<\/p>\n
LOS ANGELES (AP) \u2014 It\u2019s August, and horror and humor came to play.<\/p>\n
In a month that\u2019s long been known to let edgier movies thrive, Zach Cregger\u2019s highly anticipated horror film \u201cWeapons\u201d<\/a> did not disappoint, topping the box office during its debut weekend with $42.5 million domestically from 3,202 theaters. It made $70 million internationally.<\/p>\n The film\u2019s success also handed its distributor, Warner Bros. Pictures, the seventh No. 1 opening of the year, and became the studio\u2019s sixth film in a row to debut with over $40 million domestically.<\/p>\n \u201cFreakier Friday,\u201d Disney\u2019s chaotic sequel<\/a> to the 2003 classic, \u201cFreaky Friday,\u201d took the second spot during its premiere weekend, earning $29 million in 3,975 North American theaters. Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis return, this time for a double body-swapping between the mother-daughter duo and Lohan\u2019s teen daughter and soon-to-be stepdaughter.<\/p>\n Viral marketing tactics, coupled with strong social media word-of-mouth, boded well for both films\u2019 success, said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for the data firm Comscore.<\/p>\n \u201cThe top two films could not be more different, and that\u2019s what makes this weekend so appealing for moviegoers,\u201d Dergarabedian said. \u201cBoth are perfectly tailored for their audiences to react in real time over the weekend to these films and then post on social media.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWeapons\u201d transports audiences to the small town of Maybrook, where 17 kids up and leave their homes at 2:17 a.m., leaving bewildered parents in their wake. The town is left to navigate the lingering effects of trauma through horror, paranoia and a touch of existential humor.<\/a><\/p>\n The film is Cregger\u2019s follow-up to his solo directorial debut with the 2022 genre-bending horror, \u201cBarbarian.\u201d<\/a> That critically-acclaimed film had a slower start and smaller budget, but still topped the charts during its premiere with $10 million domestically<\/a> and made a splash in the genre.<\/p>\n \u201cWeapons\u201d generated a lot of buzz for its strong reviews (95% on Rotten Tomatoes).<\/p>\n \u201cThe Internet\u2019s exploding right now between Friday and today. You just see that people are having a great time with it,\u201d said Jeffrey Goldstein, president of Global Distribution for Warner Bros. \u201cIt starts with an exceptional movie, an exceptional marketing campaign, and the date was exceptional too.\u201d<\/p>\n The success of the comedy-horror double premiere meant \u201cThe Fantastic Four: First Steps\u201d<\/a> surrendered its two-week run in the top spot and landed in the third position, bringing in $15.5 million domestically. The superhero movie enjoyed a strong $118 million debut<\/a>, but stumbled in its second weekend.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThe Bad Guys 2,\u201d<\/a> which got a healthy start at the No. 2 spot during its premiere weekend, came in fourth place, earning $10.4 million domestically. \u201cThe Naked Gun\u201d<\/a> had a similar fate, reaching the fifth position with $8.4 million in North American theaters.<\/p>\n \u201cJurassic World Rebirth,\u201d<\/a> which came in seventh this week, is expected to hit $800 million globally by Monday, according to NBC Universal, following a successful run in theaters.<\/a><\/p>\n Warner Bros. started off slow this year, but made a comeback with the box-office hit, \u201cA Minecraft Movie,\u201d<\/a> which opened with $157 million domestically. Since then, movies like \u201cSinners,\u201d \u201cSuperman\u201d and now, \u201cWeapons,\u201d have found success.<\/p>\n The studio set \u201ca blueprint to how to create a perfect summer lineup,\u201d Dergarabedian said.<\/p>\n \u201cWeapons \u201dalso joins a stream of successful horror movies this year, its opening numbers coming in just behind \u201cFinal Destination: Bloodlines\u201d<\/a> and \u201cSinners.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n Top 10 movies by domestic box office<\/p>\n With final domestic figures being released Monday, this list factors in the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore:<\/p>\n 1. \u201cWeapons,\u201d $42.5 million.<\/p>\n 2. \u201cFreakier Friday,\u201d $29 million.<\/p>\n 3. \u201cThe Fantastic Four: First Steps,\u201d $15.5 million.<\/p>\n 4. \u201cThe Bad Guys 2,\u201d $10.4 million.<\/p>\n 5. \u201cThe Naked Gun,\u201d $8.4 million.<\/p>\n 6. \u201cSuperman,\u201d $7.8 million.<\/p>\n 7. \u201cJurassic World Rebirth,\u201d $4.7 million.<\/p>\n 8. \u201cF1: The Movie,\u201d $2.9 million.<\/p>\n 9. \u201cTogether,\u201d $2.6 million.<\/p>\n 10. \u201cSketch,\u201d $2.5 million.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.yahoo.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" LOS ANGELES (AP) \u2014 It\u2019s August, and horror and humor came to play. In a month that\u2019s long been known to let edgier movies thrive, Zach Cregger\u2019s highly anticipated horror film \u201cWeapons\u201d did not disappoint, topping the box office during its debut weekend with $42.5 million domestically from 3,202 theaters. It made $70 million internationally. 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