‘The Bad Guys’ Holds Onto Top Spot With $16.1 Million While ‘Memory’ Hints At Liam Neeson Fatigue
Consider it the calm before the storm. With Marvel’s eagerly awaited Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness officially kicking off the summer blockbuster season next weekend, the nation’s multiplexes were sleepier than usual… unless, of course, you were a kid (or the parent of one). As the top five movies in North America remained largely unchanged from the previous frame—with The Bad Guys taking top honors again—it’s worth noting that the weekend’s three biggest grossers were all family-friendly titles. Meanwhile, on the other end of the age spectrum, Liam Neeson served up the weekend’s only major new release, Memory. But the action-thriller’s soft, eighth-place opening raised questions whether his once-loyal fanbase has finally grown tired of his “particular set of skills.”
Following its $24-million debut last weekend, Universal’s The Bad Guys managed a solid sophomore session, pulling in $16.1 million—a drop-off of just -32.8% from the prior frame. The PG-rated animated comedy about a gang of animal thieves who struggle to become model citizens earned a $3,983 per-screen average at 4,042 locations. The movie, which features the voices of Sam Rockwell, Marc Maron, Zazie Beetz, Craig Robinson, and Awkwafina, has now collected $44.4 million domestically, boosted by an additional $74.3 million from overseas, bringing its two-week cumulative global box office to $118.7 million.
In the runner-up spot once again was Paramount’s Sonic the Hedgehog 2, which took in just under $11.4 million in its fourth weekend of release. The sequel slipped -27.5% from the previous session, scoring a $2,986 per-screen average in 3,801 theaters. The PG-rated follow-up to 2020’s franchise-starter, which features Jim Carrey, James Marsden, and the voice of Ben Schwartz as its eponymous blue cartoon critter, has now racked up $160.9 million in North America. That lofty sum moved it past the original Sonic’s $149 million domestic (although that film’s theatrical run was cut short by the outset of the COVID pandemic). Internationally, where Sonic 2 bowed a week earlier, the film has pulled in $162.6 million so far, bringing its current worldwide tally to an impressive $323.5 million.
In third place was the underperforming Harry Potter spin-off Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore with $8.3 million. Dropping -40.7% from the prior weekend, the PG-13-rated fantasy saw more of its box-office magic dwindle away. The third film in Warner Bros.’ proposed five-film Fantastic Beasts cycle notched a $2,095 per-screen average at 3,962 locations. The film, which stars Eddie Redmayne and Jude Law as Dumbledore, has taken in an underwhelming $79.6 million in North America in its first three weeks. It is beginning to look increasingly unlikely that the movie will pass the $100-million mark domestically. The silver lining, though, is that Fantastic Beasts 3 is performing far better overseas, where it has accumulated $250 million to date. Its worldwide cume now stands at $329.6 million.
Unchanged in fourth place was Focus Features’ mud-and-blood-soaked The Northman with $6.3 million in its second weekend. The R-rated Viking saga starring Alexander Skarsgard, Nicole Kidman, and Anya Taylor-Joy fell -48.7% from its debut frame, snagging a $1,921 per-screen average in 3,284 theaters. Its two-week domestic haul is now $22.8 million—well short of its reported $70 million budget. The Northman didn’t get much help from overseas either, where the film has taken in just $18.8 million so far, putting its global cume at $41.6 million.
Rounding out the top five was the season’s biggest indie shocker Everything Everywhere All at Once. A24’s R-rated title jumped from its sixth-place finish last week into the top five this week thanks to its impressive $5.5 million haul—which represents a +2.2% uptick from the previous session ($850,000 of which came from IMAX). The weird, wacky genre-defying dark comedy about a woman (Michelle Yeoh) who enters a visually daffy multiverse, earned a $2,504 per-screen average in 2,213 theaters. A24’s “little indie that could” has raked in $35.5 million in its first six weeks of release and another $2.7 million internationally, putting its current global cume at $38.2 million and counting.
