Two of the biggest pop culture staples of the last decade were pitted against each other at the box office this weekend, and one of them scored a decisive win over the other. A few weeks ago, it looked like A24’s The Smashing Machine, riding off its film festival reviews (including ours), would open north of $20 million. Then came the news that Taylor Swift would be releasing a theatrical event tied to the launch of her new album. The resulting film, The Official Release Party of a Showgirl (which we reviewed), ended up making a huge $33 million this weekend, scoring a knockout win over The Rock.
Indeed, it wasn’t even close. While the $33 million is only a fraction of the $93 million Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour Movie made in its opening weekend, this is an altogether different kind of beast. That was a concert film, while this is more of a behind-the-scenes kind of deal. Also, fans seem mixed on The Life of a Showgirl as an album, but even still, this is a big number propped up by an army of Swifties who no doubt flooded cinemas all weekend.
So, where did The Smashing Machine end up? A distant third place with a disastrous $6 million, which marks The Rock’s lowest opening ever. Granted, this biopic was never expected to do Jumanji (or even Red One) numbers, but it’s a bummer, as Benny Safdie made an excellent film, and Johnson delivers the performance of a lifetime (opposite Emily Blunt, who’s also excellent). This opening is significantly less than we predicted earlier this week and marks another in a long list of flops for A24 this year, whose reputation as an indie darling seems to be at risk. Think about it: Opus, Death of a Unicorn, The Legend of Oshi, Warfare, Sorry Baby, Eddington — none of these films caught on. The only bright spot for them this year has been Materialists, which made $100 million worldwide.
The Smashing Machine was leapfrogged by Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another, which made $11.1 million, a 49% decline since last week. That’s not a bad hold, although it’s probably not going to come close to earning back its budget at the box office. Then again, with it likely to clean up at the Oscars, it’s still a prestige hit for the studio and will no doubt be a strong film to add to their catalog (I would imagine it will eventually turn a profit — even if it takes a few years). It’s currently at about $42 million domestically but has passed $100 million worldwide.
Meanwhile, Gabby’s Dollhouse lost a stunning 62% of its audience this weekend for a $5.2 million finish and a $21 million total. The Conjuring: Last Rites added another $4 million to its box office total, with an outstanding $167.8 million gross (by far the highest-grossing movie in the franchise). Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle wasn’t far behind with $3.5 million and a $124.6 million total.
Another surprise entry into the top ten was the re-release of James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water, which made $3.19 million — a number that bodes well for the Christmas release of Avatar: Fire & Ash. The Strangers: Chapter 2 made $2.8 million for a disappointing $10.6 million domestic total. With numbers like these, it’s not a sure thing that the (already shot) third film will get a theatrical release. IFC/Shudder had a nice-sized hit with Good Boy, which made $2.25 million, marking their biggest opening since Late Night With the Devil (no joke — we have an “interview” with the dog star Indy dropping tomorrow on our Celeb Access YouTube Channel). Finally, the Indian title Kantara: A Legend – Chapter 1 rounded out the top ten with $1.7 million (according to ComScore’s early figures).
What did you see this weekend? Let us know in the comments!