The magic-heist franchise returned with a flourish this weekend as Now You See Me: Now You Don’t, the third entry in the series, claimed the number one spot at the domestic box office, pulling in an estimated $21.3 million from 3,403 theaters for a solid per-screen average of $6,259. This performance not only outshone the new release of Glen Powell’s action-packed The Running Man but also highlighted the enduring draw of the illusionist ensemble, especially after an eight-year hiatus since the second film in 2016.
Adding to its momentum, the movie earned $54.2 million from 64 international markets, pushing the global opening weekend total to $75.5 million, which positions it as the 44th highest-grossing film worldwide in 2025 so far according to early tallies. For Lionsgate, this debut represents a much-needed bright spot amid a string of underperformers, signaling potential recovery as the studio navigates a competitive holiday season.
A Strong Return for the Illusionists
Directed by Ruben Fleischer, whose previous credits include the high-energy Venom and the zombie comedy Zombieland, Now You See Me: Now You Don’t brings back the core quartet of charismatic magicians: Jesse Eisenberg as the sharp-witted J. Daniel Atlas, Woody Harrelson reprising his role as the eccentric Merritt McKinney, Isla Fisher returning as the agile Henley Reeves, and Dave Franco as the sleight-of-hand expert Jack Wilder. These returning stars provide continuity for longtime fans, while the plot dives deeper into high-stakes illusions aimed at exposing corruption among the ultra-wealthy, blending clever twists with fast-paced heists that echo the series’ signature style. To modernize the franchise and attract a new generation, the film introduces fresh talent including Justice Smith, known from Jurassic World: Dominion, Dominic Sessa from The Holdovers, and Ariana Greenblatt, who has appeared in Barbie and the Ahsoka series, adding layers of youthful energy and diverse representation to the ensemble.
The production budget sat at around $90 million, a figure that reflects the film’s elaborate practical effects, international filming locations, and star-driven marketing push, which included teaser trailers emphasizing mind-bending magic sequences filmed in real time to heighten authenticity. Lionsgate’s head of domestic distribution, Kevin Grayson, explained that this blend of nostalgia and innovation was key to broadening the appeal, noting how the new cast members helped draw in younger moviegoers who might not have seen the earlier films but were intrigued by the social media buzz around the returning originals. Audience demographics back this up: the opening crowd was 54% female, a higher share than typical for action-oriented franchises, and 65% were over the age of 25, indicating strong crossover from adult viewers familiar with the series alongside families seeking PG-13 entertainment.
Industry experts have praised the film’s staying power. Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore, described it as a “viable franchise” that’s far from fading, pointing to the robust international turnout as evidence of its global resonance—markets like China, Europe, and Latin America contributed significantly, with early reports showing particularly strong numbers in Asia where magic-themed stories often thrive. The movie’s critical reception sits at 59% on Rotten Tomatoes, with reviewers highlighting the fun, escapist vibe despite some formulaic elements, and audiences awarded it a B+ CinemaScore, suggesting positive word-of-mouth could extend its run into the Thanksgiving frame. Day-by-day breakdowns show steady performance: $8.4 million on Friday, $7.7 million on Saturday, and $5.2 million on Sunday, bolstered by $2.1 million in Thursday previews that built early excitement.
This success is especially timely for Lionsgate, which has endured a challenging period with recent releases like the John Wick spinoff Ballerina and the ensemble comedy Good Fortune failing to connect with audiences, leading to disappointing returns and questions about the studio’s strategy in a post-pandemic market. However, the pipeline looks brighter: December brings The Housemaid, a tense psychological thriller adapted from Freida McFadden’s bestselling novel about a nanny uncovering dark family secrets, which early test screenings suggest could appeal to fans of domestic suspense like Gone Girl.
Further out in 2026, the studio is banking on Michael, a long-awaited biopic chronicling Michael Jackson’s life and career with Jaafar Jackson in the lead role, directed by Antoine Fuqua, and the next installment in the dystopian saga, The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, starring Tom Blyth and based on Suzanne Collins’ forthcoming novel. Buoyed by this momentum, Lionsgate has already greenlit a fourth Now You See Me film, with early development focusing on expanding the magical society’s lore and potentially introducing more tech-infused illusions to keep pace with evolving audience tastes.
