‘Longlegs’ Opens With $22M+; ‘Sing Sing’ Kicks Off Strong

This weekend was expected to be a break between the massive openings of “Despicable Me 4” (Universal) and “Twisters” (Universal)/“Deadpool and Wolverine” (Disney) in the following two weeks. And it’s kind of worked out that way, but not in the way that was expected.

“Longlegs” (Neon) and “Fly Me to the Moon” (Sony) were expected to finish second and third this weekend with totals in the $30-$35 million range. That part happened. But Apple’s Scarlett Johansson-Channing Tatum romantic comedy was expected to come in second, possibly with at least $15 million (previous projections were higher), while Oz Perkins’s thriller-thriller starring Nicolas Cage was expected to make $10 million or more.

Instead, “Longlegs” came in second with $22.6 million, while “Fly” came in fifth with $10 million (other films were estimated to be less). Both were impressive results.

With a budget of just $10 million, including marketing, “Longlegs” grossed more in a single weekend than all but two Neon films (“Parasite” and “I, Tonya”) had in their entire run. And the film came out on the 25th anniversary of “The Blair Witch Project,” close enough to that initial unexpected revenue to warrant attention.

“Blair Witch,” which started the found-footage horror genre and was arguably its high point, opened on a limited basis, grossing the equivalent of more than $60 million today in its first weekend, eventually topping $300 million. Different times, different results. Yet both films share the distinction of opening in the heart of summer, with Neon smartly trusting its film and seeing this week as a potential breakout. Mission accomplished. It’s all the more impressive with so many horror films being released regularly and Cage starring in new films. Saturday’s total was higher than Friday’s (excluding previews), a positive sign for rumors in contrast to the C+ Cinemascore (same as “Blair Witch”).

On the other hand, “Moon” is Apple’s latest disappointing theatrical hit with a major distributor. Even with an A- Cinemascore rating, the film failed to gain traction or show momentum over the weekend (its Saturday gross was only slightly lower than Friday’s).

The company has several movies planned for release (including “F1” through Warner Bros. next summer), and without any clear sense of the benefit to Apple of streaming them later, it’s hard to make a case for continuing to show them in theaters, which adds to the sense that Netflix has long known this.

The sixth film in the Despicable Me/Minions franchise made nearly $45 million, nearly double the number of any other film this weekend. With a 40% drop in its second weekend, the studio is now projecting a worldwide total of more than $5 billion, putting it ahead of any other animated franchise without adjusting for inflation.

Disney’s “Inside Out 2” came in third with just 32 percent. With $573 million, it’s still within reach of fourth place, which made $636 million last year. Paramount’s “A Quiet Place: Day One,” despite competition from “Long Legs,” made about $12 million.

Overall, five films (if “Moon” does what it’s expected to) made $10 million or more this weekend. That’s healthy, and it wasn’t automatic even before Covid in July (it wasn’t at all in 2019, and then in three out of four weekends in 2018). Total box office receipts were about $127 million, down from $140 million last year. So far, revenue is up 16 percent from 2023.

A rare midsummer movie has been a big hit. Colman Domingo’s “Sing Sing” (A24) opened in four theaters (New York/Los Angeles) to $137,000 ($34,000 per theater) in a slow-moving debut. In an unusual move, it’s not expected to open until August in order to build its expected reputation and avoid competition from other blockbusters over the next two weeks. The prison-set inspirational film isn’t exactly a quality-conscious movie, so the tighter handling makes perfect sense.

There were also a series of other respectable limited openings. “The National Anthem” (LD/Variance) made $42,400 at four locations in New York and Los Angeles. Two documentaries also screened exclusively in New York, with “Eno” (Film First) making $14,446 at Film Forum. It includes a slightly different version on different days. “America Is Burning” (Abramorama) made $11,325 ($15,450 in four screenings). “Water Brother: The Sid Abruzzi Story,” self-distributed by its directors, played for two days (only two screenings) in Newport, R.I., for $12,699 (if additional midweek screenings of the documentary sell out, it will fetch $25,000).

Veteran Icelandic director Baltazar Kormákur’s “Touch” (Focus) had a wider opening, taking in $470,000 in 316 screens, while “Dandelion” (IFC) managed just $65,000 in 446 screens.

