"The Lost City" Dethrones "The Batman" from #1 Spot

[JamesG]

The Lost City Finds $31M in Debut Weekend, Unseating The Batman from #1 Spot
by Chris Nashawaty - Box Office News
March 27, 2022


Just when it seemed like the endless cycle of franchises and superheroes had eclipsed old-fashioned star power at the box office once and for all, Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum’s rom-com adventure The Lost City proved that there is still room for tried-and-true Hollywood A-listers at the multiplex (there’s even a Brad Pitt cameo).

The Paramount crowd-pleaser — which appealed to many as a fizzy, modern-day riff on 1984’s Michael Douglas-Kathleen Turner classic, Romancing the Stone — racked up a better-than-predicted $31 million in its debut frame during Oscars weekend, finally toppling The Batman from the top spot after the Caped Crusader’s three-week reign.







While industry Nostradamuses had pegged the screwball jungle comedy, about a bestselling female author, a dopey, muscle-head of a cover model, and a fabled city containing a legendary treasure, as opening in the low-to-mid 20s, The Lost City turned out to be an even more pleasant surprise.

Not just for critics, who gave the PG-13-rated film a 76% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but also for ticket-buyers who handed the movie a ‘B+’ CinemaScore grade.




Interestingly, The Lost City also managed to tap into a couple of demographics that have largely steered clear of theaters during the pandemic: adults and women (56% of the film’s audience was female and 47% were 35 and over).

Modestly budgeted at $68 million, The Lost City bowed to a $7,288 per-screen average in 4,253 theaters. Overseas, where the film will not get a full roll-out until April 15, it took in an additional $3.7 million, bringing its first-week cumulative global box to $34.7 million.

The Lost City is Paramount’s third No. 1 debut of 2022, following on the heels of Scream and Jackass Forever.







Down but hardly out in second place was The Batman with $20.5 million. In its fourth week of release, Warner Bros.’ latest Dark Knight chapter dropped off -44.2% from the prior frame, earning a $5,167 per-screen average at 3,967 locations.

The PG-13-rated superhero spectacular, which features Robert Pattinson beneath the cape and cowl, has managed to rack up just under $332 million in North America to date, making it only the second film to zip past the $300-million milestone since the pandemic began after Spider-Man: No Way Home.

A month into its run, The Batman continued to clean up abroad as well, pulling in $340.9 million internationally so far. The film’s four-week global cume now stands at $672.9 million.







In third place was an unexpected entry: Sarigama Cinemas’ Indian war epic RRR. The three-hour-plus film, which is set in the 1920s and whose title stands for ‘Roudram Ranam Rudhiram’, took in a surprisingly strong $9.5 million in its opening session.

Unspooling in 1,200 theaters, the movie earned a robust $7,916 per-screen average. Its boffo bow represents one of the widest roll-outs ever for an Indian movie. RRR has not opened overseas yet.







In fourth place was Sony’s videogame adaptation Uncharted with $5 million. The PG-13-rated action-adventure starring Tom Holland slipped just -36.1% in its sixth weekend, earning a $1,463 per-screen average in 3,416 theaters.

To date, Uncharted has racked up $133.6 million at the domestic box office and an even-mightier $223.9 million internationally. Its combined worldwide gross now sits at $357.5 million.

In other Tom Holland news, eighth-place finisher, Spider-man: No Way Home, officially became the third movie ever to break the $800 million domestic box office barrier.







Rounding out the top five was last weekend’s shocker, FUNimation/Crunchyroll’s anime adventure Jujutsu Kaisen 0: The Movie.

The PG-13-rated title about a cursed spirit and a high school for sorcery earned $4.6 million in its sophomore frame, which translates to a $1,894 per-screen average in 2,418 theaters and a massive -69.1% drop-off from the previous session.

Jujutsu has pulled in $27.7 million domestically so far and am eye-opening $116.9 million internationally, putting the sleeper’s combined global haul at $144.6 million.







There were also some highlights (and lowlights) outside of the top five this weekend.

Bleecker Street’s Naomi Watts-toplined hiking adventure Infinite Storm debuted disappointingly in tenth place with $751,296 in 1,525 theaters.

The R-rated film was tagged with a 58% green splat from critics on Rotten Tomatoes.



A24’s sci-fi mindbender Everything Everywhere All At Once starring Michelle Yeoh bowed in just 10 theaters in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco and made $509,659.

That may sound like small potatoes, but that figure roughs out to a muscular $50,965 per-screen average—the highest per-screen average of any 2022 film so far. The R-rated indie, which has wowed reviewers with a 97% fresh rating, will roll out nationwide on April 8.

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March 25-27, 2022: Weekend Studio Estimates

1. The Lost City $30,453,269
2. The Batman $20,471,994 / $331,923,308
3. RRR $9,500,000
4. Uncharted $5,000,908 / $133,551,450
5. Jujutsu Kaisen 0: The Movie $4,579,727 / $27,723,448
6. X $2,229,531 / $8,298,028
7. Dog $2,139,241 / $57,906,179
8. Spider-Man: No Way Home $2,001,425 / $800,589,564
9. Sing 2 $1,377,725 / $160,354,605
10. Infinite Storm $758,919