In a surprising turn of events at the box office, Kenneth Branagh’s latest thriller A Haunting in Venice, part of his Agatha Christie-inspired series, is neck-and-neck with the horror sequel The Nun II, Preliminary figures released for the weekend show a mere $200,000 separating the two films, with both hovering around $14 million. These razor-thin margins mean that the industry is essentially treating it as a dead heat until confirmed numbers are out on Monday.
The latest instalment from Branagh hasn’t exploded out of the gate but performed as expected, pulling in $37.2 million globally, of which $22.7 million comes from international markets. Young adults made up a significant portion of the audience, although the franchise’s typical older fans were notably absent. The studio managed to produce this film on a $60 million budget, a drop from the $90 million spent on its predecessor, Death on the Nile.
The second week for The Nun II saw a drop of 55%, but it’s already a commercial success, amassing $158.8 million globally. It seems to be tracking well internationally, especially when compared to other titles in The Conjuring Universe.
Box office analysts agree that the horror genre is currently en vogue, and we can expect a steady flow of frightening flicks in the weeks to come.
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Elsewhere, Sony’s The Equalizer 3 holds steady in third place, raking in $73.7 million domestically. Meanwhile, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 continues to struggle, while Greta Gerwig’s Barbie stays strong, accumulating a whopping $1.41 billion globally. Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer has now become the highest-earning biopic ever, surpassing Bohemian Rhapsody with a global take of $912.7 million.
Finally, Dumb Money, a film about the 2021 GameStop stock frenzy starring Paul Dano and Pete Davidson, had a limited release due to the ongoing actor’s strike. It made an impressive $27,080 per location over the weekend Source
