'Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire' debuts with $62m at global box office ...
Credit: Comscore. All figures are estimates.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire – from Sony’s Columbia Pictures – has opened with an estimated $45.2m in North America and $16.5m in its first wave of 25 international markets. This compares with the previous film in the series, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, which began in November 2021 with a very similar $44.0m in North America, and $16.0m in its first 32 international markets.
On a like-for-like comparison, Frozen Empire is tracking 15% ahead of Afterlife in the same suite of international markets at the same stage of release.
Top international territory was UK/Ireland, which launched with a chart-topping estimated $5.3m. Mexico comes next with an estimated $2.7m, ahead of Australia ($2.0m), Germany ($1.7m) and Spain ($1.3m).
Many key markets are yet to release. Japan opens the film this coming Friday (March 29), with Netherlands and Poland a week later, and then France, Brazil, Italy and South Korea the following week.
Ghostbusters is traditionally a bigger proposition domestically than overseas, and Frozen Empire looks likely to repeat that pattern. Afterlife reached $129.4m in North America and $75.0m in international markets, combining to deliver a $204.3m total.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is directed by Gil Kenan, co-writing with Jason Reitman, and is produced by Reitman, his father Ivan Reitman (who died in 2022) and Jason Blumenfeld. Ghostbusters: Afterlife was directed by Jason Reitman, co-writing with Kenan.
Also for Sony, international rollout has begun on Chinese hit YOLO, after Sony Pictures International Productions acquired rights outside China last month. YOLO launched at the weekend in Malaysia at the top of the box office with an estimated $1.6m including previews – the second-biggest debut for a Chinese film in the territory. In total, YOLO grossed an estimated $2.5m at the weekend from six Sony-distributed markets, and Sony’s total on the film (including $1.8m so far in North America) is $4.5m. YOLO, which has grossed $484m in home market China, is directed by Jia Ling, who stars as an unemployed woman in her 30s whose life is turned around when she meets a boxing coach.
‘Kung Fu Panda 4’ hits top of global box officeUniversal’s release of DreamWorks Animation’s Kung Fu Panda 4 expanded in its second weekend of play, adding 13 new markets including major territories China, Italy and Brazil – and grossing an estimated $36.8m from the fresh launches.
International total at the weekend including 56 holdover markets was an estimated $55.3m, while North America scored $16.8m. Those numbers combine to deliver a $72.1m weekend total, pushing Kung Fu Panda 4 up to the top of the worldwide box office.
Top market was China with $25.7m including substantial previews totalling $11.2m. Italy launched with a chart-topping estimated $4.4m, and a 57% market share. Brazil likewise saw a chart-topping launch, with an estimated $2.5m, and Netherlands began with $1.5m – the biggest ever opening there for a Kung Fu Panda film.
International holdover markets, which saw a drop of 46% overall, were led by Mexico, Germany and Spain.
For totals to date, North America has reached $133.2m after three weeks of play, while international is now at $134.9m. Worldwide, Kung Fu Panda 4 has now reached $268.2m.
In cumulative totals, the launch in China puts the country at the top of the international pack, just ahead of Mexico ($22.8m) so far. Other markets are far behind, with Germany ($6.9m after two weekends) ahead of Spain ($6.2m after three weekends).
This coming week sees Kung Fu Panda 4 land in France on Wednesday (March 27), with Australia the next day and UK/Ireland the day after. South Korea follows on April 10. The staggered international rollout has been engineered to capitalise on local holidays including the upcoming Easter.
Kung Fu Panda 4 is now more than half way to reaching the $521.1m worldwide total achieved by Kung Fu Panda 3 in 2016. The first two films were even stronger at the box office: Kung Fu Panda reached $632.1m worldwide in 2008, and Kung Fu Panda 2 grossed $665.7m in 2011.
Last week saw the franchise push past $2bn, and the four films have reached a combined $2.09bn to date.
‘Immaculate’ launches with $8mBlack Bear’s Immaculate has made a decent start in North America with an estimated $5.4m via Neon, plus also $2.2m in the first wave of 22 international markets – including $660,000 for UK/Ireland. Those numbers combined ($7.6m) are strong enough to earn the psychological horror film fourth place in the worldwide chart, below studio blockbusters Kung Fu Panda 4, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire and Dune: Part Two.
Anyone But You’s Sydney Sweeney stars as a young nun who experiences an immaculate conception. Michael Mohan (Amazon Original feature The Voyeurs, also starring Sweeney) directs.
Columbia Pictures’ Anyone But You added another $1.0m at the weekend for Sony, and the worldwide total is now $216.4m.
‘Now Or Never!’ sets Covid-era record in HungaryHungarian historical drama Now Or Never! is setting box office records in its home market, having opened with 75,600 admissions/ $441,000. That’s the highest opening box office for a Hungarian film since 1990, and thus the most successful for a local title in the Covid era. So far this year, only Dune: Part Two has opened bigger in Hungary.
Directed by Balázs Lóth, Now Or Never! is set against the 1848 Hungarian Revolution and War Of Independence. Nándor Berettyán stars as national hero Sándor Petöfi, the firebrand poet who ignited the revolution in Hungary (ruled from Vienna by the Hapsburg Empire) during a period of political ferment across much of Europe – collectively known as the 1848 Revolutions. Forum Hungary distributes locally.
Serbia is likewise currently dominated by a local hit: Lilacs (aka Jorgovani), Sunisa Cvetic’s comedic satire of the Balkan film industry. Lilacs had reached 114,000 admissions since release at the end of February, which compares with 88,000 admits for Dune: Part Two in Serbia over the same period. Box office total after two and a half weeks had reached $526,000. Art Vista distributes in Serbia and the region.
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