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Paramount Pictures\u2019 Bob Marley biopic \u201cBob Marley: One Love\u201d outperformed expectations to debut at No. 1 at the box office with a $27.7 million opening weekend, while Sony\u2019s \u201cMadame Web\u201d flopped with one of the lowest debuts for a movie centered on a Marvel character.<\/p>\n
Both films launched in theaters on Tuesday to rope in Valentine\u2019s Day moviegoers. But on a weekend that was once expected to go to \u201cMadame Web,\u201d \u201cOne Love\u201d emerged as the much-preferred option in theaters, despite largely poor reviews.<\/p>\n
Instead, \u201cOne Love,\u201d starring Kingsley Ben-Adir and\u00a0produced with the involvement of the Marley estate,<\/a>\u00a0performed roughly on par with previous hit musical biopics like \u201cRocketman\u201d and \u201cElvis.\u201d Paramount is forecasting that \u201cOne Love\u201d will gross $51 million over its first six days, including estimates for President\u2019s Day on Monday. It added $29 million from 47 international territories.<\/p>\n Chris Aronson, distribution chief for Paramount, noted that pre-release projections forecast a six-day total closer to $30 million for \u201cOne Love.\u201d But moviegoers from a wide range turned out for the first big-screen biopic of the Rastafarian legend.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was across all generations. It wasn\u2019t just a movie for an older audience that grew up with Bob Marley\u2019s music,\u201d said Aronson. \u201cOur highest quadrant was (age) 18 to 24. A third of the audience was under 25. That, to me, speaks volumes.\u201d<\/p>\n Produced for about $70 million, \u201cOne Love,\u201d directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green, chronicles Marley during the making of the 1977 album \u201cExodus\u201d while leading up to a pivotal concert for his native Jamaica. Among the movie\u2019s producers are Marley\u2019s children, Ziggy and Cedella, and his wife, Rita.<\/p>\n Ziggy Marley, in a statement Sunday, said: \u201cWe thank the people for embracing this film and in so doing helping to highlight the message of one love.\u201d<\/p>\n Though\u00a0critics dinged the film<\/a>\u00a0(43% \u201cfresh\u201d on Rotten Tomatoes) for relying on biopic conventions, audiences gave it a much higher grade, with an \u201cA\u201d CinemaScore. That kind of audience response plus the strong opening should bode well for the film\u2019s run.<\/p>\n \u201cMadame Web,\u201d<\/a>\u00a0however, was dead on arrival. Over six days, Sony is estimating a $15.2 million weekend and a six-day $25.8 million haul. Audiences (a \u201cC+\u201d CinemaScore)\u00a0agreed with critics<\/a>\u00a0(13% \u201cfresh\u201d).<\/p>\n Such launches were once unfathomable for stand-alone superhero films. But the film, an extension of Sony\u2019s universe of Spider-Man films, struggled to shed the bad buzz surrounding the $80 million project. In it, Dakota Johnson stars as a New York paramedic with clairvoyant powers.<\/p>\n \u201cThe entire superhero genre has had a really rough go of it over the past year,\u201d said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for data firm Comscore. \u201cCertain things are no longer a sure bet. Except maybe now, the musical biopic has become the go-to genre. It just shows how tastes can change.\u201d<\/p>\n Sony\u2019s Spider-Man spinoffs have been mostly hit and miss. Its two \u201cVenom\u201d films have together surpassed $1.3 billion worldwide. But 2022\u2019s poorly received \u201cMorbius\u201d collected just $167.4 million globally. \u201cMadame Web\u201d still couldn\u2019t come close to the $39 million domestic opening weekend for \u201cMorbius.\u201d In 61 overseas markets, \u201cMadame Web\u201d added $25.7 million.<\/p>\n The better news for Sony\u2019s Spider-verse came Saturday night at\u00a0the 51st Annie Awards<\/a>, where \u201cSpider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse\u201d won best feature and collected seven prizes in total. \u201cAcross the Spider-Verse\u201d is nominated for best animated feature at the Academy Awards \u2014 and the Annie Awards can often be a good predictor of winner.<\/p>\n The 2024 box office has gotten off to a sobering start for Hollywood, and the disappointing result for \u201cMadame Web\u201d won\u2019t help. Moviegoing has slowed to a crawl in recent weeks, while 2023\u2019s strikes have impacted this year\u2019s release schedules. Even with the strong \u201cOne Love\u201d opening, ticket sales were down 15% on the weekend compared to 2023, according to ComScore.<\/p>\n Expectations are high for \u201cDune: Part Two,\u201d opening March 1. Until then, \u201cBob Marley: One Love\u201d will be jammin\u2019.<\/p>\n Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.<\/p>\n 1. \u201cBob Marley: One Love,\u201d $27.7 million.<\/p>\n 2. \u201cMadame Web,\u201d $15.2 million.<\/p>\n 3. \u201cArgylle,\u201d $4.7 million.<\/p>\n 4. \u201cMigration,\u201d $3.8 million.<\/p>\n 5. \u201cThe Chosen,\u201d Episodes 4-6, $3.4 million.<\/p>\n 6. \u201cWonka,\u201d $3.4 million.<\/p>\n 7. \u201cThe Beekeeper,\u201d $3.3 million.<\/p>\n 8. \u201cAnyone But You,\u201d $2.4 million.<\/p>\n 9. \u201cLisa Frankenstein,\u201d $2 million.<\/p>\n 10. \u201cLand of Bad,\u201d $1.8 million.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nSubscribe to the new Fortune CEO Weekly Europe newsletter to get corner office insights on the biggest business stories in Europe. Sign up<\/a> for free.<\/div>\n