Onward retains top spot at the box office, amidst record lows due to coronavirus concerns
Onward has retained its top spot at the box office during its second week in theaters with $10.5 million, during a weekend that marked the lowest theatergoing turnout in over two decades.
The animated Pixar film took a major hit as the coronavirus pandemic continues to sweep the globe, with major events and film releases being canceled or pushed back. On Friday, AMC Theaters and Regal announced it would be reducing the amount of tickets available for screenings by 50 percent as part of an effort to promote “social distancing.”
“This was predestined to be a very low grossing weekend at the box office with social distancing protocols seeing movie theaters appropriately taking steps to ensure the safety and health of their patrons and employees while still presenting movies to consumers who had the desire to partake in the escape that the movie theater experience has traditionally provided,” said Paul Dergarabedian, Senior Media Analyst for Comscore.
Following Onward in second place is I Still Believe with $9.5 million and Bloodshot $9.3 million — both new entries this weekend. Rounding out the top five are The Invisible Man ($6 million) and The Hunt ($5.3 million).
I Still Believe tells the real-life story of Christan music superstar Jeremy Camp (K.J. Apa) and his journey through love and loss while also finding his way in the music industry. Britt Robertson portrays Camp’s first wife Melissa Lynn Henning-Camp (Britt Robertson), who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer before they were married. Gary Sinise and Shania Twain play Camp’s parents, Tom and Terry, respectively. Moviegoers gave the film an A via Cinemascore.
F9 may have been delayed but Vin Diesel is in theaters right now in the film Bloodshot, based on the best selling comic book of the same name. Diesel stars as Ray Garrison, a marine who was killed in action then resurrected with superpowers by an evil corporation.
With Garrison, now known as the superhero Bloodshot, the RST corporation has an unstoppable weapon on their hands that can heal instantly. But they’re also controlling his mind, and he can’t tell what’s real and what’s not but he’s trying to figure it out. The David S.F. Wilson film co-stars Eiza Gonzalez, Guy Pearce, Sam Heughan, and Toby Kebbell.
EW gave the film a C+ saying, “it’s a lot of bog-standard action stuff glommed onto a deeper metaphysical muddle; Inception drawn in extra-thick Sharpie and testosterone.” Moviegoers liked it a bit more, giving it a B via Cinemascore.
Blumhouse Productions finally dropped the long-delayed satirical thriller The Hunt, starring Betty Gilpin, Ike Barinholtz, Emma Roberts, and Hilary Swank. The film follows 12 strangers who wake up mysteriously in a clearing, unsure how they got there or where they are. They soon discover they’ve been chosen to be hunted in a game created by a group of elites, but not all of the players are willing to be pawns.
EW gave the film a B+ saying, “The big disappointment with The Hunt is that it never feels so ahead of the curve. It’s a complicated form of 2016 catharsis, condemning recognizable pastiches of the left and the right. And yet, there’s a playful terror in its portrayal of people getting trapped by silly things they type.” Cinemascore reports moviegoers gave the film a C+.
Overall, the box office is down 8.7 percent year-to-date, according to Comscore. Check out the March 13-15 numbers below:
Onward— $10.5 million
I Still Believe— $9.5 million
Bloodshot— $9.3 million
The Invisible Man—$6 million
The Hunt— $5.3 million
Sonic the Hedgehog — $2.6 million
The Way Back—$2.4 million
The Call of the Wild—$2.2 million
Emma —$1.4 million
Bad Boy for Life — $1.1 million