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 The Warner Bros. sequel to
1996's "Space Jam" surpassed forecasts, which
projected the film would bring in $20 million in
its first three days of release. Critics
rebuffed "Space Jam: A New Legacy" (it holds a
bleak 31% average on Rotten Tomatoes), but
audiences appeared to embrace the movie,
awarding it an "A-" CinemaScore. "Space Jam 2"
played in 3,965 cinemas in North America, while
being available on HBO Max at no extra charge to
subscribers.
"The marketing on this movie really looked fun,
and it helped alert audiences everywhere," said
Jeff Goldstein, Warner Bros. president of
domestic distribution.
The better-than-expected start for "Space Jam 2"
pushed last weekend's champion, Disney and
Marvel's "Black Widow," to second place on box
office charts. The superhero adventure, starring
Scarlett Johansson, brought in $26.3 million in
its second weekend, representing a huge 67%
decline. So far, "Black Widow" has generated
$131 million in North America and $264 million
globally.
Despite concerns over the Delta variant and its
hybrid release on HBO Max, "Space Jam: A New
Legacy" landed the largest debut for a family
film during COVID. Earlier in the pandemic,
movies geared toward younger audiences -- such
as "The Croods: A New Age" and "Tom and Jerry"
-- had been the biggest moneymakers. But summer
offerings like "The Boss Baby: Family Business,"
"Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway" and "Spirit
Untamed" had each fallen flat with family
crowds. "Space Jam 2," which arrived 26 years
after the original, is the first film in some
time to bring moviegoers with kids back to
theaters. Males accounted for 53% of sales,
while 52% of ticket buyers were under the age of
25.
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 "This weekend is a positive
indication that the family audience is alive,
well and, according to 'Space Jam 2's'
enthusiastic audience scores, still thrilled by
the big screen," says David A. Gross, who runs
the movie consulting firm Franchise
Entertainment Research.
Sony's "Escape Room: Tournament of Champions"
opened in third place with $8.4 million from
2,815 locations. Though on par with industry
expectations, its three-day debut marks a steep
decline from its predecessor, 2019's "Escape
Room," which debuted to $18 million and ended
its box office run with $57 million. The sequel
cost $15 million to produce, an increase from
the first film's $9 million price tag.
At No. 4, Universal's "Fast and Furious" sequel
"F9" pulled in $7.6 million in its fourth
weekend of release, bringing its overall
domestic tally to $154 million. Another
Universal title, "The Boss Baby: Family
Business," rounded out the top five, generating
$4.7 million over the weekend. In total, the
animated sequel to 2017's "Boss Baby" has made
$44 million in theaters while playing
simultaneously on the nascent streaming service
Peacock.
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