Box Office: ‘Super Mario Galaxy’ $30M No. 1, ‘The Mummy’ $13M Opening

FRIDAY PM: Illumination/Nintendo/Universal’s Super Mario Galaxy Movie still has the star power at No. 1 with $30M third weekend, -56%, after a $7.1M Friday, heading toward a $350.2M domestic take by Sunday. While this movie along with Project Hail Mary ($19.4M fifth weekend, -20%, cume $284M) have been the anchors of spring much like Sinners and A Minecraft Movie were a year ago, it was always known that this sequel would be a bit frontloaded with slightly lesser audience exits than the first one. Super Mario Bros declined -35% in its third frame taking its running cume to $436M. Not a big deal, Super Mario Galaxy Movie is headed to a $700M global take and will surpass China’s Pegasus 3 to become the highest grossing movie of the year. Super Mario Galaxy Movie is booked at 4,170 theaters while Project Hail Mary is playing at 3,820 theaters.

In third place is New Line/Blumhouse/Atomic Monster’s Lee Cronin’s The Mummy with $5.1M today and a 3-day outlook of $13M at 3,304 theaters. Audience score on Rotten Tomatoes is now at 77% with critics disliking mummified children at 45%. Social media reach across TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, X, and Instagram was at 265M before opening says RelishMix, 26% horror genre norms and post Covid scary pics such as 28 Years Later (225M), Smile 2 (159M) and M3GAN 2.0 (263M). Mummy cast members are fully socially activated, although with moderate reach including Veronica Falcón who brings 128K fans, Lila Kosta at 120K, Jack Rayner at 82K, plus director Cronin at 39k.

Fourth place goes to the third weekend of A24’s Zendaya and Robert Pattinson romantic drama, The Drama, with $1.5M Friday and $4.7M 3-day, -38%, and a running cume by EOD Sunday of $37.7M. By the way if that cume holds, it is spot on with the tennis threesome rom-com Challengers.

Fifth is the second weekend of the Will Packer produced romantic drama, You, Me & Tuscany with $3.5M, -55%, after a second Friday that was $1.1M. Ten-day cume is $14M.

FRIDAY AM: Before Lionsgate’s Michael moonwalks and boogies down at the box office, we have New Line/Blumhouse/Atomic Monster’s Lee Cronin’s The Mummy which did $1.5M yesterday from showtimes which began at 3PM. The horror pic is eyeing an opening around $12M in a box office universe still dominated by Illumination/Nintendo/Universal’s Super Mario Galaxy Movie which sources have at a third weekend around $44M. By comparison, weekend 3 of 2023’s Super Mario Bros Movie was $59.9M, -35% from weekend 2.

Audiences so far are enjoying Lee Cronin’s The Mummy at 80% to critics’ 51% on Rotten Tomatoes. That preview figure is under the $2.2M of Send Help and above Knock at the Cabin ($1.45M, $14M).

The pic, which cost $22M net with 30% Irish tax credits, follows the young daughter of a journalist who disappears into the desert without a trace. Eight years later, the broken family is shocked when she is returned to them, as what should be a joyful reunion turns into a living nightmare.

The R-rated The Mummy‘s first choice is best with men over 25 and women under 25. Overall first choice is about even with The Invisible Man ($28.2M), higher than Send Help ($19M) and a notch above The Monkey ($14M) and 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple ($12.5M).

Magnolia has the Bob Odenkirk starring and co-written, Ben Wheatley directed, and Derek Kolstad co-written Normal which will rep Magnolia’s widest release ever at 2,027 theaters and the largest P&A in the company’s history. It’s part of a strategic shift whereby Magnolia will reserve a few slots a year for wide release pics. Thelma was previously Magnolia’s widest entry with an opening of $2.3M at 1,290 theaters. The shoot ’em up Normal is expected to arrive in the low single digits. Critical score on RT is 77% certified fresh. Magnolia bought this movie out of TIFF midnight. Odenkirk plays a small town temporary sheriff who uncovers dark mysteries after the bank is robbed. Watch our interview out of TIFF below:

Here’s the top 5 for the week: