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NEW YORK (AP) — Role-playing game adaption rides on stellar reviews and strong word-of-mouth “Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” With $38.5 million in U.S. and Canadian theaters over the weekend, it stole the top spot from “John Wick: Chapter 4,” according to studio estimates Sunday.
Paramount Pictures and eOne’s releases have attracted more moviegoers, and many expected interest in a film based on the notoriously niche board game. From “Game Night” directors Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley comes a hilariously comedic action-adventure starring Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, · Jean Page and Hugh Grant, which brought ticket buyers who are not familiar with “Dungeons and Dragons” here. Audiences gave “A Thief of Honor,” which debuted to a raucous premiere at SXSW, with an A- CinemaScore. It holds a whopping 91% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.
“We know how good our movies are,” said Chris Aronson, Paramount’s head of distribution. “I know it’s been said before, but I think the $38-39 million debut is just the beginning. That exit poll translates into playability.”
Dungeons and Dragons is also a big bet. The film, which Paramount co-produced and co-financed with Hasbro-owned eOne, cost $150 million to produce. With production costs like that, Dungeons & Dragons will be looking for continued sales in April and similar success overseas to potentially launch a new franchise. It launched internationally for $33 million.
“The challenge with this film is convincing everyone that this film is for you,” Aronson said. “Jonathan and John, these guys are really talented and great collaborators. We’ll be doing more with them. Hopefully this will be the start of a franchise.”
“John Wick: Chapter 4,” Launched last weekend with a franchise-high $73.5 million, slipped to second place with $28.2 million in its second weekend. The assassin action flick starring Keanu Reeves, which has taken $122.8 million domestically despite a sharp decline, added $35 million internationally over the weekend to reach $245 million worldwide. Lionsgate has no shortage of plans to further expand the franchise.
Dungeons and Dragons Adds to March’s Bunch of Popular Movies, Alongside John Wick: Chapter 4, Tenet III and Scream VI , the films exceeded expectations at the box office and received high ratings from audiences. Universal Pictures’ “Super Mario Bros. Movie” continues next weekend.
“While it may not have been the highest-grossing March on record, it was one of the best-performing Marches in the industry’s history,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Data. Three years of pandemic challenges market Comscore Inc. “March wasn’t summer, but it sure felt like summer, one hit after another. “
David A. Gross, who runs Franchise Entertainment Research, said those films will help drive box office growth in 2023 far above last year’s 28.7%. Still, overall ticket sales fell short of pre-pandemic levels and were 28.8% below the 2017-2019 average.
Games and toys have also proven to be solid big-screen sources. After Dungeons and Dragons, Greta Gerwig’s Barbie and a new Transformers movie are due out this year. ‘Super Mario Bros. Movie’ expected to be delayed The rising trend of once-mocked video game adaptations.
“Dungeons and Dragons” has little competition from new releases. Christian drama “His Only Son” debuted with $5.3 million. Sundance Film Festival Jury Prize Winner for AV Rockwell “one thousand and One” The story of a mother (Teyana Taylor) who abducts her son from foster care opened to $1.8 million in 926 theaters for Focus Features.
U.S. and Canadian theater ticket sales are expected Friday through Sunday, according to Comscore. Final domestic data will be released on Monday.
1. “Dungeons and 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. “Tenet III,” $5 million.
6. “Shazam! Wrath of the Gods,” $4.7 million.
7. “One Thousand and One,” $1.8 million.
8. “65,” $1.6 million.
9. “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantum Fever,” $1.2 million.
10. “Jesus Revolution,” $1 million.
Follow Associated Press Film Writer Jake Coyle on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP
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