The Super Mario Bros. Movie will rule again in its third weekend at the box office. In maintaining the No. 1 spot in North America, the family film is expected to take down two newcomers, the supernatural horror sequel Evil Dead Rise and action-war thriller Guy Ritchies the Covenant, as well as A24s mind-bender Beau Is Afraid, which is expanding nationwide.
Universal and Illuminations animated Mario adventure has grossed $366.3 million domestically to date. In the next few days, it will surpass Minions: The Rise of Gru ($369 million) as the highest-grossing animated film of the pandemic era. With $724 million globally, it already stands as the biggest movie of the year so far. Now in its third outing at the domestic box office, Mario is looking to bring in roughly $45 to $50 million, a massive result at this point in its theatrical run.
In terms of new releases, the blood-soaked Evil Dead Rise is projected to lead the way with $15 million to $20 million from 3,300 North American theaters, with some estimating those ticket sales could rise to $25 million or more. Elsewhere, the R-rated Guy Ritchies the Covenant is hoping to make $6 million from 2,611 locations, while the very R-rated Beau Is Afraid is similarly targeting single digits from 962 theaters.
Evil Dead Rise is the fifth installment in Warner Bros. and New Lines Evil Dead film series, which began in 1981 with Sam Raimis low-budget thriller. Its the first entry in the series in 10 years, since 2013s Evil Dead reboot, which grossed $97.5 million on its $17 million budget.
Like House Party and Magic Mikes Last Dance before it, the movie was originally set to release on HBO Max but was granted a traditional theatrical release by Warner Bros. It cost $15 million.
Evil Dead Rise has been well received by critics and holds a 95% on Rotten Tomatoes. In Varietys review, critic Joe Leydon described director Lee Cronins take asimaginatively scary and highlighted the films special effects as claustrophobic and gasp-inducingly shocking. The gory story centers on two estranged sisters as they attempt to survive and save their family from demonic creatures.
Ritchies latest has also received positive reviews, though it may be a harder sell to moviegoers because adult dramas have been hit-or-miss at the box office. Thats to say nothing of a two-hour depiction of the war in Afghanistan. Jake Gyllenhaal stars in The Covenant as a U.S. Army Sergeant who tries to repay his debt to a man who saved his life.
Varietys chief film critic Owen Gleiberman was effusive in his praise, calling Ritchie one of the best directors working and a born-again filmmaker.
The Covenant isnt another Ritchie underworld caper, he wrote, referring to the filmmakers range of action-thrillers like The Gentleman, Wrath of Man or Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre. But The Covenant, Gleiberman says, unveils something new: Ritchie the contempo classicist.