Last, and also in this case least, was Liam Neeson’s latest payback-thriller, Memory, which failed to make much of a splash as the weekend’s only major debut of note. The R-rated action flick from Open Roads Films bowed in eighth place to just $3.1 million, eking out a $1,213 per-screen average in 2,555 theaters. The programmer, which features Neeson as an assassin with a failing memory and costars Guy Pearce and Monica Bellucci, is unfortunately right in line with the raft of other Neeson titles that have saturated the marketplace during the pandemic such as Honest Thief ($3.6 million opening), The Marksman ($3.1 million), andBlacklight ($3.6 million). Overseas, Memory (which was tagged with a 31% fresh rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes) added a less-than-memorable $99,806, raising the question: Are we witnessing the end of Neeson’s aging-avenger period?
Following its $24-million debut last weekend, Universal’s The Bad Guys managed a solid sophomore session, pulling in $16.1 million—a drop-off of just -32.8% from the prior frame. The PG-rated animated comedy about a gang of animal thieves who struggle to become model citizens earned a $3,983 per-screen average at 4,042 locations. The movie, which features the voices of Sam Rockwell, Marc Maron, Zazie Beetz, Craig Robinson, and Awkwafina, has now collected $44.4 million domestically, boosted by an additional $74.3 million from overseas, bringing its two-week cumulative global box office to $118.7 million.
In the runner-up spot once again was Paramount’s Sonic the Hedgehog 2, which took in just under $11.4 million in its fourth weekend of release. The sequel slipped -27.5% from the previous session, scoring a $2,986 per-screen average in 3,801 theaters. The PG-rated follow-up to 2020’s franchise-starter, which features Jim Carrey, James Marsden, and the voice of Ben Schwartz as its eponymous blue cartoon critter, has now racked up $160.9 million in North America. That lofty sum moved it past the original Sonic’s $149 million domestic (although that film’s theatrical run was cut short by the outset of the COVID pandemic). Internationally, where Sonic 2 bowed a week earlier, the film has pulled in $162.6 million so far, bringing its current worldwide tally to an impressive $323.5 million.
In third place was the underperforming Harry Potter spin-off Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore with $8.3 million. Dropping -40.7% from the prior weekend, the PG-13-rated fantasy saw more of its box-office magic dwindle away. The third film in Warner Bros.’ proposed five-film Fantastic Beasts cycle notched a $2,095 per-screen average at 3,962 locations. The film, which stars Eddie Redmayne and Jude Law as Dumbledore, has taken in an underwhelming $79.6 million in North America in its first three weeks. It is beginning to look increasingly unlikely that the movie will pass the $100-million mark domestically. The silver lining, though, is that Fantastic Beasts 3 is performing far better overseas, where it has accumulated $250 million to date. Its worldwide cume now stands at $329.6 million.
Unchanged in fourth place was Focus Features’ mud-and-blood-soaked The Northman with $6.3 million in its second weekend. The R-rated Viking saga starring Alexander Skarsgard, Nicole Kidman, and Anya Taylor-Joy fell -48.7% from its debut frame, snagging a $1,921 per-screen average in 3,284 theaters. Its two-week domestic haul is now $22.8 million—well short of its reported $70 million budget. The Northman didn’t get much help from overseas either, where the film has taken in just $18.8 million so far, putting its global cume at $41.6 million.
Rounding out the top five was the season’s biggest indie shocker Everything Everywhere All at Once. A24’s R-rated title jumped from its sixth-place finish last week into the top five this week thanks to its impressive $5.5 million haul—which represents a +2.2% uptick from the previous session ($850,000 of which came from IMAX). The weird, wacky genre-defying dark comedy about a woman (Michelle Yeoh) who enters a visually daffy multiverse, earned a $2,504 per-screen average in 2,213 theaters. A24’s “little indie that could” has raked in $35.5 million in its first six weeks of release and another $2.7 million internationally, putting its current global cume at $38.2 million and counting.
Last, and also in this case least, was Liam Neeson’s latest payback-thriller, Memory, which failed to make much of a splash as the weekend’s only major debut of note. The R-rated action flick from Open Roads Films bowed in eighth place to just $3.1 million, eking out a $1,213 per-screen average in 2,555 theaters. The programmer, which features Neeson as an assassin with a failing memory and costars Guy Pearce and Monica Bellucci, is unfortunately right in line with the raft of other Neeson titles that have saturated the marketplace during the pandemic such as Honest Thief ($3.6 million opening), The Marksman ($3.1 million), andBlacklight ($3.6 million). Overseas, Memory (which was tagged with a 31% fresh rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes) added a less-than-memorable $99,806, raising the question: Are we witnessing the end of Neeson’s aging-avenger period?
