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Disney and 20th Century Studios' "Death on the
Nile," based on the famous Agatha Christie novel, took in $5.1
million on Friday, an underwhelming tally. That's only half as
much as the opening day gross of its predecessor "Murder on the
Orient Express" ($10.7 million), which eventually legged it out
to a $102 million domestic gross. While Gal Gadot's character
Linnet Ridgeway-Doyle may have enough champagne to fill the Nile
in the film, it seems dubious that the whodunit could sell
enough tickets to fill the $90 million hole left by its
production budget.
While sequels are usually expected to build on the financial
success of their predecessors, the box office fate of "Death on
the Nile" may have seemed prewritten for quite some time now.
The production was greenlit shortly after the release of "Murder
on the Orient Express" and was subsequently inherited by Disney
after the studio's acquisition of 20th Century Fox was finalized
in 2019. Many of Disney's projects rooted in the Fox era have
been perceived as financial disappointments, with films like
"West Side Story," "The Last Duel" and "The King's Man" coming
up short at the box office.
Additionally, the release has faced a litany of other issues,
including several delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic and
accusations of rape and sexual abuse levied against Armie
Hammer, one of the film's more prominent stars. The whodunit has
had an extremely quiet rollout with little to no effort made at
a press tour.
Directed by Kenneth Branagh, the adaptation follows the
mustachioed detective Hercule Poirot (also Branagh) as he
attempts to solve a murder on board a glamorous river cruise in
Egypt. The film boasts a deep cast of stars that includes Gadot,
Annette Bening, Russell Brand and Letitia Wright. Variety's Owen
Gleiberman had praise for the film, writing that it is "crisper
and craftier than 'Murder on the Orient Express'; it's a
moderately diverting dessert that carries you right along. It
never transcends the feeling that you're seeing a relic injected
with life serum, but that, in a way, is part of its minor-league
charm."
Elsewhere, Universal's "Marry Me" is looking to debut in third
place. The studio projects an $8 million weekend gross from
3,642 locations. While "Death on the Nile" is bowing exclusively
in theaters, "Marry Me" is debuting day-and-date on
NBCUniversal's streaming platform Peacock.
Romantic comedies hardly carry much box office weight anymore,
with 2018's "Crazy Rich Asians" representing the last smash hit
in the genre. However, with a modest production budget of $23
million, a "B+" CinemaScore indicating positive audience
reception and both Valentine's Day and the President's Day
holiday weekend on the horizon, Universal is anticipating a
happy ending for the release.
"Marry Me" stars Lopez as a pop star who decides to get married
to a total stranger (Owen Wilson) during one of her concerts.
Together, the two must face Lopez's toxic ex (Maluma) and see if
their shotgun wedding can turn into true love. In his review of
"Marry Me," Gleiberman complimented the film's self-awareness of
its preposterous plot, writing: "The bar for rom-coms is not
high, and this one, ludicrous as it often is, inches over the
bar. But I would no more call it a good movie than I'd pretend
fast food is high in nutrients."
Meanwhile, Briarcliff Entertainment's Liam Neeson-led action
thriller "Blacklight" is estimated to bring in $2.89 million
from 2,772 locations in its domestic debut, opening outside the
box office's top five.
Sandwiched between the two top new releases is Paramount's
"Jackass Forever," which should take the box office's runner-up
slot with a projected $8.3 million gross. That's a 65% drop from
its debut last weekend, a figure that's roughly in line with the
58% drop that its predecessor, "Jackass 3D," faced in its
sophomore outing in 2010. By the end of the weekend, "Jackass
Forever" should push its domestic haul past $37 million, a
figure well beyond its production budget of $10 million.
The sci-fi disaster spectacular "Moonfall" is having a much less
enjoyable sophomore outing. After opening to a slim $10 million,
the film is facing a rough 75% drop in its second weekend. With
a reported production budget of $140 million, "Moonfall" ranks
as one of the most expensive independently financed films ever
made. Lionsgate is only handling distribution.
Sony and Columbia Pictures' "Spider-Man: No Way Home" should
take fourth place in its umpteenth weekend at the box office.
The MCU monster hit has been enjoying a smooth finish in its
domestic run, with this weekend's projected $7 million gross
representing a mere 26% drop from its previous outing. "No Way
Home" should reach the third place slot on the all-time domestic
box office earners sometime next week, pushing past "Avatar
($760 million) in the record books.
Universal's animated sequel "Sing 2" rounds out the domestic box
office's top five, looking to add an additional $3 million. The
film should expand its North American gross to $143 million by
the end of the weekend.
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