As summer winds down, so does the box office heat, yet Disney’s Deadpool & Wolverine continues to dominate in its sixth weekend, securing the top spot on domestic charts once more. This comes as new releases like Dennis Quaid’s presidential biopic Reagan and Blumhouse’s horror film Afraid struggle to gain traction.
Deadpool & Wolverine added another $3.6 million on Friday, marking a 26% drop from the previous week. Despite briefly losing its No. 1 spot to Alien: Romulus during its debut, the Marvel film has maintained its stronghold, closing in on the $600 million domestic mark—a milestone reached by only 15 other films. Meanwhile, Afraid, released in 3,003 theaters, earned $1.3 million on its opening day.
Though not a blockbuster, the $12 million budgeted sci-fi thriller, directed by Chris Weitz and starring John Cho and Katherine Waterston, isn’t a significant financial risk. However, with poor reviews and a lukewarm C+ Cinema Score, the film’s debut is underwhelming, a typical outcome for many horror flicks.
Afraid is outperforming other new nationwide releases, though none were major critical draws as fall film festivals kicked off. Lionsgate’s 1992, starring Tyrese Gibson and set during the L.A. riots, earned an estimated $460,000 from 875 theaters, garnering a positive A- Cinema Score.
Similarly, Roadside’s City of Dreams, a drama about human trafficking with executive producers like Martin Sheen and Vivek Ramaswamy, grossed around $840,000 from 774 locations, bolstered by $1 million in free tickets to raise awareness for the film.
Bleecker Street’s space thriller Slingshot, featuring Laurence Fishburne and Casey Affleck, pulled in an estimated $250,000 from 845 theaters, receiving mixed reviews. Meanwhile, Reagan, Showbiz Direct’s debut theatrical release starring Dennis Quaid, generated $2.6 million from 2,754 theaters. Despite negative reviews, the $25 million biopic resonated with its intended audience, earning an A Cinema Score.
Despite five new films in theaters, holdovers like Disney’s Alien: Romulus are likely to capture the majority of box office revenue. Alien: Romulus is expected to maintain its second-place position after earning $2.2 million on Friday, bringing its domestic total to over $80 million and international gross to $150 million, buoyed by a strong performance in China.
Sony’s It Ends With Us seems set to take third place, projecting a $9.5 million gross over the four-day weekend, pushing its North American total past $125 million. In the coming weeks, it will aim to surpass A Quiet Place: Day One to become the 10th-highest-grossing domestic release of the year.
Additionally, Amazon MGM’s Blink Twice is poised for a solid hold despite a modest opening, projecting $5.2 million for the three-day weekend, a 28% drop from its debut.