LOS ANGELES — Sylvester Stallone and Jason Statham weren’t enough to save “Expend4bles” from a debut box office flop. The fourth installment suffered the worst opening weekend in the action-packed franchise as “The Nun 2” took the top spot for the third week in a row, data firm Comscore reported on Sunday.
The Lionsgate and Millennium film, also known as “Expendables 4,” took an average of $8.3 million for the big budget project. It stars some famous names, including Stallone, Statham, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Megan Fox and Dolph Lundgren. It’s been almost a decade since the franchise released a film, which opened with $15.8 million and ended up taking in $214 million worldwide.
But times have definitely changed, as the film barely placed second behind “The Nun 2,” a horror movie that took in $8.4 million in its first weekend. It’s a strong start for Warner Bros.’ project — a spinoff from the lucrative “Conjuring” franchise. So far, the sequel directed by Michael Chaves has grossed over $69 million.
“It’s a star-studded franchise, but horror is a different situation,” said Paul Dergarabedian, Comscore’s senior media analyst. “Seems like no matter what if you’re scared in the cinema twice for an hour and a half or two, that’s worth the price of admission.”
In third, “A Haunting in Venice” earned $6.3 million. Kenneth Branagh’s third Agatha Christie adaptation, following 2017’s “Murder on the Orient Express” and 2022’s “Death on the Nile,” earned more than $25.3 million after two weeks.
“The Equalizer 3,” starring Denzel Washington, fell to fourth place with $4.725 million. In four weeks, it earned $81.1 million domestically.
“Barbie,” the biggest movie of 2023, is still building momentum from summer to fall. The Greta Gerwig box-office smash ranked in the top five, earning $3.2 million this week and a domestic total of more than $630 million after a 10-week period.
In sixth place was “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3,” with $3 million, while “It Lives Inside” opened its first weekend with $2.6 million. Sony’s film “Dumb Money,” a dramatization of the GameStop stock frenzy, stayed in eighth place for a second week in a row with $2.5 million.
“Blue Beetle” fell to ninth, with $1.8 million, and “Oppenheimer” rounded out the top 10 with $1.6 million. Christopher Nolan’s film grossed $321 million domestically.
Overall, it was another slow output for box office numbers as many Hollywood projects are still in development due to the ongoing Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, and Writers Guild of America strikes.
This weekend was the lowest gross since December 9, 2022, Dergarabedian said. This is also the first time since the weekend of Feb. 10, 2023 without a film grossing more than $10 million.
But Dergarabedian said a “weird October” could come with the highly anticipated “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” concert film, “The Exorcist: Believer” and “Saw X.”
“Things will change next week or the weeks after when Taylor Swift hits the multiplex,” he said. “This is the natural ebb and flow of the box office. That means one thing: We’re going back to normal.
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Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at US and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. The final domestic figure will be released on Monday.
1. “The Nun II,” $8.4 million.
2. “Expend4bles,” $8.3 million.
3. “A Haunting in Venice,” $6.3 million.
4. “The Equalizer 3,” $4.7 million.
5. “Barbie,” $3.2 million.
6. “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3,” $3 million.
7. “It Lives Inside,” 2.6 million.
8. “Dumb Money,” $2.5 million.
9. “Blue Beetle,” $1.8 million.
10. “Oppenheimer,” $1.6 million.
