Warner Bros has claimed its seventh No. 1 opening of the year as Zach Cregger’s Weapons stormed the North American box office with US$42.5 million (RM188.7 million) from 3,202 cinemas, adding another US$70 million from international markets. The film, which boasts a 95% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, unfolds in the small town of Maybrook, where 17 children vanish from their homes at precisely 2.17 a.m., leaving residents to confront fear, paranoia, and a streak of existential humour.
Jeffrey Goldstein, president of Global Distribution for Warner Bros, credited the result to careful planning: “It starts with an exceptional movie, an exceptional marketing campaign, and the date was exceptional too.” The success of Weapons comes as part of a broader summer rebound for Warner Bros, following earlier hits including A Minecraft Movie, Sinners and Superman. Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Comscore, said the studio had “set a blueprint to how to create a perfect summer lineup”.
Sharing the spotlight this weekend was Disney’s Freakier Friday, the zany follow-up to its 2003 body-swap comedy. Opening in 3,975 cinemas, the sequel earned US$29 million in North America, with Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis reprising their roles in a new twist involving Lohan’s teen daughter and soon-to-be stepdaughter. Dergarabedian remarked: “The top two films could not be more different, and that’s what makes this weekend so appealing for moviegoers,” noting that viral marketing and social media buzz had helped both films thrive.
The arrival of these two newcomers ended The Fantastic Four: First Steps’s two-week run at the top, pushing the superhero title to third place with US$15.5 million after an initial debut of US$118 million. The Bad Guys 2 followed in fourth position with US$10.4 million, while The Naked Gun rounded out the top five with US$8.4 million.
Elsewhere, Jurassic World Rebirth, now in seventh place, is expected to cross the US$800 million global box office mark by Monday, according to NBC Universal. Meanwhile, Weapons joins a string of successful horror films in 2025, with its opening weekend figures coming just behind Final Destination: Bloodlines and Sinners.
AP
