After a prolonged hiatus, the Final Destination franchise has made a remarkable comeback, igniting excitement among fans and critics alike. As predicted earlier this week, the latest installment, Final Destination: Bloodlines, soared to new heights during its opening weekend, accumulating an astounding $51 million. This impressive debut eclipses the previous record set by The Final Destination in 2009, which earned just $27.4 million. Intriguingly, Bloodlines surpassed the entire box office runs of both Final Destination 2 and Final Destination 5 with its first weekend earnings alone.
The enthusiasm around this revival is palpable. While horror films often struggle to achieve high marks in audience polls—typically lingering in the C-range—Final Destination: Bloodlines secured a commendable B+, indicating strong word-of-mouth potential. With such positive feedback, projections suggest the film could amass around $100 million by the end of its theatrical run. If these estimates hold, Bloodlines will not only break franchise records but force Warner Bros/New Line Cinema to fast-track plans for a sequel, possibly within the next couple of years.
In a competitive battle for second place, Marvel’s Thunderbolts outperformed rivals by earning $16.5 million in its third weekend, now bringing its domestic total to $155 million. However, with current trends, it appears unlikely to cross the $200 million mark, positioning it as one of the lower-grossing films in the Marvel roster. Meanwhile, the conversation shifted towards the returning favorite, Sinners, which reclaimed its screens in a stunning 70mm IMAX format, adding $15.4 million to its growing total that now stands at $240 million. Can it still eye the illustrious $300 million milestone?
Warner Bros enjoyed an exceptional weekend, claiming three out of the top four spots at the box office. In fourth place, A Minecraft Movie garnered $5.9 million, reinforcing its impressive $416 million domestic total. Meanwhile, Amazon/MGM’s The Accountant 2 proved resilient, earning $4.5 million for a total nearing $58.7 million. This places it just shy of matching the earlier success of The Beekeeper. Fans are left wondering if we might soon get The Accountant 3 on the horizon.
In stark contrast, The Weeknd’s cinematic foray, Hurry Up Tomorrow, stumbled at the box office, raking in only $3.3 million across over 2,000 screens. Our review echoed widespread disappointment, as reflected in its dismal C-minus CinemaScore. Conversely, A24 is experiencing a resurgence with its comedy, Friendship, starring Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd, which achieved $1.4 million on a mere 60 screens, showcasing an incredible per-screen average of $23,000.
On the other hand, IFC/Shudder’s Clown in a Cornfield endured a steep 60% drop in audience numbers in its second week, earning $1.3 million for a total of $6.3 million. Despite this setback, it remains one of IFC/Shudder’s standout releases, likely to find additional life on streaming platforms. The re-release of the beloved classic Kiki’s Delivery Service also delighted audiences, contributing over a million to its earnings. Rounding out the top ten, Until Dawn added $800k, placing its total just below the impressive $20 million mark.
Looking ahead, the upcoming weekend promises to be a blockbuster event with two major Memorial Day releases: Disney’s highly anticipated live-action iteration of Lilo & Stitch and Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning. Which film are you most eager to see? Share your thoughts in the comments!
