There was plenty of narrative atop the U.S. box office this weekend, with experts eager to see how relative flops The Flash and Elemental would hold up in the face of an R-rated Jennifer Lawrence and the all conquering Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
Let’s start with the big news, which would ordinarily be the film sitting on top of the pile, but in this instance is the title that is the proud new owner of the second largest sophomore frame decline for a DC superhero movie, The Flash.
Despite pre-release buzz from advanced screenings, favourable reviews, and endorsements from the likes of Tom Cruise and Stephen King, last week The Flash opened below expectations, and has now backed that up with a 73% decline in its second weekend, with just $15.3 million over the last three days.
The $200 million tentpole experienced a much larger drop than recent DC flops such as Black Adam (-59%) and Shazam! Fury of the Gods (-69%). It certainly doesn’t bode well for the two remaining DC entries awaiting release before James Gunn and Peter Sarfan’s studio shake-up; Blue Beetle (Aug. 18) and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (Dec. 20).
With The Flash sinking to number three, that left the top two places to be fought over by Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and Elemental. It was a battle won by Sony’s animated blockbuster, which added an impressive fourth-week take of $19.3 million to return to No. 1. That takes Across the Spider-Verse to a whopping $316 million in North America and $560 million globally.
Disney and Pixar’s Elemental performed well in second place, dipping just 37% following its soft opening last week. The $200 million budgeted toon has so far accrued a lukewarm $65 million at the domestic box-office and global cume of $121 million.
Check out the entire chart, including a solid opening for Jennifer Lawrence’s No Hard Feelings, and a career high debut from Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City, over at BoxOfficeMojo.
