By Jake Coyle, Film Writer
NEW YORK (AP) --For the eighth time in the last two and a half months, a movie starring Tom Holland is No. 1 at the box office.
The Sony Pictures videogame adaptation "Uncharted," starring Holland and Mark Wahlberg, led ticket sales for its second weekend of release with $23.3 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.
"Uncharted" held well, too, dropping a modest 46% from its $44 million debut. In two weeks, it's made $83.4 million in U.S. and Canadian theaters.
"Uncharted," a long-in-development adventure film about lost treasure that cost $120 million to make, is packing theaters overseas, too. With a mid-March China release date still looming, "Uncharted" added $35 million overseas, bringing its worldwide gross to $226.4 million so far.
The film's robust international sales includes $46.7 million in two weeks in Russia, where studios have thus far elected to keep movies in release after the country invaded Ukraine earlier in the week. The Ukrainian Film Academy on Saturday called for a boycott of the Russian film industry following the invasion.
On the heels of the blockbuster business for "Spider-Man: No Way Home," the success of "Uncharted" has minted the expanding star power of the 25-year-old Holland.
"No Way Home," which led the box office six times over December and January, is still one of the top draws in theaters. This weekend, it landed in third place with $5.8 million, edging it closer to $800 million in domestic ticket sales.
While both "Uncharted" and "Spider-Man: No Way Home" have benefitted from brand recognition, rarely has one movie star reigned so much over a 12-week span in theaters.
Star power, too, has kept the Channing Tatum-led "Dog" at the number two spot. The MGM release, which Tatum co-directed with Reid Carolin, declined just 32% with $10.1 million in its second weekend of release.
So far, the film — in which Tatum plays an Army Ranger paired with an Army dog on a road trip — has made $30.9 million against a $15 million budget.
With the release of Warner Bros.' "The Batman" coming on Friday, few new wide releases opened in theaters — and the ones that did struggled to make an impression.
The Foo Fighters' horror-comedy "Studio 666," released by Open Road and Briarcliff Entertainment, went the widest, opening in 2,306 theaters. The movie, starring Dave Grohl and company as themselves while making their 10th record in a haunted house, debuted with $1.5 million.
The repeated delayed "Cyrano," starring Peter Dinklage, launched in 797 theaters and totaled $1.4 million for MGM.
The musical, directed by Joe Wright, has been warmly received by critics, might have benefitted from a boost in Oscar nominations, but after several major Golden Globe nominations, it landed only a nod for costume design.
The new release that performed best is five decades old. Paramount's 50th anniversary, remastered release of Francis Ford Coppola's "The Godfather" debuted with $900,000 in 156 theaters.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
1. "Uncharted," $23.3 million.
2. "Dog," $10.1 million.
3. "Spider-Man: No Way Home," $5.8 million.
4. "Death on the Nile," $4.5 million.
5. "Jackass Forever," $3.2 million.
6. "Sing 2," $2.1 million.
7. "Marry Me," $1.9 million.
8. "Studio 666," $1.6 million.
9. "Cyrano," $1.4 million.
10. "Scream," $1.3 million.
Rom-Com Mainstay Hugh Grant Shifts To The Dark Side and He’s Never Been Happier
After some difficulties connecting to a Zoom, Hugh Grant eventually opts to just phone instead.
"Sorry about that," he apologizes. "Tech hell." Grant is no lover of technology. Smart phones, for example, he calls the "devil's tinderbox."
"I think they're killing us. I hate them," he says. "I go on long holidays from them, three or four days at at time. Marvelous."
Hell, and our proximity to it, is a not unrelated topic to Grant's new film, "Heretic." In it, two young Mormon missionaries (Chloe East, Sophie Thatcher) come knocking on a door they'll soon regret visiting. They're welcomed in by Mr. Reed (Grant), an initially charming man who tests their faith in theological debate, and then, in much worse things.
After decades in romantic comedies, Grant has spent the last few years playing narcissists, weirdos and murders, often to the greatest acclaim of his career. But in "Heretic," a horror thriller from A24, Grant's turn to the dark side reaches a new extreme. The actor who once charmingly stammered in "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and who danced to the Pointer Sisters in "Love Actually" is now doing heinous things to young people in a basement.
"It was a challenge," Grant says. "I think human beings need challenges. It makes your beer taste better in the evening if you've climbed a mountain. He was just so wonderfully (expletive)-up."
"Heretic," which opens in theaters Friday, is directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, co-writers of "A Quiet Place." In Grant's hands, Mr. Reed is a divinely good baddie — a scholarly creep whose wry monologues pull from a wide range of references, including, fittingly, Radiohead's "Creep."
In an interview, Grant spoke about these and other facets of his character, his journey... Read More