'Meg 2' Barely Bites Off 'Barbie' From Box Office's No. 1

Movie

As the Greta Gerwig-directed fantasy comedy movie holds on to the top spot in its third week, the sci-fi sequel takes down 'Oppenheimer' and 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem'.

Aug 7, 2023

AceShowbiz - "Barbie" continues to lead the North American box office after opening in theaters three weeks ago. Greta Gerwig's cotton candy-colored fantasy comedy is barely scared off by newcomers, including "Meg 2: The Trench", as it maintains its domination with an addition of approximately $53 million.

"Barbie" has so far generated $459 million in North America and surpassed the $1 billion mark globally after just 17 days in theaters. The movie made history as it has become the first film directed solely by a woman to cross the coveted milestone.

Jeff Goldstein, Warner Bros' president of domestic distribution in the U.S., said in a statement regarding the milestone, "This is a watershed moment for 'Barbie', and no one but Greta Gerwig could have brought this cross-generational icon and her world to life in such a funny, emotional and entertaining story, one that is resonating with all four quadrants of moviegoers and literally turning the entire world pink. Long lines and repeat viewings prove that movies are back in a big, big way, and we look forward to seeing just how far 'Barbie' can go in the real world."

"The Meg" sequel debuts at No. 2 with an estimated $30 million from 3,503 theaters in North America. It's a decent start, albeit a significant drop from the first movie, which opened to $45 million in 2018 and became a surprise hit with $530.5 million globally.

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The follow-up film was made with $130 million production budget, which means Warner Bros. was investing a lot in what they expected to be another tentpole. The movie still could be a strong player overseas as it has bagged $112 million internationally for a worldwide start of $142 million.

"Meg 2" pushes down "Oppenheimer" to No. 3 with $28.7 million, albeit dropping only 38.6% from last week. Another new release, "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem", trails close behind at No. 4 with an estimated $28 million.

Speaking of the impressive box office results overall, Paul Dergarabedian, a senior Comscore analyst, said, "A rare quadruple threat of $25 million-plus performers is driving another terrific weekend for theaters."

"Haunted Mansion", however, barely contributed to this as it falls from No. 3 to No. 5 with approximately $8.97 million. The supernatural horror comedy dropped 62.7% from last week after its lackluster debut.

Top 10 of North America Box Office (Aug. 04-06, 2023):