The 2025 box office has seen both highs and lows. While the year has already crossed the $1 billion mark, showing an 11% increase over the same period in 2024, this weekend turned out to be the second-lowest of the year. With an estimated total of $55.5 million across all titles, it barely surpassed the Super Bowl weekend, which recorded $54.2 million.
In contrast, the same weekend last year saw a much stronger performance, led by Dune: Part Two, which debuted with $82.5 million and pushed the overall weekend total to $114.6 million. The industry now looks ahead to the release of Warner Bros.’ upcoming sci-fi film Mickey 17, directed by Bong Joon Ho, which is set to open next weekend with a production budget of $118 million.
‘Captain America: Brave New World’ Retains the Top Spot
Disney and Marvel Studios’ Captain America: Brave New World continues to lead the box office, securing a third-weekend total of $14.5–$15.5 million with a 47% drop. The film’s continued stronghold is largely attributed to its IMAX screenings, which have helped maintain its momentum. So far, the movie has grossed $163.6 million domestically.
‘Last Breath’ Struggles Despite Positive Reviews
Focus Features’ Last Breath, starring Woody Harrelson and Simu Liu, had a disappointing debut with only $7.3 million despite receiving a respectable B+ CinemaScore and 4.5-star ratings on PostTrak. The film, a deep-sea thriller directed by Alex Parkinson, was acquired for $5 million for North American distribution. While it has strong audience scores and a 61% definite recommendation rate, it has struggled to attract significant foot traffic to theaters.
The movie’s audience was predominantly male (51%), with the largest demographic being those aged 25-34 (26%). Geographically, the film performed best in the South Central, Mountain, and Western regions of the U.S., with AMC Century City in Los Angeles reporting the highest individual theater gross at approximately $10,000.
‘The Monkey’ Sees a Moderate Hold
NEON’s The Monkey, now in its second weekend, is showing a better-than-expected hold with a 55% drop, adding another $6.2 million to its total. The film has now grossed $24.4 million domestically.
Other Notable Performances
Several other films saw modest performances this weekend:
- Paddington in Peru (Sony) dropped 31%, earning $4.5 million and reaching a total of $31.3 million in three weeks.
- Dog Man (Universal) grossed $4 million, bringing its five-week total to $83.8 million.
- Disney’s Mufasa added another $1.8 million in its 11th weekend, reaching $247.8 million.
- Ne Zha 2 (CMC) earned $1.6 million, with a total of $17.7 million.
- Heart Eyes (Sony) made $1.3 million, totaling $28.8 million.
- Unbreakable Boy (Lionsgate) added $1.2 million in its second weekend, reaching a total of $4.5 million.
- Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX-Beginning (GKIDs), a Japanese anime film, saw a limited release in 780 locations, grossing $1 million. It performed best in cities like Los Angeles, Boston, San Francisco, New York, and Chicago.
Marketing and Social Media Insights
RelishMix reported that Last Breath struggled with pre-release social media engagement, running 60% below the average for drama thrillers. Across platforms like TikTok, Facebook, X, YouTube, and Instagram, it garnered only 37.2 million interactions. Meanwhile, iSpot estimated that Focus Features spent $5.1 million on television advertising for Last Breath, roughly half of what it spent on Nosferatu ($10.9M) but close to its spending on Conclave ($6.1M), which was nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars.
Looking Ahead
With box office numbers dwindling this weekend, many audiences may opt for streaming content instead, particularly with the Academy Awards airing this Sunday night. The industry now turns its focus to next weekend’s big release, Mickey 17, which could provide the much-needed boost to box office earnings.
The Information is Collected from Deadline and MSN.
