Ironically, it was the February 10-12, 2012 weekend, when The Phantom Menace 3D hit multiplexes, where I first learned about how rare it was for four or more movies to gross $20+ million simultaneously in one weekend. Over that frame, The Vow, Safe House, Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, and The Phantom Menace 3D all had $20+ million three-day bows. Ray Subers of Box Office Mojo claimed at the time that this was only the second weekend in history where a quartet of new wide releases opened to $20+ million.
This weekend didn’t have four newcomers hitting $20+ million, but we still had four features each cracking that fateful box office mark. That’s an incredibly healthy sign for the marketplace, an indication that not just one movie is sucking up all the oxygen. This is true even as the number one movie in America, Sinners, has officially become a full-blown cultural phenomenon.
After scoring one of the best original R-rated horror openings ever last frame, Sinners had a jaw-dropping 6% dip this weekend to gross another $45 million. Removing its $4.7 million Thursday night grosses from last frame, Sinners technically made more in its second weekend than in its debut. Among all movies that opened in 3,000+ theaters, Sinners had the 31st best second-weekend hold in history. Among movies that didn't debut in November or December, though, Sinners had the FIFTH best second weekend decline in history for a movie playing in 3,000+ theaters. Two of the four films that had better holds (Mother’s Day and Heart Eyes) were tied into specific famous holidays, which Sinners didn’t have. This drop is all about the quality of Sinners, not people waiting to see it on a pseicifc holiday. Now that's the kind of box office stamina movie studio executives dream about.
Sinners has now grossed $122.5 million domestically and $200+ million domestically is assured. That would make it the first original live-action film to cross that barrier in North America in its initial theatrical run since Gravity in 2013. That would also make it only the fifth horror movie ever (give or take an I Am Legend) to crack $200+ million domestically. Ryan Coogler and company need to take a bow, this is a phenomenal box office performance and a deeply encouraging sign for audiences still coming out to see original films theatrically.
In second place, the Force was strong (see what I did there?) with Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith in its 20th anniversary re-release. Grossing $25.2 million in this domestic relaunch. Revenge of the Sith's bow this frame was only behind The Lion King 3D's $30 million bow from September 2011 among 21st century theatrical re-releases. It also came in noticeably ahead of the February 2012 launch of The Phantom Menace 3D.
Domestically, Revenge of the Sith has now taken in $405.4 million domestically across its two theatrical runs. The Prequels were once solely a punchline for the general public, but their more nuanced reputation among a new generation of Star Wars geeks clearly benefited Sith’s box office haul this frame. Just one question Disney…when are y’all re-releasing those 1980s Ewok TV movies in theaters? I wanna see Wilford Brimley in IMAX!
Nine years later, The Accountant 2, the sequel to the most popular DVD rental of 2017 (that's not a joke), opened to a robust $24.49 million. That’s roughly on par with the $24.7 million debut of the first Accountant. The film's got an $80 million budgeted, so profitability is a ways away. However, I presume this title was originally meant for streaming, hence why its costs are so hefty. In raw numbers, this is a fine launch, especially for a franchise that's been M.I.A. for a decade. This also makes another strong opening weekend for Amazon MGM Studios, which is starting to get a good track record for launching action-oriented dad movies. Between this and Reacher and Cross being hits on Amazon’s streaming service, maybe this is the companies niche.
A Minecaft Movie fell 44% this weekend to gross another $22.7 million for a domestic total of $379.96 million. The only "complaint" one could lob at this film's box office run is that it's clearly falling more like a standard PG-13 superhero film than a PG-rated family movie hit (like The LEGO Movie). Otherwise, this one's box office haul is staggering. Minecraft should get past Wonder Woman's $412 million domestic haul to become the fourth-biggest Warner Bros. movie ever, only behind Barbie and the two Dark Knight sequels. Absolutely tremendous business and a game-changer hit for the world of live-action video game movies.
Minecraft also ensured we had four individual movies each cracking $20+ million sums this weekend. However, this quartet of hits weren’t the only movies in the marketplace. Heck, there’s another major new wide release to discuss…
In a weekend of box office riches, Until Dawn was the one real wipe-out as it grossed just $7.6 million. In a terrific month for live-action video game adaptations and R-rated horror films, it's clear that Until Dawn struck out thanks to its brand name not being especially famous and its marketing not winning over the unconverted. Sinners becoming the big watercooler horror movie of the moment didn't help either, though Truth or Dare's strong opening one week after A Quiet Place seven years ago showed that multiple horror films can thrive at once in the marketplace. At least Until Dawn, like all Sony/Screen Gems movies, was cheap to make with a $15 million budget.
