'Megalopolis' flops, 'The Wild Robot' soars at box office

New York — 

Francis Ford Coppola’s decades-in-the-making, self-financed epic “Megalopolis” flopped with moviegoers, portion the acclaimed DreamWorks Animation household movie “The Wild Robot” soared to No. 1 astatine the play container office.

“The Wild Robot,” Chris Sanders’ adaptation of Peter Brown’s bestseller, outperformed expectations to motorboat with $35 cardinal successful summons income successful U.S. and Canada theaters, according to workplace estimates Sunday. “Wild Robot” was poised to bash good aft critics raved astir the communicative of a shipwrecked robot who raises an orphan gosling. Audiences agreed, giving the movie an A CinemaScore. “Wild Robot” is apt to acceptable up a agelong and lucrative tally for the Universal Pictures release.

Paul Dergarabedian, elder media expert for Comscore, predicts “The Wild Robot” “may instrumentality a leafage from the ‘Elemental' playbook by opening to respectable container bureau and past looking toward semipermanent playability.” Pixar's “Elemental," which similar “The Wild Robot" wasn't a sequel, debuted with a humble $30 cardinal but went connected to gross astir $500 cardinal worldwide.

Family movies, led by the year's biggest deed “Inside Out 2,” person peculiarly powered the container bureau this year. David A. Gross, a movie advisor who publishes a newsletter for Franchise Entertainment, said the genre should scope $6 cardinal worldwide successful 2024 — which, helium noted, "is backmost to pre-pandemic levels.”

“Megalopolis,” Coppola’s imaginativeness of a Roman epic acceptable successful modern-day New York, was ne'er expected to execute adjacent to that level. But the film’s $4 cardinal debut was inactive sobering for a movie that Coppola bankrolled himself for $120 million. Following its premiere astatine the Cannes Film Festival, critics person been mixed connected Coppola’s archetypal movie successful 13 years. Audiences gave it a D+ CinemaScore.

By immoderate fiscal measure, “Megalopolis” was a mega-flop. But from the start, the 85-year-old Coppola maintained wealth wasn’t his concern. Coppola fashioned the film, which helium archetypal began processing successful the precocious 1970s, arsenic a expansive idiosyncratic connection astir quality possibility.

“Everyone’s truthful disquieted astir money,” Coppola told The Associated Press successful an interrogation up of the film’s release. “I say: Give maine little wealth and springiness maine much friends.”

Studios passed connected “Megalopolis” aft Cannes. Lionsgate yet stepped guardant to administer it, for a fee. Coppola besides picked up the tab for astir of its $15 cardinal successful selling costs. The film, which stars Adam Driver, Nathalie Emmanuel and Aubrey Plaza, besides played successful astir 200 IMAX locations, which accounted for $1.8 cardinal of its summons sales.

After 3 weeks atop the container office, Tim Burton’s “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” slid to 2nd spot with $16 cardinal successful its 4th play of release. The Warner Bros. sequel to the 1988 “Beetlejuice,” starring Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder, has amassed $250 cardinal domestically successful a period of release.

Third spot went to “Transformers One,” the Transformers prequel starring Chris Hemsworth and Brian Tyree Henry. After its lower-than expected debut past weekend, the Paramount merchandise collected $9.3 cardinal connected its 2nd weekend.

“Megalopolis” was adjacent bested by the Indian Telugu-language enactment movie “Devara: Part 1.” It grossed $5.1 cardinal successful its opening weekend, bully capable for 4th place.

Also debuting successful theaters was Jason Reitman’s “Saturday Night,” an affectionate dramatization of the sketch-comedy instauration connected the nighttime it archetypal aired successful 1975. On the aforesaid play the NBC bid began its 50th season, Reitman’s movie launched successful 5 New York and Los Angeles theaters and collected $265,000, bully for a beardown $53,000 per-theater average. “Saturday Night” goes nationwide successful 2 weeks.

Estimated summons income for Friday done Sunday astatine U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final home figures volition beryllium released Monday.

1. “The Wild Robot,” $35 million.

2. “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice," $16 million.

3. “Transformers One," $9.3 million.

4. “Devara: Part 1," $5.1 million.

5. “Speak No Evil," $4.3 million.

6. “Megalopolis," $4 million.

7. “Deadpool & Wolverine," $2.7 million.

8. “My Old Ass," $2.2 million.

9. “Never Let Go," $2.2 million.

10. “The Substance," $1.8 million.