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‘Challengers’ Tops The Box Office Despite Soft Open

Challengers

Romance-tennis drama Challengers easily won the weekend box office match with a $15 million opening from 3,477 theaters, in line with expectations and marking the second-best start for an original R-rated drama since the pandemic behind Don’t Worry Darling. Audiences aren’t embracing the R-rated film quite to the degree that reviewers did, giving it a B+ CinemaScore. Challengers was supposed to open last year in time for awards season, but those plans were scuttled because of the SAG-AFTRA strike and the ban on talent doing press. 

The top 12 films of the weekend are as follows:

TitleDistributor NameWeekend Total # of LocsLoc AvgCume Total% Change
1ChallengersAmazon MGM Studios$15,011,0783,477$4,317$15,011,078
2Unsung HeroLionsgate$7,750,0002,832$2,737$7,750,000
3Godzilla x Kong: The New EmpireWarner Bros.$7,200,0003,312$2,174$181,680,032-25.00%
4Civil WarA24$7,004,0383,518$1,991$56,194,933-38.00%
5AbigailUniversal$5,250,0003,393$1,547$18,787,755-49.00%
6Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, TheLionsgate$3,860,0002,845$1,357$15,448,667-57.00%
7Kung Fu Panda 4Universal$3,550,0002,767$1,283$184,999,090-24.00%
8Ghostbusters: Frozen EmpireSony$3,250,0002,627$1,237$107,388,000-27.00%
9Dune: Part TwoWarner Bros.$1,985,0001,334$1,488$279,742,968-33.00%
10Boy Kills WorldRoadside Attractions$1,675,4751,993$841$1,675,475
11Alien (1979) (re)20th Century Studios$1,563,0001,750$893$1,563,000
12Monkey ManUniversal$1,150,0001,538$748$23,916,990-50.00%