Despite maintaining its lead in ticket sales, “Freddy’s” still had a frightening drop from US$78 million in its debut weekend to only US$19.4 million this week, according to industry watcher Exhibitor Relations.
The video-game based film, released both in theatres and on Universal’s Peacock platform, is “crashing in its second weekend of simultaneous streaming,” said analyst David A Gross.
Josh Hutcherson, starring in his biggest role since the “Hunger Games” franchise, leads the cast as a security guard working nights at an abandoned family entertainment centre, where creepy animatronic characters spring murderously to life after dark.
The horror film was followed again by “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour,” earning another US$13.5 million in its fourth week out, for a total domestic haul of US$166 million.
Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” maintained its third-place spot at US$7 million in North American theatres, while also crossing the symbolic US$100 million figure in worldwide sales.
The over-three-hour film is to be released on Apple’s streaming platform, but a date has not yet been announced.
In its first wide-release weekend, Sofia Coppola’s “Priscilla” landed in fourth place at just US$5 million.
The film charts the rocky relationship between Elvis and Priscilla Presley, from their first meeting on a German army base when she was just 14 and the rock’n’roll star was 24, through to their acrimonious split.
In the titular role, 25-year-old Cailee Spaeny has already earned the Venice Film Festival’s best actress award, while Jacob Elordi has received strong reviews for his performance as Elvis.
The latest Elvis-related biopic to hit theatres had a “fair opening for a romance drama,” said analyst David A Gross.
It may find some more momentum, he said, given its “excellent reviews and very good audience scores.”
In fifth was the newly released Spanish-language film “Radical” at US$2.7 million. Based on a true story, it follows a teacher in a Mexican border town who “tries a radical new method to unleash the curiosity and potential of his students,” according to production company Pantelion Films.
Rounding out the top 10 were:
- “Exorcist: The Believer,” (US$2.2 million)
- “After Death” (US$2.0 million)
- “Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie” (US$2.0 million)
- “What Happens Later” (US$1.6 million)
- “Freelance” (US$1.2 million)