Horror comedy The Monkey had a strong start at the box office, earning $5.8 million on its opening day. However, it wasn’t enough to take the top spot from Captain America: Brave New World, which is still leading despite a sharp drop in its second weekend.
The Monkey, based on a Stephen King story, is on track to become one of Neon’s biggest films. It had the second-best opening in the studio’s history, behind last summer’s horror hit Longlegs.
The movie, directed by Osgood Perkins, follows two brothers who discover that a cursed toy monkey is causing people around them to die. Even though audience reactions were mixed, its low $10 million budget means it could still be a profitable hit.
Meanwhile, Captain America: Brave New World added $7.2 million on Friday. The film had a massive $100 million debut over President’s Day weekend, but negative reviews and weak audience scores have caused concern. The movie’s second-weekend drop is expected to be around 70%, similar to 2023’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which struggled to double its opening weekend earnings.
In third place, Paddington in Peru earned $1.5 million on Friday, bringing its projected second-weekend total to $6.5 million. The movie is performing similarly to Paddington 2, which had a slow but steady box office run.
Universal’s animated film Dog Man took fourth place, earning $1.3 million on Friday. It is expected to make $5.7 million this weekend, bringing its total domestic earnings to $78 million.
In fifth place, Chinese blockbuster Ne Zha 2 saw a big drop, earning $2.8 million in its second weekend. While its U.S. performance is modest, the film has already made over $1.6 billion in China, making it one of the highest-grossing animated movies of all time.
Outside the top five, Lionsgate finally released The Unbreakable Boy after a three-year delay. The drama, starring Zachary Levi, is expected to earn $2.4 million this weekend across 1,687 theaters.
Despite The Monkey’s strong start, Captain America: Brave New World remains No. 1 for now. However, its steep decline raises questions about the future of Marvel’s box office dominance.
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