The biographical film about Michael Jackson has returned to the number one position at North American theaters during its fourth weekend, generating $26.1 million in ticket revenue according to studio projections released Sunday.
Following a two-week period where it placed behind ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2,’ the Lionsgate production ‘Michael’ has achieved remarkable success with worldwide earnings reaching $703.9 million and continuing to climb. However, the film still needs to surpass ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ to claim the title of highest-grossing musical biography, as the Queen-focused movie earned more than $910.8 million globally.
This weekend introduced several new releases to theaters, including the horror romance ‘Obsession,’ Guy Ritchie’s action film ‘In the Grey,’ and the revenge story ‘Is God Is,’ though existing movies continued attracting the biggest audiences. Industry experts expect significant changes next weekend when ‘Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu’ debuts in cinemas.
The sequel to ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ from Disney and 20th Century Studios secured second place during its third weekend with $18 million, pushing its domestic earnings to $175.9 million and global revenue to $546.2 million.
Among new releases, ‘Obsession’ performed best and surpassed industry predictions with approximately $16.1 million from 2,615 theater locations. YouTube content creator Curry Barker both wrote and directed this thriller about a romantic who encounters unexpected consequences when his feelings are reciprocated. The movie earned strong reviews from critics (94% on Rotten Tomatoes) and moviegoers (A- CinemaScore). Notably, Barker produced the film for just $750,000 before Focus Features purchased it at the Toronto International Film Festival last fall for approximately $15 million.
‘Mortal Kombat II’ claimed fourth position after experiencing a 65% decline during its second weekend, earning $13.4 million domestically. The film has generated $101.2 million worldwide across 80 international markets.
Amazon MGM Studios placed three titles in the weekend’s top ten rankings, with ‘The Sheep Detectives’ in fifth position, ‘Project Hail Mary’ taking seventh, and ‘Is God Is’ completing the top ten.
‘The Sheep Detectives’ experienced only a modest 33% decrease from its opening weekend, collecting an additional $10.2 million for a cumulative total of $30.5 million. ‘Project Hail Mary,’ now available for home rental or purchase, added $3.4 million during its ninth theatrical weekend. ‘Is God Is,’ based on Aleshea Harris’s Obie-winning stage play about twin sisters (Kara Young and Mallori Johnson) seeking to locate and eliminate their abusive father, earned $2.2 million in its opening weekend and holds a 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Black Bear’s action thriller ‘In the Grey’ collected $3 million from 2,018 theater locations. The film features Henry Cavill, Jake Gyllenhaal and Eiza González as elite operatives undertaking a seemingly impossible assignment. It currently maintains a 44% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and received a B CinemaScore from audiences.
