Winning enough rounds to win the weekend, Street Fighter topped the American box office, although the results are still less than what Paramount and Capcom were hoping for, especially on the overseas angle. Other wide releases were so-so; Whalefall failed to crack double digits, while Sense and Sensibility had a fine, but unremarkable start.
But the story of the weekend was none of these titles. It was actually A24's documentary You Can See Everything, which massively over-performed projections, posting the second biggest debut for a documentary, despite not even playing in 1,000 theaters.
The Top 10 earned a combined $91.5 million this weekend. That's up a massive 49.9% from last year, when Black Phone 2 topped the box office.
Debuting on top, Paramount's Street Fighter opened with $30.7 million in 3,575 theaters. The film almost topped the entire domestic lifetime of the 1994 version ($33.4 million) unadjusted. But notably, it was below another fighting game adaptation this year, Mortal Kombat II ($38.5 million).
It's not a bad start, but it's not a particularly great one either. The film cost $82 million (similarly to Mortal Kombat II), and it opened a tad lower than that film. Given the franchise's popularity, Paramount was probably hoping that the film would crack the $40 million range.
Street Fighter is a popular franchise (if it wasn't, it wouldn't have opened to these numbers), but it seems like there's a ceilling to these kinds of franchises. Video game adaptations have been performing better than expected over the past years, but it's still seeing a bunch of films that are struggling to break out past their diehard fanbase, and it looks like Street Fighter belongs in the second category.
Paramount went aggressively on its marketing campaign, emphasizing action and juvenile humor. Maybe that's what can win over fans, but it might not be what casuals are interested in watching. There was a severe lack of big names attached; Noah Centineo is just a streaming star with no theatrical hits to his name, Andrew Koji has also struggled to find hits, and wrestlers like Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns failed to expand their fanbase. Only Jason Momoa was a recognizable name, but not only was his presence very limited in trailers, they also made him so unrecognizable that it didn't make any positive impact. The combined star power was much less than the draw of Jean-Claude Van Damme and Raul Julia in the 1994 version.
There's also the question of just how much power does Street Fighter have as a theatrical franchise. The 1994 version was a moderate success, but it was panned by critics and audiences. And The Legend of Chun-Li performed even worse back in 2009. When you build a franchise, it requires so much good will to attain audiences, but it looks like audiences got more disappointed with each passing entry.
Finally, the reviews confirmed what you expected from the trailers: it's sitting at a bad 41% on RT. It was clear that the film wouldn't have much appeal beyond the biggest Street Fighter fans.
According to Paramount, 69% of the audience was male. Paramount was hoping that the PG-13 rating would help it expand the fanbase, but it looks like it was all for nothing: 45% of the audience was 35 and over. Only 11% was 17 and under. It means the film did not successfully hit the Gen Z demographic that has helped so many films break out lately.
Audiences gave Street Fighter a weak "B–" on CinemaScore, the same grade that the reviled 1994 version got. Very disappointing, considering the most diehard fans were the ones who graded the film. Mortal Kombat II opened higher with better reviews and word of mouth, and it still fell like a rock. With bad word of mouth and no appeal beyond its fanbase, look for Street Fighter to close with around $65 million domestically (it can go lower though). The future of the franchise would look brighter if the overseas prospects were good, but in this case...
In second place, we find a film that overshot every possible projection. A24's documentary You Can See Everything massively overperformed with an incredible $15.6 million from just 855 theaters. This is the best debut for a documentary (this doesn't count concert films) since Fahrenheit 9/11 ($23.9 million), and it marks the second best ever for the genre. It represents an incredible $18,247 per-theater average, and also marks one of A24's biggest ever debuts.
It was the fourth highest debut for a film playing in less than 1,000 theaters, behind Fahrenheit 9/11 ($23.9 million), Borat ($26.4 million) and Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert ($31.1 million). And it was eerily close to the opening weekend of Lance Oppenheim's prior film, Primetime ($18.8 million).
These numbers are just insane, considering this was a film that no one knew existed before September.
After the film was unveiled as a secret screening at Telluride, the full campaign began when A24 announced the trailer and date. Now, usually a film requires so much time of announcement and marketing campaign to build awareness. But the trailer alone was enough to go viral, quickly spawning memes across social media. But memes alone can't carry a film, the film still needs an interesting premise or people won't see it.
Elizabeth Holmes has been one of the most fascinating media figures of the century, as she had one of the biggest downfalls from any individual. Her story has already been covered in many documentaries, and even a TV series starring Amanda Seyfried. In a sea of so much content, what made You Can See Everything stand out? Nathan Fielder's involvement.
Fielder has attained a cult following, thanks to his TV shows Nathan For You, The Curse and The Rehearsal. So the idea of "Fielder and Oppenheim documenting Elizabeth Holmes in the days prior to her sentence" sounds very intriguing and promised to be unlike any other documentary. The marketing also avoided giving away the full story, building even more curiosity in social media.