‘The Running Man’ Starts Slow with $17 Million Debut
In a surprising upset, Edgar Wright’s ambitious remake of Stephen King’s 1982 dystopian novel The Running Man landed in second place, opening to $17 million domestically across 3,534 screens with a per-screen average of $4,810, falling short of Paramount’s hopes for a $20 million-plus launch. The film, which reimagines the story of a contestant forced into a deadly game show in a totalitarian future, added $11.2 million from international territories, for a global debut of $28.2 million— a concerning figure given the reported $110 million production budget, not including marketing costs that could push the break-even point to $250 million or more. Starring Glen Powell as the everyman hero Ben Richards, alongside a supporting cast including Katy O’Brian and Josh Brolin, the movie aimed to blend Wright’s signature kinetic editing and pop-culture flair with high-octane action, but early indicators suggest it struggled to convert hype into ticket sales.
Wright, celebrated for films like Baby Driver and Shaun of the Dead, brought his distinctive visual style to the adaptation, incorporating rapid cuts, needle drops from 1980s synth tracks, and satirical jabs at reality TV excess, drawing parallels to his earlier works while updating the source material for contemporary anxieties about surveillance and inequality. This marks the second cinematic take on King’s story, following the 1987 cult classic starring Arnold Schwarzenegger as a muscle-bound rebel in a campy, over-the-top version that became a staple of 80s action cinema. Powell, riding high from romantic and blockbuster successes like Anyone But You (which grossed over $220 million on a modest budget), Top Gun: Maverick, and the disaster epic Twisters, was positioned as the film’s biggest draw, with promotional materials emphasizing his charismatic everyman appeal amid explosive set pieces filmed in Atlanta and London.
Yet the numbers tell a tougher tale. The audience skewed heavily male at 63% and 70% aged 18-44, aligning with the R-rated thriller’s intense violence and mature themes, but turnout was softer than anticipated, with Thursday previews at $1.9 million, Friday at $6.5 million, Saturday at $6.1 million, and Sunday at $4.3 million. Reviews landed at a similar 59% on Rotten Tomatoes to Now You See Me 3, with praise for Wright’s direction but criticism for a plot that felt dated, and a B+ CinemaScore indicates middling audience enthusiasm that may hinder legs against holiday competition. Analyst Jeff Bock from Exhibitor Relations called it “dead in the water,” arguing the lack of franchise familiarity and competition from more feel-good fare left it without enough traction to build through the season.
Paramount’s challenges compound here: the project was developed and shot well before David Ellison’s Skydance Media acquired control of the studio in August 2025, a move that has sparked broader industry speculation about cost management and creative shifts under new leadership. For Powell, this is his first major box office stumble, potentially testing his star power as he eyes future roles in projects like the Hit Man sequel, while Wright faces renewed pressure after Last Night in Soho‘s 2021 release was derailed by the Omicron variant, limiting its theatrical run despite critical acclaim. International prospects offer slim hope, with softer openings in key markets like the UK and Australia, though Asia could provide a lift if word spreads via streaming tie-ins.
‘Predator: Badlands’ Drops in Second Weekend
Dropping a sharp 68% from its $40.3 million opening, Predator: Badlands from 20th Century Studios slid to third place with $13 million in its sophomore frame, playing in 3,725 locations for a per-screen average of $3,490 and lifting the domestic total to $66.3 million. Globally, the sci-fi action reboot has now amassed $136.3 million against a $105 million budget, putting it on track to potentially double its cost if international holds improve, though the steep decline underscores the challenges for genre films in a crowded marketplace. Directed by Dan Trachtenberg, who helmed the well-received Prey, the film expands the alien hunter lore with a narrative set on a hostile exoplanet, featuring Elle Fanning as a scientist leading a team against the Predator, and ties back to franchise origins through archival nods to Schwarzenegger’s iconic 1987 role.
