‘Megalopolis’ flops, ‘Wild Robot’ soars at box office

by Jake Coyle | Associated Press

NEW YORK – Francis Ford Coppola’s decades-in-the-making process self-financing epic “Megalopolis” The acclaimed DreamWorks Animation family movie won the admiration of moviegoers “Wild Robot” It rose to No. 1 at the box office over the weekend.

Chris Sanders’ “The Wild Robot,” based on Peter Brown’s best-selling novel, beat expectations for a release in theaters in the U.S. and Canada with $35 million in ticket sales, the studio estimated Sunday. “Wild Robot” was poised to be a success after critics raved about its story in which a shipwrecked robot raises an orphaned gosling. Audiences agreed and gave the film an A CinemaScore. “Wild Robot” will likely have a long and lucrative run for release at Universal Pictures.

Paul Dergarabedian, Comscore’s senior media analyst, predicts that “The Wild Robot” “could take a page from the ‘Elemental’ playbook by opening to a respectable box office and then leaning into long-term gameplay.” Pixar’s “Elemental,” which is not a sequel like “The Wild Robot,” debuted modestly at $30 million but grossed nearly $500 million worldwide.

Family movies, led by the year’s biggest hit “Inside Out 2”, have seen a significant increase in the box office this year. In a news release for Franchise Entertainment, film consultant David A. Gross stated that the genre should reach $6 billion worldwide by 2024, “back to pre-pandemic levels.”

“Megalopolis,” Coppola’s vision of a Roman epic set in modern-day New YorkIt was never expected to perform anywhere near this level. But the film’s $4 million debut was still sobering for a film that Coppola had financed for $120 million. by following him Premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, Critics were mixed about Coppola’s first film in 13 years. Viewers gave it a D+ CinemaScore.

From any financial perspective, “Megalopolis” was a massive flop. But from the beginning, 85-year-old Coppola’s money wasn’t her concern. Coppola shaped the film, which he first began developing in the late 1970s, as a grand personal statement about human possibilities.

“Everybody’s very worried about money,” Coppola said in an interview with The Associated Press before the film’s release. “I say: Give me less money and more friends.”

The studios moved to Megalopolis after Cannes. Lionsgate ultimately came forward to distribute it for a fee. Coppola also shouldered most of the $15 million marketing costs. The film, starring Adam Driver, Nathalie Emmanuel and Aubrey Plaza, was also released in approximately 200 IMAX locations and accounted for $1.8 million in ticket sales.

After remaining at the top of the box office for three weeks, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” by Tim Burton In its fourth weekend of release, it fell to second place with $16 million. Warner Bros.’ sequel to the 1988 “Beetlejuice,” starring Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder, grossed $250 million domestically in its first month of release.

Third place gone “Transformers One” A prequel to Transformers starring Chris Hemsworth and Brian Tyree Henry. After a lower-than-expected debut last weekend, the Paramount release collected $9.3 million in its second weekend.

“Megalopolis” was even surpassed by the Indian Telugu action movie “Devara: Part 1”. It grossed $5.1 million in its opening weekend, good enough for fourth place.

Also made its theatrical debut “Saturday Night” by Jason Reitman A loving dramatization of the sketch-comedy institution’s first broadcast in 1975. NBC series the same weekend Started its 50th season Reitman’s film opened in five New York and Los Angeles theaters and collected $265,000; This equates to a strong average of $53,000 per theater. “Saturday Night” will open nationwide in two weeks.

Estimated ticket sales at U.S. and Canadian theaters from Friday through Sunday, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be announced on Monday.

1. “Wild Robot,” $35 million.

2. “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” $16 million.

3. “Transformers One,” $9.3 million.

4. “Devara: Part 1,” $5.1 million.

5. “Bad Talk” $4.3 million.

6. “Megalopolis,” $4 million.

7. “Deadpool and Wolverine,” $2.7 million.

8. “My Old Ass,” $2.2 million.

9. “Never Let Go,” $2.2 million.

10. “Article”, $1.8 million.

First Publication Date: 29 September 2024, 14:30