Movie

'Bob Marley: One Love' outperforms on its domestic debut during the President's Day weekend, while fellow newcomer 'Madame Web', a Sony Pictures superhero movie, fails to sting.

• Feb 19, 2024

AceShowbiz - The love for Bob Marley has apparently crossed generations. "Bob Marley: One Love", a biopic about the late singer, has debuted to No. 1 at North American box office, beating expectations with an estimated $27.7 million over the traditional weekend and $51 during the six-day holiday stretch.

The musical drama, directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green, was initially projected to earn around $30 million to $35 million between Valentine's Day on Wednesday, February 14 and President's Day on Monday, February 19. But it received a strong boost thanks to fans' favorable reviews, giving it an "A" CinemaScore from moviegoers.

The moviegoers dug "One Love" despite critics' mixed reviews. The movie got 43% fresh reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics praising Kingsley Ben-Adir's performance as the late singer, but felt the film was "too safe."

Reacting to the movie's box office performance, Marley's son Ziggy Marley said in a statement, "My family and I are honored with the amazing response to 'Bob Marley: One Love'." He added, "Like my father's music, this movie is meant for the people and his message of peace, love, and unity is clearly connecting with audiences around the world. We thank the people for embracing this film and in so doing helping to highlight the message of one love."

"We've blown through expectations, and I think we're going to continue to do so," said Paramount's president of domestic distribution Chris Aronson. "It speaks volumes about the appeal of the story and Bob Marley's music."

"It was across all generations. It wasn't just a movie for an older audience that grew up with Bob Marley's music," Aronson went on breaking down the audiences who have watched the movie. "Our highest quadrant was (age) 18 to 24. A third of the audience was under 25. That, to me, speaks volumes."

While "One Love" has danced its way to the top spot of the chart, "Madame Web" has a weak start. The superhero film starring Dakota Johnson opens at second place with an estimated $17.6 million over the three-day frame and $25.8 during the six-day period. The film launched internationally with $25.7 million, but those figures are disappointing considering the movie's production budget, which was estimated at around $80 million.

The soft launch will likely continue in the following weeks as the S. J. Clarkson-directed film was widely panned by critics. It received 13% fresh reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, and the audiences gave it an average grade of "C" on CinemaScore.

"Madame Web" is the latest entry of Sony Pictures' Spider-Man spin-offs which have been mostly hit and miss. Its two "Venom" films have surpassed $1.3 billion worldwide combined, but 2022's "Morbius" collected just $167.4 million globally.

"The entire superhero genre has had a really rough go of it over the past year," said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for data firm Comscore. "Certain things are no longer a sure bet. Except maybe now, the musical biopic has become the go-to genre. It just shows how tastes can change."

With the arrivals of these two newcomers, last week's champion "Argylle" is now pushed to No. 3 with an estimated $4.7 million over the traditional frame and an estimated $5.55 million through the holiday on Monday

"Migration" moves up from No. 5 to No. 4 with approximately $3.8 million over the three-day weekend and an estimated $5 million through Monday. "The Chosen: S4 Episodes 4-6", a new installment of the faith-based series, debuts at No. 5 with an estimated $3.4 million over the traditional weekend and $4.1 million through Monday.

Top 10 of North American Box Office (Feb. 16-18, 2024):

1. "Bob Marley: One Love" - $27.7 million
2. "Madame Web" - $15.2 million
3. "Argylle" - $4.7 million
4. "Migration" - $3.8 million
5. "The Chosen: S4 Episodes 4-6" - $3.4 million
6. "Wonka" - $3.4 million
7. "The Beekeeper" - $3.2 million
8. "Anyone But You" - $2.4 million
9. "Lisa Frankenstein" - $2 million
10. "Land of Bad" - $1.8 million