It’s important to acknowledge that a significant number of film critics, including myself, were completely outmatched by the overwhelming success of Jurassic World: Rebirth at the weekend box office. Despite receiving unfavorable reviews and experiencing lukewarm word of mouth, Rebirth triumphed, grossing an astonishing $91.5 million over the weekend—surpassing our predictions by $11.5 million. With a total of $147 million earned over its first five days, this figure is comparable to the entire opening weekend earnings of the previous two films, Fallen Kingdom and Dominion. However, Rebirth was produced at a cost of at least $100 million less, ensuring that executives at Universal are celebrating a significant financial victory. We can anticipate another installment of the Jurassic World franchise in the coming years, especially if the core cast, including Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey, and Mahershala Ali, is given more substantial roles this time around, as they were notably absent for lengthy stretches in Rebirth.

In the runner-up position, Brad Pitt’s film F1 exhibited remarkable endurance, retaining its audience with a decline of around 55% to achieve $26 million this weekend. Thanks to the holiday box office boost, the film has now surpassed a global total of $109 million, marking it as a significant success for Apple Films, particularly in international markets. Given its production budget, the film would ideally need to reach approximately $700 million in global earnings to be profitable in theaters. However, since it was primarily created with streaming in mind, Apple likely does not require it to reach that benchmark for it to be deemed successful. Its strong performance overseas indicates it will be a valuable addition to their streaming library, so it wouldn’t be surprising if discussions for a sequel materialize into reality.

One film that is undoubtedly set to receive a sequel is the animated reboot of How to Train Your Dragon, which has successfully crossed the impressive milestone of $224 million domestically this weekend, establishing itself as the highest-grossing film in the franchise to date. In stark contrast, Pixar’s latest offering, Elio, has turned out to be a substantial disappointment, raking in only $5.7 million this weekend for a cumulative total of just $55 million. It seems unlikely to even reach million in total earnings, leading to inevitable repercussions within the studio. On a more positive note, Disney has experienced greater success with Lilo & Stitch, which crossed the $400 million threshold this week after adding $3.8 million to its total. Meanwhile, Danny Boyle’s 28 Years Later edged ahead with a weekend gross of $4.6 million, bringing its overall total to $60 million—a mixed outcome for the inaugural film in what could develop into a trilogy.

Indeed, aside from the release of Final Destination: Bloodlines, the horror genre has faced a challenging summer. Blumhouse’s M3GAN 2.0 suffered a steep decline of 63%, plummeting to sixth place with a mere $3.8 million in its second weekend, bringing its domestic total to just $18.5 million. This performance designates it as one of the most disappointing sequels since Joker: Folie à Deux, sparking concern about the future of similar projects in the horror sector.

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning has also emerged as a disappointment at the box office. This mega-budget film is projected to fall short of the $200 million mark domestically, earning only .73 million this weekend, which brings its cumulative total to $191 million—less than half of its reported production costs. Meanwhile, A24’s Materialists is concluding its theatrical run with a modest $1.34 million this weekend, resulting in a total of $33 million. This outcome is neither as favorable as the studio had initially hoped nor as unfavorable as some industry observers feared, categorizing it as a modest hit that is likely to perform well once it transitions to streaming platforms.

In a surprising turn of events, the re-release of This Is Spinal Tap by Fathom Events has rocketed into the tenth position at the box office, generating $931,000—a remarkable achievement considering it is only screening a few times a day. This positive response indicates strong anticipation for the sequel, which is scheduled for release this fall, further amplifying excitement among fans of the original film.

As we look ahead, next weekend promises the arrival of one of the most highly anticipated films of the year: Superman. The question on everyone’s mind is whether the Man of Steel will surpass the coveted $100 million mark within its first three days. We invite you to share your thoughts and predictions in the comments below!