‘Dungeons & Dragons’ opens with $38.5M, passes John Wick

NEW YORK — Riding terrific critiques and a powerful word-of-mouth, the position enjoying sport adaptation “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” opened with $38.5 million in U.S. and Canadian movie theaters over the weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday, stealing the top box-office perch from “John Wick: Chapter 4.”

The Paramount Pictures and eOne unlock appealed to extra moviegoers than many anticipated a movie according to a notoriously area of interest desk most sensible sport to pastime. “Game Night” administrators Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley grew to become in a rollicking comedian action-adventure, with a forged together with Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Regé-Jean Page and Hugh Grant, that is bringing in price tag patrons much less acquainted with “D&D.” Audiences gave “Honor Among Thieves,” which introduced with a raucous opening-night premiere at SXSW, an A- CinemaScore. It scored 91% contemporary on Rotten Tomatoes.

“We understand how just right our film is,” said Chris Aronson, distribution chief for Paramount. “I know it’s been said before, but I think opening to $38-39 million is just the start. These kind of exits polls translate to playability.”

“Dungeons & Dragons” was once additionally a large roll of the cube. The movie, co-produced and co-financed by way of Paramount with eOne, which is owned by way of Hasbro, price $150 million to make. With a manufacturing price like that, “Dungeons & Dragons” can be searching for sustained gross sales thru April and equivalent good fortune out of the country to doubtlessly kickstart a brand new franchise. It introduced the world over with $33 million.

“The challenge with this film is convincing everyone that this film is for you,” mentioned Aronson. “Jonathan and John, these guys are really talented and great collaborators. We’re going to work more with them. Hopefully, this will be the start of a franchise.”

“John Wick: Chapter 4,” which launched last weekend with a franchise-best $73.5 million, slid to 2d position in its 2d weekend with $28.2 million. While a sizeable dip, the murderer motion movie, starring Keanu Reeves, has already collected $122.8 million locally and, after including every other $35 million the world over over the weekend, $245 million international. Lionsgate has no scarcity of plans for additional growth within the franchise.

Along with “John Wick: Chapter 4,” “Creed III” and “Scream VI,” “Dungeons & Dragons” provides to a string of well-received March releases that experience surpassed box-office expectancies and scored properly with audiences. It’s a streak that Universal Pictures’ “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” will glance to proceed subsequent weekend.

“While it may not be the highest grossing March ever, this is one of the best months of March for the industry in its history, coming off of three years of a pandemic-challenged marketplace,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for data firm Comscore. “March is not the summer, but it’s sure felt like the summer, with hit after hit.”

Those movie have helped push the 2023 field workplace properly forward of ultimate yr’s tempo, up 28.7%, consistent with David A. Gross, who runs Franchise Entertainment Research. Still, general price tag gross sales don’t seem to be but as much as pre-pandemic ranges, trailing the 2017-2019 reasonable by way of 28.8%.

Games and toys also are proving to be loyal big-screen assets. “Dungeons & Dragons” can be adopted this yr by way of Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” and a brand new “Transformers” film. “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” is anticipated to increase a rising trend for the once-derided video game adaptation.

“Dungeons & Dragons” had little pageant from new releases. The Christian drama “His Only Son” debuted with $5.3 million. A.V. Rockwell’s Sundance Film Festival grand jury prize winner “A Thousand and One,” a few mom (Teyana Taylor) who kidnaps her son from foster care, opened with $1.8 million at 926 theaters for Focus Features.

Estimated price tag gross sales for Friday thru Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, consistent with Comscore. Final home figures can be launched Monday.

1.”Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves,” $38.5 million.

2. “John Wick, Chapter 4,” $28.2 million.

3. “Scream VI,” $5.3 million. (Tie)

3. “His Only Son,” $5.3 million. (Tie)

5. “Creed III,” $5 million.

6. “Shazam! Fury of the Gods,” $4.7 million.

7. “A Thousand and One,” $1.8 million.

8. “65,” $1.6 million.

9. “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” $1.2 million.

10. “Jesus Revolution,” $1 million.