Horror Film "Weapons" Beats Disney's "Freakier Friday"at Box Office
Two films opened this past weekend, Zach Cregger's New Line horror film “Weapons” and Disney’s “Freakier Friday.” This weekend the horror genre won over the family genre as “Weapons” shot past “Freaker Friday” at the box office.
Both films are good. I actually went to “Freakier Friday” with my daughter, while my son and his friend went to see “Weapons.” I gave “Freakier Friday” a good review, and my son loved “Weapons” so much he wants to go see it again.
What did “Weapons” make at the box office?
The film went over expectations to bring in an estimated $42.5 million at the domestic box office and $27.5 million worldwide for a $70 million global debut!
“Weapons” estimated budget was only $38 million. Going by usual estimates, that means the film only needs $76-$95 million to break even.
Warner Bros. owns New Line, so this is a win for them! This film has a good chance of gaining legs as word of mouth spreads. Currently, the film has a 95% Rotten Tomatoes score, with the audience score at 87%.
My son said it is a lot of body gore, but a good horror movie if you like that kind of thing.
How did “Freakier Friday” do at the box office?
Disney’s “Freakier Friday” did not perform as well as “Weapons” at the box office,, even though audiences seemed to enjoy it more than critics.
The film earned $29 million domestically, which was within estimates. It made $15.5 million overseas, giving it an estimated $44.5-$45 million worldwide.
“Freakier Friday” had a budget of $45 million. Which means it needs to make back $90-$115 million to break even.
Critics gave it a lower score of 73% on Rotten Tomatoes while audiences rated it 93%.
It was a good film, so this one might also pick up if word of mouth spreads. But it got its butt kicked by a horror film.
Who is the real winner at the box office?
Audiences are the overall winners as both films are solid.
Between the studios Warner Bros. is challenging Disney at the box office this year. They have had huge hits with “Superman,” “A Minecraft Movie,” “Sinners,” and more.
Disney is still doing well with “Lilo and Stitch” and “Fantastic Four: First Steps.”
Of the top 10 films in the domestic box office this year, Disney has four and Warner Bros. has three. However, all three of the Warner Bros. films are in the top five, while Disney only has one in the top five.
Maybe smaller budget films, where studios allow creators to tell stories instead of mandating profit, is where the future is.