Box Office: Uncharted hunts down a massive $51 million holiday debut

Last Updated on February 21, 2022

The weekend box office results are in and while we still need to add in the holiday figures from Monday, estimates are showing that both brand new wide openers exceeded box office expectations.

Uncharted takes the top spot at the box office with a $44.1 million 3-day opening and an estimated $51 million over 4 days. That is well beyond the $30 million 4-day haul that the film was initially tracking. So what worked here? Let’s put this all on Sony’s brilliant marketing campaign and Tom Holland. Even though the Uncharted adaptation strayed heavily away from the video game, marketing the film as a fun ride for the entire family paid off. It also helped that Tom Holland, especially after seeing the opening weekend numbers for this film, is a name that can put butts in the seats from his target demographic. The opening comes fresh off the back of Spider-Man: No Way Home, another Holland release that is still in the top five and pulling in stellar numbers. Moviegoers seem to be enjoying Uncharted more than the critics. The film is 39% rotten on Rotten Tomatoes but the audience score is currently 88% and the film earned a respectable “B+” CinemaScore from opening day audiences. Some films aren’t made for critics and Uncharted is proving that this weekend. Also, overseas, Uncharted brought in $55.4 million from 62 overseas markets to bring its global opening to $106.4 million.

Who’s a good boy in second place? It’s Dog, starring Channing Tatum. Also far exceeding expectations with a 3-day opening of $15.1 million and an estimated $18 million over 4 days. This also goes beyond the estimated $12 million over 4 days that the film was tracking ahead of the weekend and honestly its overperformance has everything to do with solid reviews, Channing Tatum, and everyone’s love of dogs. The film is 77% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes and audiences like it even more at 92% with an “A-” CinemaScore also under its belt. I also suspect that Dog is going to have solid legs in the weeks ahead so this is a win for the studio and Channing Tatum, who took a break for a few years in between projects.

Swinging into third place is Spider-Man: No Way Home with a gross of $7.2 million over 3 days and an estimated take of $8.8 million over 4 days. The 3-day figure represents a slim decline of 4% which shows just how mighty this film has been at the box office. Spider-Man: No Way Home is benefitting from repeat business and I also suspect that some moviegoers took in a Tom Holland double feature with this film and Uncharted this weekend. Spider-Man: No Way Home now bringing its domestic total to $771.7 million and, after grossing $8.1 million from 63 overseas markets, the Spidey sequel brings its global haul to $1.83 billion.

Falling to fourth place is Death on the Nile with a 3 day gross of $6.25 million and an estimated 7.18 million over 4 days. That’s a steep decline of 51% with its 3-day total which indicates that the target audience really isn’t sticking around for this one like they did with Murder on the Orient Express. Death on the Nile has grossed $24.9 million at the domestic box office and, after pulling in an additional $19.8 million from 50 overseas markets, the film brings its international total to $74.9 million.

Rounding out the top five is Jackass Forever with a gross of $5.2 million over 3 days and an estimated $6.2 million over 4 days. That’s a decline of 35% as the film continues to bring in a profit for Paramount Pictures given its slim $10 million budget. Jackass Forever has grossed $46.7 million to date at the domestic box office and another $13.3 million from overseas markets.

What are YOUR thoughts on this weekend’s box office results from Uncharted and Dog?