This is simply a documentary that caught up with general audiences. Fahrenheit 9/11 remains the highest-grossing documentary with $119 million domestically, showing there's a ceilling. But what also motivated moviegoers to give this a chance was the spectacular reviews: an astounding 99% on RT and 99 on Metacritic. Those are some of the best scores not just for this year, but of all time. When something gets this much acclaim, people don't want to miss out and see if the film lives up to the hype. A24 knew it had something special, which is why they cancelled the limited release approach and instead debuted it in 855 theaters.
According to A24, 56% of the audience was male. Crazy enough, it was a good option for date night: 44% came with a spouse or partner. If you wonder where was Gen Z for Street Fighter, they were very busy watching this film instead: a massive 70% of the audience was 35 and under, with the 18-34 demographic representing 62%.
As the film opened in under 1,000 theaters, it didn't get a CinemaScore grade. But in PostTrak, we can see the audience response and... is out of this world. A massive 98% positive score with a 91% definite recommend, which might be a record for any film. This means that the film's word of mouth is spectacular, and audiences truly think the film lives up to the hype.
There are no signs that the film will be front-loaded: Saturday dropped just 6%, and Sunday just 7%. If anything, the only real negative can be that A24 didn't send it to enough theaters, as it led to some capacity issues, and it is estimated that over 2,000 screenings were sold out. It is reported that the film will get an expansion next week, and it wouldn't be surprising if it doubled its theater count. Everything indicates that You Can See Everything will enjoy a very healthy run in theaters. Right now, it's hard to predict where it will finish. Just sit back and observe. Not everything needs a prediction.
In third place, we find last week's champ Other Mommy with $8.2 million. That's a brutal 70% drop, which is fitting with the film's horrible reviews and word of mouth. Through 10 days, the film has earned a solid $44.7 million domestically. It should get to $55 million, but it will fade quickly after Halloween ends.
Debuting in fourth place, 20th Century Studios' Whalefall earned a disappointing $7.8 million in 3,065 theaters. That's lower than the prior "man vs. nature" film, Heart of the Beast ($20 million), but it wasn't expected to top it. At the end of the day, Austin Abrams is nowhere close to Brad Pitt's star power. The low start was eerily similar to other failed sea thrillers like In the Heart of the Sea ($11 million) and The Finest Hours ($10.2 million).
The film cost $60 million, so this is not a great start in any form for this kind of film. In spite of a simple premise and a very effective trailer, 20th Century Studios was very conservative with pushing the film, and having it open opposite Street Fighter caused it to lose some potential old demographics that would check it out.
There was also the feeling that maybe the film could benefit from starring Abrams, who last month had a huge hit in Resident Evil. But he's still a newcomer to the game, and he hasn't proved yet to be a big name. The film's premise also led many to ponder if they truly should watch it in theaters, as it's the kind of film that would be a hit on streaming. Reviews were positive (71% on RT), but they weren't very glowing to elevate this to at least $15 million.
According to 20th Century Studios, 55% of the audience was male, and 69% was 25 and over. They gave it a "B" on CinemaScore, which means legs can go either way. The film could make its way to $25 million domestically, but it's still not a great result, given the extensive budget.
Making its way to fifth place, Focus Features' Sense and Sensibility earned $7.2 million in 2,545 theaters. That's above Pride & Prejudice's wide debut ($7 million), but it certainly is behind that film in terms of inflation. There's no point comparing it to Ang Lee's 1995 original, as that film never played in more than 1,054 theaters and never had a weekend above $3.3 million.
Focus positioned the film as an attraction for the female demographic, hoping to replicate the 1995 original's success. It succeeded, although the fact that the film failed to offer much new also was a disadvantage, as some might find the new version redundant. Reviews were positive (76% on RT), but way below the 1995 version's critical acclaim.
According to Focus Features, a massive 84% of the audience was female. It had a good mix of young and old audiences: 56% was in the 18-34 demographic, and 43% was 35 and over. They gave it a solid "A–" on CinemaScore, which is down from the 1995 version's "A". These kinds of films are usually leggy, so expect Sense and Sensibility to hang in there for the next weeks. And even if it disappoints, the real money is overseas, where Jane Austen's adaptations are much more popular.
Amazon MGM's Verity dropped another 50%, adding $6 million on its third weekend. The film has now earned $65.9 million domestically.
Resident Evil eased 36% for a $5.5 million weekend. The film has amassed $148.4 million, and it will pass Weapons ($151 million) in a few days to become Zach Cregger's highest-grossing film.
Heart of the Beast added $4.7 million, which represented a light 36% drop. The film's domestic total stands at $58.2 million, and it should close with almost $70 million domestically.
The Indian film Jailer 2 hit ninth place with $3.2 million in 800 theaters ($5.2 million four-day).
Rounding out the Top 10 was Universal/DreamWorks' Forgotten Island with $2.3 million, which marked a 50% drop. With $35.2 million, it's set to end its run as one of DreamWorks' lowest grossing films.
In eleventh place, we find the first release of Warner Bros.' new division Clockwork, the re-issue of Ken Russell's 1971 film The Devils, playing in an uncensored 4K restoration. The controversial film got a NC-17 rating, which meant it could only play in 350 theaters. Nevertheless, the film debuted with a strong $1.7 million, which translates to a pretty good $4,930 per-theater average.
