‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ is No. 1 again; conservative doc ‘Am I Racist’ cracks box office top 5

[September 16, 2024]  By LINDSEY BAHR

Moviegoers said yes to more “ Beetlejuice Beetlejuice ” this weekend.

After its monster opening, the Tim Burton sequel easily topped the domestic box office charts again with $51.6 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday. Down only 54% from a week earlier, the North American gross for the Warner Bros. release is already at $188 million. Internationally, it added $28.7 million, bringing its worldwide total to a staggering $264.3 million.

“To drop just 54% is really impressive and indicative of a pretty solid word of mouth,” said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore. “Audiences are enjoying the film.”

While its hold was strong, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” didn’t have much in the way of major new competition. Fresh offerings included the James McAvoy horror “ Speak No Evil,” a satirical documentary following right wing podcaster Matt Walsh; and a new Dave Bautista action pic, “The Killer's Game.”

Second place in weekend ticket sales went to “ Speak No Evil,” a remake of a 2022 Danish horror film about an unsuspecting family who decides to spend a weekend with new friends in the country. McAvoy stars in it, along with Mackenzie Davis and Scoot McNairy. With positive reviews and a shrewd release date of Friday the 13th, the Blumhouse production released by Universal Pictures made an estimated $11.5 million from 3,375 locations.

“ Deadpool & Wolverine ” landed in third place in its eighth weekend with another $5.2 million. The Disney and Marvel blockbuster is now up to $621.5 million in North America and $1.3 billion globally.

The Daily Wire movie “Am I Racist?” placed fourth at the box office, with an estimated $4.7 million from only 1,517 theaters. Described as a mockumentary in the style of “Borat,” the movie has conservative columnist Walsh going undercover as a “DEI trainee.” Walsh also attempted to explore gender ideologies in the 2022 movie “What is a Woman?” Both were directed by Justin Folk.

“Am I Racist?” cost a reported $3 million to make. To release it, the Daily Wire — the Ben Shapiro co-founded company — partnered with SDG Releasing, a distribution company founded by “God’s Not Dead” writers Cary Solomon and Chuck Konzelman, who promise the “lowest fees in the business.” Among the trailers playing before “Am I Racist?" is another film targeting conservative audiences: The upcoming Dinesh D'Souza movie “Vindicating Trump.”

Rounding out the top five was “ Reagan,” the Showbiz Direct release starring Dennis Quaid as the former president, which added another $3 million in its third weekend, bringing its total domestic total to $23.3 million.

“The Killer's Game," meanwhile, debuted in sixth place with $2.6 million. Bautista stars as a hit man with a terminal illness in the action comedy, which got dismal reviews. The faith-based “God’s Not Dead: In God We Trust" also managed to snag a top 10 spot with its $1.5 million launch.

In limited release, Amazon MGM Studios began its rollout of the Sundance breakout “ My Old Ass,” starring Maisy Stella, in seven theaters in New York, Los Angeles and Austin, where it made a combined $171,242. The coming of age movie expands nationwide on Sept. 27.

Next weekend, theaters will get the Optimus Prime origin pic “Transformers One,” but it may be a quiet few weeks at the box office until “ Joker: Folie à Deux ” dances its way onto the big screen on Oct. 4.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

1. “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” $51.6 million.

2. “Speak No Evil,” $11.5 million.

3. “Deadpool & Wolverine,” $5.2 million.

4. “Am I Racist?” $4.8 million.

5. “Reagan,” $3 million.

6. “The Killer’s Game,” $2.6 million.

7. “Alien: Romulus,” $2.4 million.

8. “It Ends With Us,” $2 million.

9. “The Forge,” $2 million.

10. “God’s Not Dead: In God We Trust,” $1.5 million.

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