This would be a plausible explanation behind the big box office slowdown. Although three new films were widely released, none could crack the top five in the domestic charts, and only two — A24’s satirical slasher “Bodies Bodies Bodies” and Lionsgate’s low-budget, vertigo-inducing thriller “Fall” — managed to break into the top 10. It’s even more egregious that Sony’s action thriller “Bullet Train,” which took the top spot for a second weekend in a row with $13.1 million from 4,357 locations in North America, was the only film to earn at least $10 million in ticket sales. After two weeks on the big screen, Brad Pitt’s “Bullet Train” earned $54.4 million at the domestic box office. This weekend marks the first time since Feb. 11-13 — when “Death on the Nile” opened to a weak $12.3 million and Jennifer Lopez’s romantic comedy “Marry Me” stumbled with even less — that only one film has the $10 million between Friday and Sunday. And ticket sales are only going to get worse as the box office heads into a near-wasteland with hardly any new offerings from major studios on the horizon. As movie theater owners brace for the downturn, they’re bowing at the altar of Harry Styles in hopes the pop heartthrob will inspire audiences to return to theaters in droves for director Olivia Wilde’s smash hit “Don’t Worry Darling,” the which will not open until September 23rd. Until then, exhibitors will have to make do with smaller thrillers and dramas like Idris Elba’s “Beast,” which opens Aug. 19. “Three Thousand Years of Longing,” a fantasy romance starring Tilda Swinton and Elba (again) on Aug. 26. and the Viola Davis-led historical epic “The Woman King” on September 16. David A. Gross, who runs the movie consultancy Franchise Entertainment Research, says there are still reasons for optimism despite the lack of blockbusters. “The upside of the slim schedule is that films are opening and holding more screens than before, and playing more in larger domestic multiples,” he says. “There is more space in the market and every film benefits. But there’s no doubt,” he adds, “the overall box office would have been bigger with more studio releases.” In eighth place, “Bodies Bodies Bodies” secured the best start among newcomers and beat expectations with $3.2 million from 1,290 locations. After opening last weekend in limited release, the film has grossed $3.5 million to date and plans to expand to 2,000+ theaters next weekend. But otherwise, audiences didn’t have much to do with “Fall” and Diane Keaton’s body-swapping comedy “Mack & Rita,” the other film debuting over the weekend. “Fall” just landed in 10th place with $2.5 million from 1,548 venues. The film, centered on two best friends who climb 2,000 feet to the top of an abandoned radio tower and find themselves stranded with no way down, was a relatively low risk for Lionsgate as it cost only $3 million to produce and less than $4 million for the promotion . It won’t take a lot of coins to make a profit. Home entertainment will come in handy in this mission. Meanwhile, Steven Spielberg’s sci-fi classic “ET” – which debuted 40 years ago – earned more money over the weekend than Keaton’s “Mack and Rita.” The Gravitas Ventures release debuted in 13th place with $1.03 million from 1,930 screens. Universal’s “ET” remake earned $1.07 million from just 389 Imax screens. As expected, “Mack and Rita” drew mostly older women, with 74% of ticket buyers identifying as female and 69% over the age of 30. They disliked the film, which received a “D+” CinemaScore. Reviews were equally harsh, resulting in a dismal 26% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. With dismal attendance for most other films, Paramount’s mighty blockbuster “Top Gun: Maverick” climbed to second place in its 12th weekend of release. The action sequel continues to do unprecedented business, adding $7.1 million from 3,181 venues over the weekend and bringing its domestic tally to $673.8 million. That means “Maverick” is about $5 million away from dethroning Marvel’s “Avengers: Infinity War” as the sixth-highest-grossing film in domestic box office history. Elsewhere on the domestic box office charts, “DC League of Super-Pets,” Jordan Peele’s UFO thriller “Nope” and Disney’s “Thor: Love and Thunder” slotted from three to five. The animated “DC League of Super-Pets” also added $7.1 million from 3,181 theaters in its third run, down 35% from the previous weekend. So there’s a chance it will move up to second place, above “Maverick,” once the final numbers are in on Monday. To date, the kid-friendly DC Comics adventure has grossed $58 million at the domestic box office. “No,” now in its fourth weekend of release, grossed $5.3 million from 2,760 locations, down 38 percent from its last outing. So far, the film has grossed $107 million in North America, marking the director’s third feature (out of three) to top $100 million. Still, “No” has a ways to go to match Peele’s feature debut “Get Out” ($176.1 million) and second-year “Us” ($175 million) at the North American box office. “Thor: Love and Thunder” grossed $5.3 million from 3,175 locations over the weekend. After six weekends on the big screen, the fourth “Thor” film has brought in $325.4 million domestically, surpassing its beloved 2017 predecessor “Ragnarok” ($315 million). Globally, however, “Love and Thunder” trails “Ragnarok” with $720 million compared to the third entry’s $853 million. However, “Ragnarok” played in China and Russia, while “Love and Thunder” did not secure a release in those territories. At the indie box office, Aubrey Plaza’s heist thriller “Emily the Criminal” earned $668,990 from 473 screens — a $1,414 figure per location. Roadside Attractions bought the film after it premiered at the Sundance Film Festival to rave reviews. The film’s promoter hopes festival fever translates into ticket sales as “Emily the Criminal” expands to additional locations in the coming weeks. Another Sundance film, Bleecker Street’s coming-of-age drama “Summering” fared worse, grossing just $31,317 at 260 venues, averaging a disappointing $120 per location. The young adult story follows four best friends as they spend the last weekend of summer together before starting high school.
