Zendaya leads US movie theaters with “Rivals”

Photo: Disclosure/MGM / Pipoca Moderna

Zendaya’s new film, the steamy drama “Rivals,” debuted strongly at the box office, grossing $15 million from 3,477 theaters in the United States and Canada. The performance exceeded expectations and marks the second-best debut for an R-rated original drama in North America since the pandemic, behind only “Don’t Worry, Honey.”

MGM Amazon Studios Bold Strategy

MGM Amazon Studios’ decision to release the film with wide distribution, rather than going the alternative route of a limited release, was considered bold. The market would generally classify the film directed by Luca Guadagnino as artistic and would be unlikely to bet on a major commercial success. But Amazon’s strategy was not made with the box office in mind but rather with attracting attention to the title, which will soon be released on its streaming service, Prime Video. The result was better than expected.

As a result, “Rivals” should also easily become Luca Guadagnino’s highest grossing film in the US, surpassing “Call Me by Your Name”, which grossed around US$18 million in total in 2017.

The film also performed well overseas, reaching a global total of US$25 million. Warner Bros. International is handling international distribution for MGM.

The rest of the Top 5

Coming in at No. 2 at the domestic box office, religious film “Unsung Hero” also exceeded expectations with an estimated gross of $7.8 million (forecasts suggested $5 million). The success of the launch drew attention because its audience was predominantly female (91%) and older (55% of viewers over 55). But there is still no expectation for its debut in Brazil.

“Godzilla and Kong: The New Empire” grossed $7.2 million and came in 3rd place. Clash of the Titans has already grossed US$181.7 million in North America and reached US$500 million worldwide. Interestingly, two other franchises celebrate round and important milestones this weekend in their release in cinemas around the world: “Kung Fu Panda 4” surpassed US$500 million globally, while “Dune: Part 2” reached US$700 million . Both, however, are outside the Top 5 of the week in the domestic market – in 7th and 9th places, respectively.

Leader for the last two weeks, “Guerra Civil”, with Brazilian Wagner Moura, now appears in 4th place with US$ 7 million. This brings the dystopian thriller’s gross to $56.2 million domestic and $71.6 worldwide.

The horror “Abigail” completes the Top 5 with US$5.2 million and a total of US$18.8 million after two weeks in North America.