Top 10

1. I am despicable 4 (World) Week 2; Last Weekend #1

$44,650,000 (-40%) in 4,449 (+21) theaters; PTA (average per theater): $10,036; cumulative: $211,102,000

2. Long-legged (Neon) New – Cinemascore: C+; Metacritic: 78

$22,600,000 in 2,510 theaters; PTA: $9,004; Total: $22,600,000

3. From the inside out 2 (Disney) Week 4; Last Week #2

$20,748,000 (-32%) in 3,815 (+55) theaters; PTA: $5,439; Cumulative: $572,792,000

4. Quiet Place: Day 1 (Paramount) Week 3; Last Week #3

$11,800,000 (-43%) at 3,378 (-310) theaters; PTA: $3,493; Cumulative: $116,229,000

5. Fly me to the moon (Sony) New – Cinemascore: A-; Metacritic: 52; Estimated Budget: $100M

$10,000,000 in 3,356 theaters; PTA: $2,980; Total: $10,000,000

6. Bad Boys: Ride or Die (Sony) Week 6; Last Week #5

$4,400,000 (-34%) at 2,200 (-444) theaters; PTA: $2,000; Cumulative: $184,876,000

7. Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 1 (Warner Bros.) Week 3; Last Week #6

$2,440,000 (-54%) at 2,587 (-747) theaters; PTA: $943; Cumulative: $27,028,000

8. Maxcin (A24) Week 2; Last Weekend #4

$2,071,000 (-69%) at 2,370 (-80) theaters; PTA: $874; Cumulative: $11,776,000

9. Indian 2 (Film Distribution Network) New – Estimated Budget: $24 Million

$1,969,000 at 525 theaters; PTA: $1,849; Total: $1,969,000

10. Voice Hope: The Story of Possum Trot (Angel) Week 2; Last Weekend #7

$1,300,000 (-56%) at 2,137 (-63) theaters; PTA: $627; Cumulative: $9,700,000

Other specialized/independent titles

Films (limited, limited film expansions) are listed by week of release, starting with those released that week; after the first three weeks, only films with grosses over $5,000 are listed. Metacritic and initial film festival scores were recorded. When available.

Rich Rich (A24) New – Metacritic: 81; Festivals include: Toronto 2023, South by Southwest 2024

$137,119 in 4 theaters; PTA: $34,280

touch (Focus) New – Metacritic: 70; Festivals include: Sydney 2024

$470,000 in 310 theaters; PTA: $1,487

National anthem (LD/Variance) New – Metacritic: 72; Festivals include: South by Southwest 2023

$42,400 in 4 theaters; PTA: $10,600

Eno (First Film) New – Metacritic: 60; Festivals include: Sundance 2024

$14,446 per theater; PTA: $14,446

My brother water (Self-Distributed) New – Metacritic: Festivals include:

$12,699 (2 days) Single Theater; PTA: $12,699

America is burning (Abramorama) New – Festivals include: Tribeca 2024

$11,325 per theater; PTA: $11,325; Cumulative: $15,450

Made in England: Powell & Pressburger Films (Cohen) New – Festivals include: Berlin, Tribeca 2024

$7,083 per theater; PTA: $7,083

dandelion (IFC) New – Metacritic: 64; Festivals include: South by Southwest 2024

$65,538 at 446 theaters; PTA: $147

killing (Roadside Attractions) Week 2

$138,440 at 300 (-528) theaters; PTA: $461; Cumulative: $1,047,000

Daddio (Sony Pictures Classics) Week 3

$18,141 in 45 (-357) theaters; Cumulative: $845,641

last summer (Janus/Sideshow) Week 3

$24,000 in 24 (+17) theaters; Cumulative total: $104,896

Thelma (Magnolia) Week 4

$415,000 in 449 (-156) theaters; Cumulative: $7,731,000

cyclists (Focus) Week 4; Also on PVOD

$410,000 in 712 (-850) theaters; Cumulative: $20,341,000

Kindness types (scout) week four

$324,000 in 730 (-190) theaters; Cumulative: $4,683,000

Janet Planet (A24) Fourth week

$45,684 in 41 (-49) theaters; Cumulative: $615,262

ghost light (IFC) Week 5

$20,552 in 46 (+2) theaters; Cumulative: $633,763

Robot dreams (Neon) Week 7

$49,000 in 300 (+262); Cumulative: $700,516