Paramount’s ‘By Any Means’ and A24’s ‘Onslaught’ both debuted in theaters on Friday, but neither succeeded in unseating ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day,’ which continues to hold the No. 1 spot in its sixth weekend of release.
‘Spider-Man’ added $3.9 million on Friday alone, crossing the significant domestic threshold of $900 million. The film achieved this benchmark in just 36 days, surpassing the previous record of 50 days set by 2015’s ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens.’ The Marvel-Sony production is projected to earn approximately $22 million over the four-day Labor Day weekend, bringing its domestic total to an estimated $922 million. Industry analysts suggest it is only a matter of time before the film overtakes ‘The Force Awakens’ as the highest-grossing domestic film of all time, currently holding $936 million.
Among the new releases, ‘By Any Means’ performed best, grossing $2.7 million domestically on Friday to secure fourth place behind ‘Spider-Man,’ ‘The Odyssey,’ and ‘Coyote vs. Acme.’ The 1960s thriller, starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Mark Wahlberg, is expected to earn $8.5 million through the long weekend. The film follows a young FBI agent who recruits a mafia hitman to investigate the murders of civil rights leaders in Mississippi. Directed by Elegance Bratton with a screenplay by Sascha Penn, the cast also includes Nicole Beharie, Josh Lucas, LisaGay Hamilton, and LaChanze.
Meanwhile, A24’s ‘Onslaught’ has struggled to find an audience, grossing only $770,000 on Friday. The action film, featuring Adria Arjona as an army sniper protecting her daughter from genetically engineered super soldiers, is on pace to earn just $2.3 million by Monday. Directed by Adam Wingard with a script by Simon Barrett, the film also stars Dan Stevens, Eric Wareheim, Reginald VelJohnson, Michael Biehn, Blake Kennedy, and Alex Pereira.
Holdover Universal’s ‘The Odyssey’ earned $3 million on Friday, moving into second place. The film is expected to bring in $16.4 million by Monday, pushing its North American total to $588 million.
Ketchup Entertainment’s animated comedy ‘Coyote vs. Acme’ saw stronger numbers in its second weekend, collecting $2.6 million on Friday. It is projected to earn about $15.3 million over the weekend, raising its domestic total to $37.8 million.
Conversely, 20th Century’s dystopian drama ‘The Dog Stars’ continues to face difficulties in its second weekend. The film made just $720,000 on Friday and is expected to earn $3.7 million for the weekend, a significant drop from its opening weekend gross of $8 million.
Thirty-six days is absolutely insane. The Force Awakens record looked untouchable for years!
I’m surprised Onslaught tanked so hard. Adria Arjona deserved better than $770k opening Friday.
This Spider-Man movie is a cultural phenomenon. I still can’t believe it’s only week six!
Domestic only? I wonder how quickly it hits $1 billion worldwide. Probably already there.
At least the new releases aren’t completely stealing thunder. By Any Means looks promising.