Box Office Round-Up ~ 6/27/22

This week’s box office numbers were “all shook up,” as new arrivals and returning releases all competed for the top spot, leading to a surprisingly even split among the top five titles in theaters. Though it made $15 million more in third place last weekend, Top Gun: Maverick soared back to the top spot this weekend with $30.5 million. It’s now cleared $500 million domestic in five weeks, making it comfortably the highest grossing movie of 2022 so far. Hot on Maverick’s heels was the King himself. Practically tied for the top spot, new release Elvis took second place with $30.5 million, a few thousand dollars behind Top Gun: Maverick. The stylish biopic from director Baz Luhrmann (Moulin Rouge!, The Great Gatsby), starring Austin Butler as Elvis Presley and Tom Hanks as Colonel Tom Parker may end up in the number-one spot when all the final numbers are tallied, but either way it’s an impressive debut weekend considering the competition. Jurassic World: Dominion fell to third place with a still-solid $26.4 million, putting its overall total past $300 million domestic. Fourth place saw another new release with The Black Phone, the latest horror title from director Scott Derrickson (Sinister, Doctor Strange). The Blumhouse-produced supernatural thriller, starring Ethan Hawke as a malevolent serial killer, grossed $23.6 million, a strong number for an R-rated horror title facing off against the broad appeal of Elvis Presley and Tom Cruise. The only movie in the top five to not clear $20 million was Disney and Pixar’s Lightyear. The Toy Story spinoff continued to underperform in its sophomore weekend with $17.6 million. It’s a disappointing turn for Pixar, and may well push them further into the relative safety of direct-to-streaming, where movies like Soul and Turning Red saw success with their COVID-friendly releases on Disney+.

1. Top Gun: Maverick ($30.5 MM)
Director: Joseph Kosinski (CAA)
Writers: Peter Craig (CAA), Justin Marks (CAA), Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer (Range Media Partners), Christopher McQuarrie (CAA)
Cast: Tom Cruise (CAA)  Miles Teller (CAA)  Jennifer Connelly (CAA)

2. Elvis ($30.5 MM) Director: Baz Luhrmann (WME)
Writers: Baz Luhrmann (WME), Sam Bromell (MGMT Entertainment), Craig Pearce (Mosaic), Jeremy Doner (CAA)
Cast: Austin Butler (WME)  Tom Hanks (CAA) Olivia DeJonge (CAA)

3. Jurassic World: Dominion ($26.4 MM) Director: Colin Trevorrow (WME)
Writers: Emily Carmichael (Verve), Colin Trevorrow (WME), Derek Connolly (Verve)
Cast: Chris Pratt (UTA) Bryce Dallas Howard (WME) Laura Dern (CAA)

4. The Black Phone ($23.3 MM)
 Director: Scott Derrickson (WME)
Writers: C. Robert Cargill (WME)
Cast: Ethan Hawke (CAA) Mason Thames (WME) Madeleine McGraw (Coast to Coast)

5. Lightyear ($17.6 MM)
Director: Angus MacLane (WME)
Writers: Angus MacLane (WME), Matthew Aldrich (CAA), Jason Headley (CAA)
Cast: Chris Evans (CAA) Keke Palmer (3 Arts)  Taika Waititi (CAA)

Sources: Box Office Mojo, The Numbers