‘Novocaine’ leads numbingly slow weekend at domestic box office
[March 17, 2025]
By LINDSEY BAHR
Five new movies opened wide in North American theaters this weekend
including a starry spy picture from Steven Soderbergh, an A24 thriller,
a Looney Tunes movie and a high concept action-comedy with “The Boys”
star Jack Quaid. But the myriad options did not result in box office
gold. When final receipts are tallied Monday, it’s likely going be the
lowest-grossing weekend of the year to date with around $54 million in
total ticket sales.
“Novocaine” led the pack with $8.7 million, according to studio
estimates Sunday, which was slightly lower than expected. The film
starring Quaid as a man who literally can’t feel pain was released by
Paramount Pictures in 3,365 locations this weekend. The studio also had
early access showings the weekend prior, which are included in the
total.
The R-rated movie, directed by Dan Berk and Robert Olsen, got generally
positive reviews with an 82% on Rotten Tomatoes. Exit polls were a bit
more tempered with 4/5 on PostTrak and a B CinemaScore. It also made
$1.8 million from 19 international territories bringing its total
weekend to $10.5 million.
The Bong Joon Ho and Robert Pattinson sci-fi “Mickey 17 " and the spy
pic “Black Bag” were neck and neck for second and third place, both
reporting $7.5 million weekends. “Mickey 17" had the slight edge. It's
still playing in 3,807 theaters, was down a steep 60% from its opening.
That brings its domestic total to $33.3 million and its global total to
$90.5 million against a reported $118 million budget.
“Black Bag,” the well-reviewed Soderbergh film with Cate Blanchett and
Michael Fassbender, opened in 2,705 theaters to take third place.
Audiences skewed male (56%) and over 35 (59%). The film, released by
Focus Features, currently carries a 97% on Rotten Tomatoes. It also got
a B CinemaScore.
Other new openers included “The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes
Movie,” an animated film starring Porky Pig and Daffy Duck originally
intended for the streaming service Max, and the faith based “The Last
Supper.” Ketchup Entertainment handled the Looney Tunes theatrical
release in 2,827 theaters where it earned $3.2 million. Pinnacle Peak
Pictures released “The Last Supper” in 1,575 theaters to $2.8 million in
ticket sales. Both came in behind Disney and Marvel’s “Captain America:
Brave New World,” which earned $5.5 million in its fifth weekend in
theaters.
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This image released by Paramount Pictures shows Jack Quaid in a
scene from "Novocaine." (Marcos Cruz/Paramount Pictures via AP)
 The new A24 movie, “Opus,” opened
outside of the top 10 with an estimated $1 million from 1,764
screens. Starring Ayo Edebiri and John Malkovich as a legendary pop
star who has suddenly reemerged on the scene after decades away,
“Opus” premiered at the Sundance Film Festival to generally poor
reviews. It's the first film from writer-director Mark Anthony
Green.
After a strong start to the year in which the box office was up 22%,
several slow weekends that haven’t surpassed $60 million in total
ticket sales have left the domestic box office at a 5% deficit.
“It’s a momentum business,” said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior
media analyst for Comscore. “It’ll ratchet up with ‘Snow White’ next
weekend. And the good news is we probably won’t see the 50s again
until August.”
Top 10 movies by domestic box office
With final domestic figures releasing Monday, this list factors in
the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and
Canadian theaters, according to Comscore.
1. “Novocaine,” $8.7 million.
2. “Mickey 17,” $7.5 million.
3. “Black Bag,” $7.5 million.
4. “Captain America: Brave New World,” $5.5 million.
5. “The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie,” $3.2 million.
6. “The Last Supper,” $2.8 million.
7. “Paddington in Peru,” $2.8 million.
8. “Dog Man,” $2.5 million.
9. “The Monkey,” $2.5 million.
10. “Last Breath,” $2.3 million.
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