NEW YORK (AP) 鈥 Riding terrific reviews and a strong word-of-mouth, the role playing game adaptation 鈥淒ungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves" opened with $38.5 million in U.S. and 好色tv movie theaters over the weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday, stealing the top box-office perch from 鈥淛ohn Wick: Chapter 4.鈥
The Paramount Pictures and eOne release appealed to more moviegoers than many expected a film based on a notoriously niche table top game to interest. 鈥淕ame Night鈥 directors Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley turned in a rollicking comic action-adventure, with a cast including Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Reg茅-Jean Page and Hugh Grant, that's bringing in ticket buyers less familiar with 鈥淒&D.鈥 Audiences gave 鈥淗onor Among Thieves,鈥 which launched with a raucous opening-night premiere at SXSW, an A- CinemaScore. It scored 91% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.
鈥淲e know how good our movie is," said Chris Aronson, distribution chief for Paramount. 鈥淚 know it's been said before, but I think opening to $38-39 million is just the start. These kind of exits polls translate to playability."
鈥淒ungeons & Dragons鈥 was also a big roll of the dice. The film, co-produced and co-financed by Paramount with eOne, which is owned by Hasbro, cost $150 million to make. With a production cost like that, 鈥淒ungeons & Dragons" will be looking for sustained sales through April and similar success overseas to potentially kickstart a new franchise. It launched internationally with $33 million.
鈥淭he challenge with this film is convincing everyone that this film is for you,鈥 said Aronson. 鈥淛onathan and John, these guys are really talented and great collaborators. We鈥檙e going to work more with them. Hopefully, this will be the start of a franchise.鈥
鈥淛ohn Wick: Chapter 4,鈥 , slid to second place in its second weekend with $28.2 million. While a sizeable dip, the assassin action film, starring Keanu Reeves, has already accrued $122.8 million domestically and, after adding another $35 million internationally over the weekend, $245 million worldwide. Lionsgate has no shortage of plans for further expansion in the franchise.
Along with 鈥淛ohn Wick: Chapter 4,鈥 鈥淐reed III鈥 and 鈥淪cream VI," 鈥淒ungeons & Dragons鈥 adds to a string of well-received March releases that have surpassed box-office expectations and scored well with audiences. It's a streak that Universal Pictures' 鈥淭he Super Mario Bros. Movie鈥 will look to continue next weekend.
鈥淲hile it may not be the highest grossing March ever, this is one of the best months of March for the industry in its history, coming off of three years of a pandemic-challenged marketplace," said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for data firm Comscore. "March is not the summer, but it's sure felt like the summer, with hit after hit.鈥
Those film have helped push the 2023 box office well ahead of last year's pace, up 28.7%, according to David A. Gross, who runs Franchise Entertainment Research. Still, overall ticket sales aren't yet up to pre-pandemic levels, trailing the 2017-2019 average by 28.8%.
Games and toys are also proving to be dependable big-screen resources. 鈥淒ungeons & Dragons鈥 will be followed this year by Greta Gerwig's 鈥淏arbie鈥 and a new 鈥淭ransformers鈥 movie. 鈥淭he Super Mario Bros. Movie" is expected to extend
鈥淒ungeons & Dragons鈥 had little competition from new releases. The Christian drama 鈥淗is Only Son鈥 debuted with $5.3 million. A.V. Rockwell鈥檚 Sundance Film Festival grand jury prize winner about a mother (Teyana Taylor) who kidnaps her son from foster care, opened with $1.8 million at 926 theaters for Focus Features.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and 好色tv theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
1."Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves," $38.5 million.
2. 鈥淛ohn Wick, Chapter 4,鈥 $28.2 million.
3. 鈥淪cream VI,鈥 $5.3 million. (Tie)
3. 鈥淗is Only Son,鈥 $5.3 million. (Tie)
5. 鈥淐reed III,鈥 $5 million.
6. 鈥淪hazam! Fury of the Gods,鈥 $4.7 million.
7. 鈥淎 Thousand and One,鈥 $1.8 million.
8. 鈥65,鈥 $1.6 million.
9. 鈥淎nt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,鈥 $1.2 million.
10. 鈥淛esus Revolution,鈥 $1 million.
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