The live-action remake of Snow White took first place at the weekend box office with $43 million. Internationally, the movie grossed $44.3 million for a worldwide debut of $87.3 million. There’s a lot of debate as to how solid of an opening it was or if this is another disaster but overall, we’ll take a wait and see as to how it does overall as some of these live-action remakes have long legs.
Black Bag held on to second place with $4.4 million to bring its domestic total to $14.9 million. Internationally, the movie grossed $4.9 million over the week to double its previous total to $9.2 million. Worldwide, the movie has grossed $24.1 million.
Captain America: Brave New World moved up into third place with $4.1 million to bring its domestic total to $192.1 million. Internationally, it grossed $5.5 million over the week to lift that total to $208.7 million. Worldwide, the movie has grossed $400.8 million.
Mickey 17 came in at fourth place with $3.9 million bringing its domestic total to $40.2 million. Over the week, it grossed $12.6 million to bring that total to $69.8 million. Worldwide, the movie has grossed a little over $110 million.
Novocaine dropped from first to fifth with $3.8 million to bring its domestic total to $15.8 million. Over the week, the movie grossed $3.5 million internationally to bring that to $5.3 million. Worldwide, he movie has grossed $21.1 million.
In comic film news…
Dog Man grossed $1.5 million over the weekend. Domestically the film has grossed $95.6 million. Over the week, it grossed about $600,000 internationally to bring that total to $33.4 million. Worldwide, the movie has grossed just under $129 million.
Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX: Beginning remained at a little above $1.2 million. Internationally, the movie added about $1.9 million over the week and has grossed a little over $21.9 million for a worldwide gross of $23.1 million.
The week’s overall box office success…
Numbers have 35 films earning $75,548,167 from 36,033 theaters. That’s a nice increase from the previous weekend’s $51,818,614 from 38,423 theaters and 69 films. The average earning was $2,096.64 which is an increase from the previous weekend’s $1,348.64.
No film grossed more than $10 million at the domestic weekend box office, not even $9 million! Novocaine though debuted in first place with an estimated $8.7 million. Internationally, the movie has grossed $1.8 million for a worldwide debut of $10.5 million.
Last weekend’s box office champ Mickey 17 slipped one spot to come in second. With a 60.5% drop, the movie grossed an estimated $7.51 million in a tight race with the third place film. Internationally, the movie grossed $23 million over the week to bring that total to $57.2 million. The movie has grossed $90.5 million after two weeks.
Black Bag debuted in third place with $7.5 million, so there’s a chance that it moves up a slot when the final numbers come in. Internationally, the movie grossed $4.3 million for a worldwide debut of $11.8 million.
Captain America: Brave New World came in fourth place after being in second last weekend adding $5.5 million to its domestic total which is $185.4 million. Over the week, it gained $9 million internationally which has now grossed $203.2 million. Worldwide, the film has grossed $388.6 million.
The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie debuted in fifth place with $3.2 million domestically and $2.1 million internationally for a worldwide debut of $5.3 million.
In comic film news…
Dog Man grossed $2.5 million over the weekend. Domestically the film has grossed $92.8 million. Over the week, it grossed about $1.6 million internationally to bring that total to $32.8 million. Worldwide, the movie has grossed $125.6 million.
Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX: Beginning added about $100,000 over the week to bring its domestic total to $1.2 million. Internationally, the movie added about $100,000 over the week and has grossed a little over $20 million for a worldwide gross of $21.3 million.
The week’s overall box office success…
Numbers have 69 films earning $51,818,614 from 38,423 theaters. That’s a dip from the previous weekend’s $55,880,580 from 39,811 theaters and 74 films. The average earning was $1,348.64 which is a slight decrease from the previous weekend’s $1,403.65.
It was a solid weekend for Mickey 17 which won the weekend box office with $19.1 million domestically. Internationally, the film grossed $34.2 million for a worldwide debut of $53.3 million.
Captain America: Brave New World slipped to second place with an estimated $8.5 million domestically bringing that to $176.6 million. Over the week, it grossed $16.1 million internationally to bring that gross to $194.2 million. Worldwide, the movie has grossed $370.8 million.
Last Breath slipped one spot to come in third with $4.2 million. It has now grossed $14.7 million domestically. It has grossed $322,504 at the international box office for a worldwide gross of just under $15 million.
The Monkey slipped one spot to come in fourth with $3.9 million and now has grossed $31 million domestically. Over the week, it grossed $8.1 million at the international box office and has grossed $14.8 million there and $45.8 million worldwide.
Paddington in Peru rounded out the top five with $3.9 million domestically where it has grossed just under $37 million so far. Internationally, the film has done much better and grossed $5.8 million over the week and $138.8 million overall. Worldwide, the movie has grossed $175.8 million.
In comic film news…
Dog Man slipped out of the top five to come in sixth where it grossed $3.5 million over the weekend. Domestically the film has grossed $88.8 million. Over the week, it grossed about $2.1 million internationally to bring that total to $31.2 million. Worldwide, the movie has grossed $119.9 million.
Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX: Beginning added about $150,000 over the week to bring its domestic total to $1.1 million. Internationally, the movie added about $1.2 million over the week and has grossed $19.9 million for a worldwide gross of $20.9 million.
