NEW YORK — Riding strong word-of-mouth and positive reviews, the role-playing game adaptation “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” opened with $38.5 million in U.S. and Canadian theatres over the weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday, displacing “John Wick: Chapter 4.”
The Paramount Pictures and eOne release drew a larger audience than many anticipated for a film based on a famous niche tabletop game. With a cast that includes Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Regé-Jean Page, and Hugh Grant, “Game Night” directors Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley turned in a rollicking comic action-adventure that’s bringing in ticket buyers who aren’t familiar with “D&D.” Audiences gave “Honor Among Thieves,” which debuted with a raucous opening-night premiere at SXSW, an A- CinemaScore. Rotten Tomatoes gave it a good rating of 91%.
“We know how good our film is,” said Chris Aronson, Paramount’s distribution chief. “I know it’s been said before, but I believe the opening price of $38-39 million is just the beginning.” These kinds of exit surveys indicate playability.”
“Dungeons & Dragons” was also a huge gamble. The film cost $150 million to create and was co-produced and co-financed by Paramount and eOne, which Hasbro owns. With that kind of production cost, “Dungeons & Dragons” will be hoping for consistent sales through April and similar success overseas to kickstart a new franchise. It made its foreign debut with $33 million.
“Dungeons & Dragons” was also a huge gamble.
“The challenge with this film is convincing everyone that it’s for you,” Aronson said. “Jonathan and John are extremely gifted and excellent collaborators. We’ll be doing more with them. Hopefully, this is the beginning of a series.”
“John Wick: Chapter 4,” which debuted last weekend with a franchise-high $73.5 million, fell to second place with $28.2 million in its second weekend. Despite a significant drop, the assassin action picture starring Keanu Reeves has already grossed $122.8 million domestically and $245 million worldwide after adding another $35 million internationally over the weekend. Lionsgate has ambitious intentions for the franchise’s future growth.
Along with “John Wick: Chapter 4,” “Creed III,” and “Scream VI,” “Dungeons & Dragons” joins a lengthy list of March releases that have outperformed box office expectations and performed well with audiences. “The Super Mario Bros. “Movie” is expected to resume next weekend.
“While it may not be the highest-grossing March in history, it is one of the best March months in the industry’s history, coming off three years of a pandemic-challenged marketplace,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for data company Comscore. “March isn’t summer, but it sure feels like it, with hit after hit.”
According to Franchise Entertainment Research’s David A. Gross, these films have helped drive the 2023 box office well ahead of last year’s pace, up 28.7%. Still, ticket purchases are 28.8% lower than the 2017-2019 average, indicating they need to return to pre-pandemic levels.
This year, “Dungeons & Dragons” will be followed by Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” and a new “Transformers” film.
Games and toys are also proving to be reliable options for big-screen viewing. This year, “Dungeons & Dragons” will be followed by Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” and a new “Transformers” film. “Super Mario Bros.” “The Movie” is anticipated to continue the upward trend of the previously derided video game adaptation.
There was little competition from fresh releases for “Dungeons & Dragons.” “His Only Son,” a Christian drama, made a $5.3 million debut. A.V. “A Thousand and One,” Rockwell’s Sundance Film Festival grand jury award winner about a mother (Teyana Taylor) who kidnaps her son from foster care, debuted with $1.8 million in 926 theatres for Focus Features.
Comscore estimates ticket purchases for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theatres. The final domestic data will be published on Monday.
SOURCE – (AP)
