 3 percent), the best hold was “Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile” (Sony), down 34 percent at #6 but still with a disappointing $32.5 million total. If non-movies were included in the top 10, “Coldplay Music of Spheres Live” (Trafalagar) would have placed #9. The concert event was broadcast in 833 theaters with over $1 million for its first two days, including a day-after repeat. The Top 10