Easter has come and gone, so The King of Kings did not rise again at the domestic box office. This faith-based animated movie fell a whopping 77% this weekend to gross another $4.01 million. That's a hefty decline, but its domestic haul still stands at a great $54.5 million so nobody at Angel Studios is complaining. The Amateur dropped another 46% in its third domestic frame, grossing another $3.8 million in the process. It's now grossed $33.85 million after 17 days of domestic release. Also in its third frame was Warfare, which dropped 45% to gross another $2.64 million. This one's now grossed $21.8 million, making it the rare A24 release to crack $20+ million domestically.
Revenge of the Sith wasn't the only theatrical re-release to excel this weekend. 1972 concert film Pink Floyd: Live at Pompeii grossed a robust $2.62 million this frame from 678 theaters. If my local theaters are any indication, a lot of these locales were restricted to just playing it once a day, so this is an especially impressive number. Also, how cool is it that a 1972 concert film is in the top 10 biggest movies in America alongside an original R-rated horror movie sensation and several kid’s movies? There’s real variety in the marketplace right now, which is undoubtedly informing the heavy box office. It’s not complicated…when there’s a lot of different types of movies in theaters, lots of people come out.
The Legend of Ochi finally debuted in theaters this weekend three-and-a-half years after it started shooting. Unfortunately, it only grossed $1.44 million from 1,100 theaters, one of 2025's worst bows for a film opening in over 1,000 locations. A rare PG-rated film from indie distributor A24, Ochi never quite took off enough with critics to make it a cult sensation for adults while kids were understandably more enamored with Minecraft and Kings among family-friendly fare. A24 better hope that Ochi merch moves like hotcakes to make up for this title’s $10 million budget.
Drop lost 1,216 theaters this weekend and plummeted 71% to gross another $950,000 for a $15.84 million domestic total. A $20+ million domestic haul isn't happening for this feature. Pride & Prejudice's 2025 re-release fell a steep 78% this weekend to gross another $610,000. No matter, this one's already grossed a terrific $5.4 million just from 2025 screenings and $44.08 million across its domestic run.
On Swift Horses opened to just $606,000 from 755 locations this weekend for a middling $803 per theater average. At least it’s far from the worst Sony Pictures Classics wide release bow in the last year. Thanks to Becoming Led Zeppelin and I'm Still Here, Sony Pictures Classics has already grossed just under $23 million for 2025. One more decent $3-4 million grosser and the studio will cross $30+ million domestically this year for the first time since 2018. That's the kind of potential outcome that soothes a misfire like On Swift Horses.
Janus Films expanded David Cronenberg's The Shrouds to 279 locations to shrug-worthy results as it grossed $302,600 for a $1,085 per theater average. Domestically, Shrouds has grossed $368,595. In its second frame, The Wedding Banquet plummeted 70% to gross another $272,386 for a $1.65 million domestic total. Opening in limited release this weekend was Magic Farm, which opened to $19,479 from a single theater. Blue Sun Palace bowed in five locations to gross $11,881 for a $2,376 per theater average. Then there was April, which opened to $11,200 from two locations for a $5,600 per theater average.
The top ten movies this weekend grossed $139 million, a tremendous gross that means every single weekend in April 2025 exceeded $129 million. This cume was also way up on typical pre-2018 final April frames, such as the April 28-30, 2017 frame when the top ten only grossed $80,79 million. A year earlier, the April 29-May 1, 2016 frame could only muster $96.93 million. That’s what happens when lots of new movies open in the marketplace! I’ve been saying it for months and this weekend is a fantastic demonstration of what happens when lots of major new features open in theaters. The marketplace can expand to accommodate many different hits, believe it or not.
April 2025 has grossed $828 million to date, making it the fourth biggest April ever in North America (not adjusted for inflation). With three days left in the month, this month should just exceed $845 million. Having more than doubled March 2025's $397.68 million haul, April 2025's immense gross provides a much-needed turnaround for the 2025 domestic box office. Best of all, this is the end of the spring corridor. Summer 2025 begins next weekend and with it comes a deluge of new wide releases poised to make serious cash.
Movie theaters are bound to get constant extra jolts of life if all goes well in the next few months. Certainly April 2025 provided plenty of hope for the immediate future of theatrical moviegoing.