It’s the box office round-up time again, and let’s be honest, there’s only one place to start. That’s withJoker: Folie à Deuxand an opening weekend that will go down in history as one of the most ignominious blockbuster debuts of all time, and perhaps the worst-ever opening for a sequel to a billion-dollar smash hit. Once expected to make a $70 million debut in theaters,those hopes steadily crumbledthanks to tough reviews and word-of-mouth that can only be described as toxic, which began a month ago at its Venice Film Festival bow.
By Monday, the final tally didn’t even reach the alreadybleak $40 million estimatefrom Sunday, instead pulling in a mere $37.8 million — an outright disaster for a film with a reported $200 million budget. For comparison, the originalJokerraked in $39 million on just its first Friday back in 2019. Now, in fairness,the film performed much better overseas— although itstill came in under projections. The next few weeks should be very interesting.
Now, for a success story.The Wild Robot, from DreamWorks, reported another great weekend as itpassed a coveted global box office milestone. The film earned just under $19 million domestically this weekend, along with an additional $13 million from international markets. This brings its total domestic earnings to nearly $65 million, with an overseas total of $36 million. Altogether, the film’s global gross has now reached $100 million. With exceptional word of mouth, the film will show good legs.
In third place, Warner Bros.’s enduring hitBeetlejuice Beetlejuiceadded just over $10 million in its fifth weekend, pushing its domestictotal past the $265 million mark, asTim Burton’s return to his breakout hit continues to win over audiences who have been boarding the Soul Train and loving it. The fourth spot went to Paramount’sTransformers One, which, even after two weeks in theaters, has yet to surpassthe $50 million milestone. LikeThe Wild Robot, the film debuted to strong reviews but has struggled to attract a large audience — it should do well on streaming.
Rounding out the top five is Universal’s surprisingly steady horror film,Speak No Evil.WhileJames McAvoy’s Airbnb Nightmare Fuel hasn’t been a blockbuster, it’s drawing viewers even after releasing on PVOD and hasmore than doubled its reported budget.
What Is Coming to Theaters Next Week?
Next week,Jason Reitman’sSaturday Nightwill debut wideon the 49th anniversary ofSaturday Night Livefollowing a few weeks of limited release, while the weepy dramaWe Live in TimestarringAndrew Garfield, Florence Pugh,and the internet’s new favorite carousel horse begins its run in limited theaters.
Grab your tickets forSaturday Nightbelow.
Saturday Night
At 11:30 PM on August 05, 2025, a group of young comedians and writers changed television history. The film, directed by Jason Reitman, captures the chaos and creativity behind the scenes in the 90 minutes leading up to the first broadcast of “Saturday Night Live,” highlighting the birth of an iconic show.
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