The drop-off, one of the weekend’s most dramatic, reflects direct competition from the new wide releases, as families and action fans opted for lighter entertainment over the R-rated intensity of extraterrestrial combat sequences shot with practical effects and cutting-edge VFX in New Zealand’s remote landscapes. Early global breakdowns show strong initial overseas performance in Europe and Latin America, but the U.S. multiplier of 1.66 so far suggests it may need premium formats like IMAX—where it earned a significant portion of its opening—to sustain through awards season buzz, given its 78% Rotten Tomatoes score and A- CinemaScore. As the latest in a series spanning nearly four decades, Badlands connects to Schwarzenegger’s legacy not just thematically but coincidentally, as his Running Man also hails from 1987, reminding viewers of that era’s action heyday.
Other New Releases and Holdovers
Making a subdued entry in seventh, Neon’s Keeper—the newest horror outing from writer-director Osgood Perkins, following his breakout Longlegs—opened to a modest $2.5 million from 1,950 screens, achieving a low per-screen average of $1,282 and signaling limited broad appeal despite the genre’s usual reliability. Produced on a lean $6 million budget, the film explores psychological terror through a story of a family’s unraveling secrets, starring Maren Morris and Ross Marquand, but it faced backlash with a dismal 22% on Rotten Tomatoes and a D+ audience grade, contrasting sharply with Perkins’ prior hits like Longlegs ($22 million opening) and The Monkey ($14 million), which benefited from stronger scares and timely marketing. Word-of-mouth looks unlikely to save it, though the low cost means minimal financial risk; Perkins pivots next to The Young People, a 2026 horror project with Nicole Kidman and Tatiana Maslany that promises elevated production values to recapture commercial success.
Holdovers filled the mid-chart: Paramount’s adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s Regretting You, a drama about family reconciliation and romance, earned $4 million in its fourth weekend (down 25%) from 2,709 theaters, boosting the domestic total to $44.9 million and worldwide to $82 million, more than tripling its $13.6 million debut as streaming buzz sustains interest. Universal’s The Black Phone 2 held fifth with $2.6 million (down 49%), reaching $74.7 million after five weeks, thanks to its supernatural horror draw for younger audiences. Other notables included Sony’s Nuremberg at $2.4 million (second week, down 37%) and Amazon MGM’s Sarah’s Oil at $2.3 million (down 45%), both maintaining steady mid-tier presence amid the top-heavy weekend.
Milestone Hits and Broader Trends
In a notable milestone, Warner Bros.’ One Battle After Another, Paul Thomas Anderson’s R-rated character study starring Leonardo DiCaprio as a weary veteran in a tale of personal redemption, surpassed $70 million domestically and $200 million globally after eight weeks, with a latest weekend take of $500,000 from limited 251 screens. Hailed as a masterpiece by critics (95% on Rotten Tomatoes) and generating early Oscar whispers for DiCaprio and Anderson’s direction, the $140 million epic has captivated arthouse crowds with its introspective pacing and Los Angeles-shot authenticity, but its adult skew and slow-burn narrative limit mass appeal, projecting a steep write-down as it needs roughly $300 million to break even after marketing.
The weekend’s overall domestic gross hit $75.2 million, a 7.1% increase from the same frame in 2024 when Dwayne Johnson’s holiday comedy Red One led with $73.2 million, though still down 9.5% from the prior week as seasonal shifts take hold. This comes after October’s record-low ticket sales, one of the weakest falls in Hollywood history, plagued by flops like The Smashing Machine and Tron: Ares. Optimism builds for next weekend’s Wicked: For Good, the musical sequel expected to reignite family turnout, with Universal’s re-release of the original Wicked adding $1.2 million from 2,195 screens to stoke anticipation. As Comscore’s Dergarabedian put it, the industry is in the “calm before the Thanksgiving storm,” with blockbusters like Moana 2 and Gladiator II poised to drive a robust recovery through the holidays.