A24's Primetime added $1.6 million, marking another 59% drop. The film's domestic total stands at $45.3 million.
With weak word of mouth on its favor, The Social Reckoning was deleted from existence, falling from fifth to 13th place. It collapsed a steep 72%, making just $1.4 million on its second weekend. The film is playing in 2,606 theaters, and it's only making $595 in each theater. Through 10 days, the film has earned a meager $8.1 million, and it's set to finish with just $10 million domestically.
After three weekends in limited release, Amazon MGM finally expanded Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother to 824 theaters, but it made just $1.1 million. That takes its domestic total to $2.2 million, and it doesn't seem like it will expand much further.
The Digger saga continues, and not for good reason. The film lost a massive 2,535 theaters on its third weekend, and it's now playing in just 786 theaters. As such, the film collapsed 72%, making just $900,774. The film has made $17.2 million domestically, and it's nearing the end of its run.
Bleecker Street expanded the documentary Musk to 472 theaters, but it made a weak $314,489. The 4-hour runtime is limiting the film's potential, and posted a so-so $666 per-theater average.
This weekend, history was made. For the first time ever, Netflix is reporting box office grosses for one of its films. They released the Spanish film La Bola Negra in 4 theaters, ahead of its December 2 streaming date. It earned $277,500, which translates to a very strong $69,375 per-theater average, one of the best of the year. The film will remain in limited release in the States, while the overseas markets will get a theatrical release. So far, the film has earned an incredible $26.5 million in Spain.
Neon expanded Fjord to 13 theaters, making $127,131 this weekend. The film has earned $302,488 through 10 days, and it's set to expand more next week, before hitting 500 theaters in two weeks.
OVERSEASStreet Fighter debuted with a very underwhelming $20.1 million overseas, for a weak $50.8 million worldwide start. These numbers are all below Mortal Kombat II ($21.5 million overseas, $60 million worldwide), and falling short of the expected $70 million worldwide forecast.
It had solid debuts in the UK ($3.3M), Mexico ($1.8M), Australia ($1.6M) and Brazil ($1.2M), but it flopped in France ($1.1M), Japan ($857K), Germany ($850K), UAE ($705K), Spain ($550K), Malaysia ($491K), Italy ($451K), India ($431K), Indonesia ($384K), Netherlands ($314K), Philippines ($275K), South Korea ($242K), Taiwan ($235K), Panama ($228K), Colombia ($227K), Hong Kong ($201K), and Thailand ($200K).
These numbers are rough, and given how fast Mortal Kombat II fell, it's very likely the same fate happens to Street Fighter. It should hit $100 million worldwide, but it won't make it much further than that. With a $82 million budget, this is not breaking even.
Resident Evil added $17.1 million overseas, taking its worldwide total to $361.4 million. The best markets are China ($56M), the UK ($18.2M), Mexico ($12.4M), Australia ($9.1M), Japan ($8.5M), France ($8.5M), Germany ($8.2M), and Spain ($7.7M).
Verity added $11.4 million overseas, for a $144.5 million worldwide run. The best markets are the UK ($12.6M), Germany ($9.9M), and Brazil ($9.1M).
Whalefall sank with just $9.6 million overseas, for an underwhelming $17.4 million worldwide launch. The best markets were Mexico ($800K), the UK ($700K), China ($700K), France ($500K), Germany ($500K), Japan ($500K), Italy ($400K), South Korea ($400K), and Saudi Arabia ($400K). Not very ideal for a $60 million film.
Other Mommy added $9.5 million overseas, taking its worldwide total to $78.9 million. It debuted in France with a solid $1.2 million, well ahead of Street Fighter. Best markets are the UK ($5M), Italy ($3.7M), Mexico ($3.4M), Spain ($2.3M), and Australia ($1.9M).
FILMS THAT ENDED THEIR RUN THIS WEEK Movie Release Date Studio Domestic Opening Domestic Total Worldwide Total Budget Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie Aug/14 Paramount $20,254,688 $53,194,307 $159,494,307 $40M- Paramount's Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie has closed with $159 million worldwide, well above its $40 million budget. Didn't pass its predecessor, but it proved to be a very profitable installment, and that's not even counting merchandising, where the real money is.
Verity and Other Mommy opened very high this month, and both crashed in their second weekends. With the weak word of mouth, Street Fighter is only going to continue that streak, leaving the top spot to another film.
That's WB's new film, Clayface, the third installment in the DC Universe. The film is directed by James Watkins and it's based on Batman's villain, played by Tom Rhys Harries. The DC is coming off the success of Superman and the huge failure of Supergirl, so the franchise really needs more hits to know that interest is still there. The film is going the body horror route, and despite featuring a Batman villain, there's zero signs of the bat in here. The budget is in the $40 million range, so the bar for success is not high. The question is if audiences will bite.
Laika is returning with their new film, Wildwood, which will be released by Fathom Events. Directed by Travis Knight, it follows a teenage girl and her classmate who travel into an enchanted forest in search of her infant brother after he is abducted. The film runs 131 minutes, which is one of the longest for any animated film. Critical response is highly favorable (100% RT, 86 on Metacritic). But Laika ha