Box Office: Doctor Strange maintains the top spot while Downton Abbey entices older moviegoers

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness maintains the top spot at the box office for the third week in a row while Downton Abbey: A New Era, despite underperforming a bit, enticed older moviegoers to head out to the movies.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness grossed $31.6 million over the weekend which is a drop of 49%. It was close to my $30 million prediction and Marvel/Disney should be happy the film kept its decline slightly below 50%. The movie is going to face its biggest competition next weekend with the arrival of Top Gun: Maverick but the Memorial Day weekend should allow the Marvel release to have a relatively steady hold given the holiday movie rush. The good news for the film is that it brought its global haul to $803.2 million after just three weekends. It’s looking like a $950 million worldwide finish and that’s without a release in China or Russia. To date, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has grossed $342.1 million at the domestic box office.

Debuting in second place is Downton Abbey: A New Era with a gross of $16 million. That’s below my $25 million predictions and well below the $31 million debut of the first film three years ago. I was about to call this one a major underperformer but then I did a little research. For instance, box office tracking had the film opening in the $16-18 million range despite the opening weekend success of the first film. Expectations were lowered because older moviegoers, particularly older female moviegoers, are still not sure about going to a crowded movie theater during the pandemic. It was also noted that this is a period drama and they’re not known for massive openings. The first film’s opening was a legitimate surprise to the industry three years ago and even the sequel’s opening weekend is where most period dramas end their runs at the box office. The bright side here is that older audiences did come back for Downton, even if it came in under the first film’s opening. Deadline reports that 48% of the opening weekend audience was over 55 and it’s leaning 73% women. The first film’s opening leaned 74% women so there wasn’t much of a change there. The movie also earned an “A” CinemaScore which means fans who saw it, did like it and I think when it’s all said and done, enough money will be made to warrant another installment. All of the money for Downton Abbey isn’t coming from the States. This is an international performer, particularly in the UK. Ahead of the weekend, the sequel had already grossed $29 million overseas and that figure should grow once the international figures are tallied for the weekend.

In third place, we have The Bad Guys with a gross of $6.1 million, down just 13% from the previous weekend. Another figure that was close to my predictions as the Dreamworks Animation release continues to see great word of mouth from families. To date, The Bad Guys has grossed $74.3 million at the domestic box office and it’s even making a killing overseas. The film has grossed $107.8 million overseas which brings its global haul to $182.2 million to date.

Maintaining a solid hold in fourth place is Sonic The Hedgehog 2 with a gross of $3.9 million. That’s a decline of just 15% as the Sonic sequel continues to be an alternative option for families after The Bad Guys. To date, Sonic The Hedgehog 2 has grossed $181 million at the domestic box office and $357.4 million globally before the final international figures were tallied for the weekend.

Rounding out the top five is the A24 release Men, directed by Alex Garland. The movie was always going to be a niche release that appealed to fans of the director. The film’s opening of $3.2 million was below my predictions but this is the kind of movie that will find its audience once it’s available for home consumption.

What are YOUR thoughts on this weekend’s box office results?