Universal is making some modest waves to kick off 2024's box office, with the studio's release of Blumhouse Productions' new horror film “Night Swim” looking to take second place when it opens. The PG-13 thriller earned $5.2 million during its opening day and preview screenings, and is now expected to earn about $12.5 million across the three-day window.
It's a solid dive into a “Night Swim” movie, one that barely puts the producers in the financial deep at just $15 million before marketing. Blumhouse, which officially merged with Atomic Monster this week, shattered expectations a year ago when the killer doll movie “M3GAN” grossed $30 million in the first weekend of the year. Studios have made a habit of sneaking a horror programmer to the top of the calendar, and while “Night Swim” isn't exactly the best performer across recent examples, it shows why the early calendar strategy still works. There's no other scary movie option on the books until “Imaginary” in March.
“Night Swim” is about a family who discovers that their backyard swimming pool has some supernatural qualities. Bryce McGuire is writing and directing, and the film stars Wyatt Russell and Kerry Condon. Reviews were negative and audiences were not as impressed, receiving a grade of “C” by research firm Cinema Score. But this kind of reception happens a lot with horror films.
But “Night Swim” won't be able to beat “Wonka,” which earned another $4.3 million on Friday, per competitor — down just 51% from its number a week ago. Warner Bros. The Sugar Rush musical has now surpassed the $150 million domestic gross and will more than quadruple its $39 million opening by the end of the weekend. It's a triumphant result for Timothée Chalamet's car, which will be looking to hang around throughout January.
Universal is also in third place with Migration, which sees another $10.5 million weekend taking its domestic tally to just over $78 million. Illumination's production got off to a slow start over the holidays, but continued to progress during the weeks that followed.
In fourth place, Warner Bros. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will soon pass the $100 million mark in North America, if not by the end of its third weekend, then shortly after that. The latest and final entry in the current continuity of DC Comics adaptations has added about $3 million On Friday, per its rivals – down 56% from last week. It will eventually surpass “The Flash”'s domestic total of $108 million to become the highest-grossing DC Comics film of 2023. But it is still miles behind its 2018 predecessor, which took in $260 million from North American theaters after 17 days. of release.
Sony's “Anyone But You” is looking to round out the top five. Remarkable are the ticket sales for the romantic comedy It's expected to raise $8.7 million this past weekend — a rare rise that's even more impressive considering its previous outing had some momentum from the holiday season. The Sydney Swinney-Glen Powell two-hander is looking forward to it $9.5 million to push its domestic total north of $43 million. These aren't huge numbers, but they show signs of life for a movie that was written off too quickly after a quiet theatrical run – much like this genre.