\u201cGhostbusters: Afterlife\u201d is the front runner at the domestic box office, as the comedy sequel is headed towards a $40.5 million haul for the weekend.<\/p>\n
After earning $4.5 million in\u00a0Thursday previews, \u201cAfterlife\u201d was originally projected to draw a three-day total of $27 million to $30 million, a figure that the film is now outperforming.\u00a0The Sony Pictures release grossed $16.5 million from 4,315 locations on Friday.<\/p>\n
Sony has positioned the comedy sequel for continuous play over the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday next weekend, betting on great word-of-mouth to earn ticket sales from families of men, women and children. During the pandemic era, young adults have been the primary audience to show interest in returning to theaters, while family and adult-oriented films have failed to draw big numbers more often that not. How \u201cAfterlife\u201d holds over the next few weeks remains up in the air, though its \u201cA-\u201d CinemaScore is certainly an encouraging sign of enthusiasm from audiences.<\/p>\n
The new addition to the \u201cGhostbusters\u201d franchise focuses on the next generation of spooky sleuths, who find themselves at the center of supernatural activity in their small Oklahoma town. The film stars Paul Rudd as Gary Grooberson, a Ghostbusters superfan who is an amateur parapsychologist, as well as Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace and Carrie Coon, who portray a new family in town with connections to the original spirit hunters. Original \u201cGhostbusters\u201d stars Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver and Annie Potts also reprise their roles from the original 1984 film.<\/p>\n
Jason Reitman \u2014 the son of Ivan Reitman, who directed the first two \u201cGhostbusters\u201d films \u2014 helms \u201cGhostbusters: Afterlife.\u201d\u00a0Reitman told\u00a0Variety\u00a0<\/em>that though he was originally hesitant to follow in his father\u2019s footsteps, that same feeling actually ended up giving him inspiration for the film.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s what this movie became about,\u201d Reitman said. \u201c\u2018Ghostbusters: Afterlife\u2019 is about a family developing the courage to pick up the proton pack themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n Opening this weekend at No. 4 is Warner Bros.\u2019 prospective awards play \u201cKing Richard.\u201d The film is headed for a muted debut of $5.95 million from 3,302 locations, far below original projections that hemmed closer to $10 million. That underperformance likely marks another box office victim of the studio\u2019s current strategy to simultaneously release its theatrical slate on HBO Max. Still, \u201cKing Richard\u201d has received high praise from critics and even more enthusiastic approval from audiences, earning a coveted \u201cA\u201d CinemaScore rating. The film could have a healthy hold at the box office over the Thanksgiving holiday.<\/p>\n Many currently see Will Smith as the\u00a0leader in this year\u2019s best actor race\u00a0for his turn as Richard Williams, the father and tennis coach to Venus and Serena Williams. \u201cKing Richard\u201d could also draw attention across other awards categories.<\/p>\n Dropping to the No. 2 slot is Marvel\u2019s \u201cEternals.\u201d The Disney release fell 59% in its third weekend and is headed for a three-day haul of $11 million. While \u201cEternals\u201d isn\u2019t performing as strongly as other MCU entries, it is still projected to reach a $136 million total domestic cume after Sunday,\u00a0marking a monster performance\u00a0for a pandemic era release.<\/p>\n \n Looking to take third is Paramount\u2019s \u201cClifford the Big Red Dog.\u201d The studio estimates the family-friendly film will draw $8 million in its second weekend, a 52% drop from its debut.<\/p>\n Rounding out the top five is Warner Bros. and Legendary\u2019s adaptation of \u201cDune,\u201d with a projected $2.97 million weekend. The Denis Villeneuve-helmed sci-fi movie will push its domestic gross past $98 million, inching its way to becoming the second day-and-date HBO Max release to cross $100 million at the domestic box office after \u201cGodzilla vs. Kong.\u201d<\/p>\n On the arthouse scene, A24\u2019s \u201cC\u2019mon C\u2019mon\u201d is kicking off its limited run this weekend. The Mike Mills-directed drama is projected to earn $125,000 from locations in New York and Los Angeles. The film stars Joaquin Phoenix in his first feature film role since his Oscar-winning turn in 2019\u2019s \u201cJoker.\u201d A24 expects word-of-mouth to carry the film\u2019s momentum, as the distributor has plotted a modest expansion to 100-some locations over the Thanksgiving holiday. Another expansion will follow after.<\/p>\n