This was an acid test that star Tom Holland had to pass. Holland has crucially never had a hit outside the Spider-Man franchise. But the stellar opening weekend performance of his latest film, the video game adaptation Uncharted, has changed that. Not only does it mark a back-to-back win for the star after Spider-Man: No Way Home — which came in at number three this weekend, by the way — but also for Sony and director Ruben Fleischer, who is fast becoming the studio’s go-to franchise man.
Uncharted becomes the latest hit for Sony
Having directed two Zombieland films and the record-setting Venom for the studio, Fleischer appears to have delivered another hit with Uncharted, which exceeded expectations in registering a $44 million three-day opening. That total could increase to $52 million across the four-day Presidents’ Day weekend. That’s a solid figure for the $120 million action-adventure, which has had an infamously long road to release.
But ultimately, the film’s success will depend on how well it performs internationally. Fleischer’s Venom broke records for a Sony release in China. And importantly, Uncharted has secured a release date in the Middle Kingdom (March 14), despite increasingly strict censorship protocols. The film has already crossed the $100 million mark globally after having premiered in select international territories ahead of its domestic debut.
Total box office stood at $107 this weekend, which is down 41% from Presidents’ Day weekend in 2020, the last time that the box office was truly alive around this time of the year. The weekend’s third new offering, The Cursed, finished at the number 10 spot with $2 million across four days.
Sony’s video game adaptation not the only film to overperform
Uncharted wasn’t the only new release to over-perform; Channing Tatum’s Dog made $15.1 million across three days and is estimated to make $18 million through Monday. A strong result for an original property featuring a once-prominent star who hasn’t had a live-action release in about five years. Dog also serves as Tatum’s directorial debut. He partnered up with Reid Carolin — as he attempts to relaunch his career in a big way. With a strong A- CinemaScore — Uncharted got a B+ — Dog might have legs.
After breaking Avatar’s all-time record earlier this week and dominating the box office for two months, Sony’s No Way Home finished its 10th weekend at the number three spot, with an estimated $8.8 million across four days. The film has made around $772 million domestically and over $1.8 billion worldwide for a record-breaking pandemic era performance that would’ve been impressive even under normal circumstances.
Uncharted expected to stay strong until The Batman arrives March 4
Director Kenneth Branagh’s second Agatha Christie adaptation—Death on the Nile—added an estimated $7.2 million to its domestic tally in its second weekend. Now having a running domestic total of just over $25 million. Definitely less than what its predecessor, Murder on the Orient Express, made in its debut weekend back in 2017. That movie legged it to over $100 million domestically and over $350 million worldwide. But it looks like Death on the Nile, with its heftier budget and less-starry cast, might not match that. The film has also been marred by several delays — some owing to the pandemic and others perhaps to disgraced star Armie Hammer’s presence — as well as a general hesitance in its target older audiences about making trips to theaters.
The top five was rounded out by Paramount’s holdover hit Jackass Forever. It is estimated to make another $6.2 million this extended weekend for a running domestic total of $47.7 million. That’s a solid result for a film that reportedly cost just $10 million to produce and validation for the studio’s decision to hold out for a theatrical release, just as it did with January’s Scream.
It’s expected Uncharted will repeat next weekend before The Batman storms the box office on March 4.
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