Kraven the Hunter domestically remains at a little over $25 million. Internationally, the movie remains at just under $37 million. Worldwide, the movie has grossed just under $62 million after six weeks.
The week’s overall box office success…
Numbers have 74 films earning $55,880,580 from 39,811 theaters. That’s a slight improvement from the previous weekend’s $54,383,141 from 38,276 theaters and 67 films. The average earning was $1,403.65 which is a slight decrease from the previous weekend’s $1,420.82.
How do you follow up an anti-capitalist Best Picture winning satirical thriller? Why if you’re writer/director Bong Joon-Ho, you spend over $100 million of Warner Bros/Discovery’s money to craft an anti-capitalist, anti-imperialist, and slightly askew sci-fi allegory/comedy starring one of our generation’s greatest actors in a dual role as the products of a literal human printer. Adapted from the 2022 novel Mickey7, Mickey 17 follows the titular character (Played by a game and giving Robert Pattinson.) and his friend Timo (Steven Yeun), who are on the run from a loan shark and take jobs as part of a ship crew colonizing an ice planet fittingly called Niflheim. Mickey takes on the role of an “Expendable” going on dangerous missions, dying, and being reprinted to go on even more missions. Mickey has died 17 times and has taken on the moniker of Mickey 17. He ends up being caught up in a web of intrigue featuring a corrupt, ultrareligious politician named Kenneth Marshall (Mark Ruffalo), his wannabe gourmand wife Ylfa (Toni Collette), and the menacing Creepers, which are making it difficult for Marshall to turn Niflheim into a new home for “pure” humans.
There are definitely shades of previous science fiction films in Mickey 17, including Edge of Tomorrow, Moon, and Starship Troopers plus some philosophical bits from Blade Runner. However, Bong puts his own imprint on the sci-fi satire genre, and it all starts with a frenetic, duelling banjos of performances from Pattinson. There are some comedic pratfalls, bleak cinematography from Darius Khondji, and more importantly, memorable, tardigrade-esque creature designs for the Creepers, but Mickey17 truly picks up steam when Mickey 18 appears on the scene. Having multiple Expendables is a big legal no-no in the film’s universe, and Bong Joon-Ho creates believable tension out of both Mickeys sneaking their way across the ship or channeling Cain and Abel when they see Timo selling space opioids to a fellow passenger.
With the twin Mickeys as a sounding board, Mickey 17 does explore and have a viewpoint about the ethics behind cloning with plenty of charged dialogue about “one body, one soul” from Kenneth Marshall. However, there’s definitely some time for silliness and sexiness like a hilarious/kind of hot scene where security agent Nasha (Naomi Ackie), who has a romantic history with one of the previous Mickeys does some serious thinking and acting on the classic ice breaker question of “Would you kill or sleep with your clone?” These moments of levity make Mickey 17 and 18 endearing characters and solidify Nasha as a true ally when the second half of the movie goes into full political resistance mode after Mickey 17 almost dies when Marshall feeds him experimental meat and later experimental painkillers at a dinner in his honor that has big “We couldn’t give you a raise, but have a microwaveable Red Baron pizza on us.”
There are flashes of Luigi Mangione and the 2024 attempted assassination of Donald Trump in several sequences in Mickey 17, and Ruffalo’s performance as Marshall is a ketamine and Pentecostal praise and worship laced chimera of Trump and Elon Musk. He talks about the Expendables and Creepers in the most demeaning terms, and when an agent named Kai (Anamaria Vartolomei) tries to have an emotionally honest moment with him and Ylfa, he turns into a weird performative, evangelical prayer-off. Mark Ruffalo and Collette perfect the othering gaze with their treatment of Mickey, the Creeper, and just everyone around them. Their screen presence is like being with a rich person in a social setting, who only wants to speak to someone either equal to or superior to them in status. Everyone else is just “the help” or subhuman. For example, Marshall puts a revolver to Mickey 17’s head, and Bong frames it in a way where it’s like he’s putting down livestock not killing a human being.
Mickey 17 has compelling commentary on settler colonialism, the poor treatment of the working class, and as mentioned in the previous paragraph, the relationship between religious fundamentalism, late stage capitalism. However, it’s no lecture, and especially the back end of the film is quite entertaining with lots of profanity-filled one-liners and monologues from Mickey 18, a fairly suspenseful icy chase sequence, and one messed up dream sequence. This is all powered by Robert Pattinson’s performance as Mickey 17 and 18. There’s a lot of Connie in Good Time in Mickey 18’s DNA, and he’s got the sexy, yet occasionally righteous sociopath thing going for him while Mickey 17 flops around, is pathetic, and lets Pattinson indulge in some slapstick, and fear of mortality. Because, beneath the jokes and reprints, Mickey Barnes is afraid of death.
Mickey 17 is a sci-fi comedy for our era with antagonists ripped from current headlines and a setting that would make RFK Jr. drool and save Jeff Bezos a lot of money. It’s epic in scope and worth seeing on the big screen, but grounded in the compelling humanity of Mickey 17 and Mickey 18, who are given vibrant life and love by Robert Pattinson. Also, its setting might be dystopian, but Mickey 17 is quite a hopeful film too and features characters that are pure catharsis. (Seriously, Nasha for president!)
