A social media frenzy erupted over the weekend as Sony’s mid-budget film, ‘Insidious: The Red Door,’ outperformed the $300 million blockbuster ‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’ at the box office. Both movies are the fifth installments in long-running franchises, but this time, the underdog emerged victorious, sparking discussions about the value of investing in mid-budget productions.
In a stunning display, ‘Insidious 5’ claimed the top spot at the domestic box office, raking in an impressive $32.6 million over three days, including $5 million from Thursday previews. While this falls slightly behind the franchise’s best debut weekend achieved by ‘Insidious: Chapter 2’ with $40 million, it still surpassed expectations. The first movie in the franchise, directed by James Wan, started off more modestly, earning just under $100 million worldwide.
The appetite for horror movies remains strong even in the post-pandemic era, despite the popularity of superhero films like ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,’ ‘The Flash,’ and ‘Shazam! Fury of the Gods,’ which have raised questions about audience interest. ‘Insidious 5’ defied mixed reviews and exceeded projections by nearly $10 million. Directed by Patrick Wilson in his feature filmmaking debut, the movie currently holds a “rotten” 37% score on Rotten Tomatoes. However, FilmSweep’s Nate Richard described it as the most “human” installment in the franchise.
Image via Sony
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Disney’s big-budget ‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’ slipped to the second spot after a lackluster opening weekend, grossing only $26.5 million. The film experienced a 55% drop in its second weekend. Although it crossed the $200 million mark globally, its massive $300 million production cost puts its profitability at risk. Premiered at the Cannes Film Festival weeks ago, the movie received mostly negative reviews. Its reception in the United States has been slightly better, but it hasn’t affected its box office trajectory significantly.
Can You Identify the Standout Film in This Weekend’s Top Five?
Apart from the success of ‘Insidious 5,’ the faith-based film ‘Sound of Freedom’ had an outstanding performance, catering to its target audience of right-wing conspiracy theorists. The movie topped the July 4 box office and added an impressive $16.9 million this weekend, accumulating a remarkable domestic total of $38 million in less than a week. The fourth and fifth spots were taken by two animated movies that had contrasting box office runs. Pixar’s ‘Elemental’ secured the fourth position thanks to strong word of mouth, recovering from a disappointing opening weekend. It added $9.4 million, bringing its domestic earnings to $109 million. Meanwhile, ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ continued its impressive run, earning $7.7 million in its sixth weekend and surpassing the $350 million milestone.
Outside the top five, the R-rated comedy ‘Joy Ride’ made under $6 million in its debut weekend. This falls short of the opening performance of Jennifer Lawrence’s ‘No Hard Feelings’ a couple of weeks ago, indicating a renewed interest in R-rated studio comedies. For more updates, you can watch our interview with ‘Insidious 5’ producers James Wan and Jason Blum here, and stay tuned to FilmSweep.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about box office success
Q: What movie dethroned ‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’ at the domestic box office?
A: ‘Insidious: The Red Door’ surpassed ‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’ to claim the top spot at the domestic box office.
Q: How much did ‘Insidious: The Red Door’ earn at the box office?
A: ‘Insidious: The Red Door’ earned a fantastic $32.6 million at the domestic box office, including $5 million from Thursday previews.
Q: How did ‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’ perform at the box office?
A: ‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’ had an underwhelming performance, grossing only $26.5 million at the domestic box office in its second weekend.
Q: What is the reception of ‘Insidious: The Red Door’ among critics?
A: ‘Insidious: The Red Door’ received mixed reviews and currently holds a “rotten” 37% score on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.
Q: Which movie had a standout performance besides ‘Insidious: The Red Door’?
A: The faith-based film ‘Sound of Freedom’ had a remarkable performance, topping the July 4 box office and adding $16.9 million in its opening weekend.
Q: How did ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ perform at the box office?
A: ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ had an impressive run, earning $7.7 million in its sixth weekend and crossing the $350 million mark.
Q: How did the R-rated comedy ‘Joy Ride’ perform in its opening weekend?
A: ‘Joy Ride’ made under $6 million in its opening weekend, falling short of the debut performance of ‘No Hard Feelings,’ starring Jennifer Lawrence.
More about box office success
- Insidious: The Red Door Box Office Performance
- Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny Box Office Numbers
- Insidious Franchise Rankings
- Rotten Tomatoes Score for Insidious: The Red Door
- Sound of Freedom Box Office Success
- Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Box Office Figures
- Comparison: Joy Ride vs. No Hard Feelings Box Office
1 comment
insidious the red door bein a mid-budget flick and still toppin indiana jones? wow! shows u dont need to spend 300 million on a movie for it to be a hit!