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“Knock at the Cabin,” a home invasion horror film with an apocalyptic riff, dethroned James Cameron’s 3-D sci-fi epic with $14.2 million in ticket sales at U.S. and Canadian theatres, according to studio estimates Sunday. The Universal Pictures release stars Dave Bautista as one of four strangers who approach a family vacationing in a rural cabin.
The opening for “Knock at the Cabin” came up shy of some of Shyamalan’s recent releases. His last film, 2021’s “Old,” about a beach that rapidly ages those who visit it, launched with $16.9 million and ultimately collected $90.1 million worldwide. His 2019 film “Glass,” the third instalment in the director’s “Unbreakable” trilogy, opened with $40.3 million on its way to grossing $247 million globally. Every other film directed by Shyamalan has opened higher than “Knock at the Cabin.”
But “Knock at the Cabin” still marks Shyamalan’s seventh film as director to open No. 1. With a modest budget of $20 million, “Knock at the Cabin” should easily turn a profit. The film, which drew mostly positive reviews from critics (68% on Rotten Tomatoes), added another $7 million internationally.
Taking second place was “80 for Brady,” a comedy about four friends (Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Rita Moreno and Sally Field) who take a trip to the 2017 Super Bowl. It opened with an estimated $12.5 million. Shortly after announcing his retirement from football (again), Tom Brady attended the film’s premiere.
Paramount Pictures employed a unique strategy in releasing “80 for Brady.” While many films have sought to capitalize on higher ticket prices through large-format or 3-D screenings or surge pricing, which films like “The Batman” have tried, Paramount went the other direction on “80 for Brady.” The studio partnered with exhibitors, including the largest chains, to play “80 for Brady” at matinee prices to help lure its largely older audience. (Half of ticket buyers were over the age of 55.)
It seemed to work. At a time when comedies have struggled mightily in theatres, “80 for Brady” (with a production budget of $28 million) had one of the best openings for a live-action comedy in years. Discount pricing is to continue for the rest of the film’s run.
“Avatar: The Way of Water” slide to third with $10.8 million domestically in its eighth weekend. The film’s No. 1 streak matched the run of 2009’s “Avatar.” In the last four decades, only those two by Cameron and his “Titanic” (1997) have had such sustained reigns atop the box office.
“The Way of Water” continues to perform especially strongly overseas, where its $27.9 million this weekend pushed its overall total to $2.17 billion worldwide. That puts it at fourth highest gross of all-time; Cameron – with two “Avatar” films and “Titanic” – now accounts for three of the top four.
In fourth place, down two spots from last weekend, was Universal’s family-friendly “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish,” at $8 million.
And in fifth was “BTS: Yet to Come in Cinemas,” at $6.2 million. From Trafalgar Releasing, it offers fans of the popular South Korean boy band a chance to see clips from a 2022 concert filmed before the band members took a hiatus for their mandatory military service.
Overall, Hollywood’s future is looking brighter, with nearly 25 percent more wide releases expected this year than last, according to David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research. He called that “an enormous improvement.”
Rounding out the weekend’s top 10 were “A Man Called Otto” ($4.2 million). The creepy doll “M3GAN” earned another $3.8 million at the box office and coming in close behind was “Missing” which earned $3.7 million.
“The Chosen: Season 3 Finale” minted $3.6 million and rounding off the 10th spot was Shah Rukh Khan‘s “Pathaan” that earned $2.7 million on its second weekend.
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