This past weekend saw the debut of two films making waves at the box office. “Strange Darling,” a serial killer thriller from Magenta Light Studios, opened to a solid $1.14 million across 1,135 theaters. The film follows a twisted one-night stand that spirals into a serial killer’s vicious murder spree, starring Willa Fitzgerald, Kyle Gallner, Ed Begley Jr., and Barbara Hershey. On the other hand, Sony Pictures Classics’ “Between The Temples” opened to a nice $677.9k on 576 screens, featuring Jason Schwartzman as a cantor facing a crisis of faith when his high school voice teacher becomes his bat mitzvah student.
The 15th Anniversary re-release of “Coraline” by Fathom Events continued to attract audiences, projecting a weekend total of over $5 million for a cumulative box office of $22.5 million. The dark and creative animated film, based on Neil Gaiman’s novella, remains a popular choice for moviegoers, holding strong at no. 7 in domestic box office rankings.
Several holdovers from previous weeks also demonstrated their staying power at the box office. “Kneecap,” an Irish rap trio feature by Rich Peppiatt, crossed the $1 million mark with a $27k gross on 34 screens in its fourth week. “Didi,” a Sundance award-winner starring Joan Chen, continues to perform well with an estimated $471k weekend gross at 435 locations for a cume of $3.6 million in its fifth week. Additionally, “Sing Sing,” a prison drama starring Colman Domingo, has reached $1.59 million with a $242k weekend gross on 191 screens.
New entries and expanding releases added variety to the weekend box office landscape. “Good One” by India Donaldson, from Metrograph, expanded to 31 theaters in 13 markets with a weekend gross of $52.2k in its third week and a cume of $157.2k. Roadside Attractions’ “My Penguin Friend” by David Schurmann grossed $454k on 877 screens in its second week, surpassing $2 million. Neon’s quirky Alpine horror film, “Cuckoo,” starring Hunter Schafer and Dan Stevens, stands at $177k on 250 screens in its third week.
Finally, the horror smash “Longlegs” starring Nicolas Cage remains a box office powerhouse in its seventh week, grossing $321k for a total of $78.6 million. The film has become the highest-grossing movie ever domestically, showcasing the enduring appeal of the genre and the star power of Cage.
Overall, the weekend box office showcased a mix of new releases, holdovers, and expanding releases, appealing to a wide range of audiences and demonstrating the resilience of the film industry in attracting moviegoers to theaters.