In 2020, when business operated as usual through February, only two weekends grossed under $100 million. The worst was Super Bowl weekend at $80 million. This year has had no weekend over $100 million, but that will change next week. “The Batman” opening will be the year’s first major breakout with $125 million or more. It isn’t likely to reach the heights of “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” but it is critically important that it exhibit serious heft to restore much-needed momentum for theaters’ recovery. The weekend represented 65 percent of the same weekend in 2020, but even that represents an improvement over much of 2022. Our rolling four-week comparison to 2020 rose to 63 percent.

Sony’s “Uncharted” dropped 47 percent and United Artists’ “Dog” dropped 32 percent, holding the top two slots. This is a strong performance; most films that opened over $40 million in the past two years fell more than 50 percent week two. Related ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ Continues Surge, Most Other New Titles Swoon as Holiday Nears End ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ Could Reach $600 Million Domestic, $2 Billion Worldwide Related 2023 Oscars: ‘Avatar’ Is the One to Beat in Visual Effects 23 Controversial Film and TV Book Adaptations That Rankled Their Audiences and AuthorsThat’s a bit surprising considering the weaker B+ Cinemascore reported for “Uncharted,” but it reflects the dearth of alternatives. The “Dog” performance reflects its early enthusiastic response (and A- Cinemascore) suggests a sustained run. Both “Uncharted” and “Dog” appear to be on the path to profit. “Studio 666” (Open Road), a low-budget horror comedy from the Foo Fighters, was the sole wide new release and managed less than $1.6 million in 2,306 theaters, showing the limits of the public’s hunger for fresh films. Meanwhile, Paramount’s 1972 “The Godfather” returned in a limited, 156-theater release gross an impressive $900,000. Based on theatrical spot checks, that included many sellouts — even more impressive with a three-hour running time that meant three showtimes per day. Francis Ford Coppola’s masterpiece has now grossed an adjusted $722.9 million domestic since its initial release 50 years ago. Some context: “Spider-Man: “No Way Home” is now at $780 million domestic and stands at #23 at the all-time adjusted box office. “The Godfather” is #26. It dropped only 23 percent this weekend for third place, continuing its incredible run and heading to the $800 million we predicted several weeks ago. Its staying power isn’t a record — “Titanic” held first place for 13 weeks in 1997-1998 — but is by far the best in recent years. Other than Universal’s “Marry Me,” everything else in the top 10 dropped less than 40 percent. Even the mediocre performance of Disney’s “Death on the Nile” had only a 31 percent drop. The annual presentation of Oscar-nominated short films from ShortTV grossed $402,000 in 355 theaters. In pre-Covid 2020, the program grossed over $1.1 million in 465 locations. This year, the collection will have an extended window as a theatrical exclusive.

The Top Ten