It’s not often that Hollywood finds cause to celebrate a $7 million opening topping the U.S. box office, but in these crazy times that’s the case this past weekend with the long-delayed X-Men spinoff The New Mutants.
The long-delayed Fox superhero movie, which was originally slated to open back in 2018, grossed $7 million across the Friday-to-Sunday period in North America, where between 60% and 70% of cinemas have now reopened their doors following the lockdown.
The New Mutants delivered the biggest domestic weekend for any new release during the global health crisis, with the film showing on 2412 screens and excluding several major markets such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York and New Jersey where closures remain in effect. It added a further $2.9 million from 10 international markets.
SEE ALSO: Read our ★★★★ review of The New Mutants here
With social distancing and reduced capacities in force, and huge uncertainty around whether audiences are ready and willing to return to multiplexes, the $7 million haul is being viewed as a positive by Disney, with its president of global distribution Cathleen Taff stating: “We’re encouraged by the results. We didn’t expect everyone to come back to the movies at once, but there’s clearly an appetite.”
Also opening in U.S. theaters this past weekend (albeit with a simultaneous PVOD release) was Bill & Ted Face the Music, with the time-travelling comedy threequel earning $1.06 million from 1007 screens, as well as Armando Iannucci’s The Personal History of David Copperfield, which earned $520,000.
SEE ALSO: The New Mutants co-creator slams the X-Men spinoff for white-washing and misspelling his name
All eyes now will of course be on Christopher Nolan’s Tenet, which arrives in the U.S. this Friday after beginning its international roll out this past week.
Twentieth Century Studios in association with Marvel Entertainment presents “The New Mutants,” an original horror thriller set in an isolated hospital where a group of young mutants is being held for psychiatric monitoring. When strange occurrences begin to take place, both their new mutant abilities and their friendships will be tested as they battle to try and make it out alive. Directed by Josh Boone (“The Fault in our Stars”) and written by Josh Boone & Knate Lee, “The New Mutants” stars: Maisie Williams (“Game of Thrones”); Anya Taylor-Joy (“Glass”); Charlie Heaton (“Stranger Things”); Alice Braga (“Predators”); Blu Hunt (“The Originals”); and Henry Zaga (“13 Reasons Why”). The film is produced by Simon Kinberg, p.g.a., Karen Rosenfelt and Lauren Shuler Donner with Stan Lee and Michele Imperato Stabile serving as executive producers.
The New Mutants is directed by Josh Boone (The Fault in Our Stars) and features a cast includes Maisie Williams (Game of Thrones) as Rahne Sinclair/Wolfsbane, Anya Taylor-Joy (The Witch) as Illyana Rasputin/Magik, Charlie Heaton (Stranger Things) as Sam Guthrie/Cannonball, Henry Zaga (13 Reasons Why) as Roberto da Costa/Sunspot, Blu Hunt (The Originals) as Danielle Moonstar/Mirage and Alice Braga (Queen of the South) as Dr. Cecilia Reyes.
