‘Bob Marley’ starts strong; ‘Madame Web’ unravels
The sleepy U.S. box office finally lifted its eyelids over the Washington’s Birthday weekend. “Bob Marley: One Love,” a feel-good musical bio-pic, was on track to take in $33.2 million from Friday through Monday, for a strong total of roughly $51 million since opening on Valentine’s Day, according to Paramount Pictures.
According to Deadline, “One Love’s” three-day numbers ($27.7 million for Friday-Monday) were in line with those of other rock star bio-pics such as “Elvis” ($31.2 million in June 2022) and “Rocketman” ($25.7 million in May 2019), but trailed “Bohemian Rhapsody,” which grossed $51 million in November 2018.
“Excuse me while I light my spliff,” read a celebratory post on the official X (formerly known as Twitter) account for Marley, who died in 1981.
“One Love,” which cost about $70 million to make, landed in what has emerged over the past year as a box office sweet spot — stories that feel nostalgic and new — allowing it to overcome weak reviews, box office analysts said.
But the movie business, for the most part, was anything but euphoric. The weekend’s other new wide-release movie, “Madame Web,” based on a minor character from the Spider-Man comics, added to what has recently been a clear message from ticket buyers: The comics-character boom is over. “Madame Web” was on track to sell $17.6 million in tickets from Friday through Monday, for a total of $25.8 million since arriving on Valentine’s Day, according to Columbia Pictures.
Ticket sales for “Madame Web” were among the lowest ever for a superhero movie — a genre that, for decades, has been one of Hollywood’s most reliable moneymakers. To compare, “Elektra,” considered a hall-of-fame superhero misfire, collected $12.8 million over its first three days in 2005, or about $21 million in today’s dollars.
Such launches were once unfathomable for stand-alone superhero films. But the film, an extension of Columbia’s 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.
It’s not that superhero movies are finished. Rather, “the superhero universe is no longer expanding,” said David A. Gross, a film consultant who publishes a newsletter on box office numbers. The most popular characters will continue to attract audiences, he said, pointing to early interest in “Deadpool & Wolverine,” a coming superhero sequel from Marvel Studios. The first “Deadpool & Wolverine” trailer, released during the Super Bowl, generated more than 365 million views online in its first 24 hours, setting a record.
In financial terms, “Madame Web” was not a catastrophe for Columbia. “Madame Web,” intended as a thriller for young women, cost about $80 million to make, partly because it did not rely on lavish visual effects. (Her only superpower is clairvoyance.)
“The entire superhero genre has had a really rough go of it over the past year,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for data firm Comscore. “Certain things are no longer a sure bet. Except maybe now, the musical bio-pic has become the go-to genre. It just shows how tastes can change.”
Columbia’s Spider-Man spinoffs have been mostly hit and miss. Its two “Venom” films have together surpassed $1.3 billion worldwide. But 2022’s poorly received “Morbius” collected just $167.4 million globally. “Madame Web” still couldn’t come close to the $39 million domestic opening weekend for “Morbius.” In 61 overseas markets, “Madame Web” added $25.7 million.
The better news for Columbia’s Spider-verse came Saturday night at the 51st Annie Awards, where “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” won best feature and collected seven prizes in total. “Across the Spider-Verse” is nominated for best animated feature at the Academy Awards — and the Annie Awards can often be a good predictor of the winner.
The 2024 box office has gotten off to a sobering start for Hollywood, and the disappointing result for “Madame Web” won’t help. Moviegoing has slowed to a crawl in recent weeks, while 2023’s strikes have affected this year’s release schedules. Even with the strong “One Love” opening, ticket sales were down 15% on the weekend compared to 2023, according to ComScore.
This week, Focus Features’ “Drive-Away Dolls,” directed by Ethan Coen and starring Margaret Qualley and Geraldine Viswanathan, and “Ordinary Angels,” starring Hilary Swank and Alan Ritchson, open theatrically.
Expectations are high for “Dune: Part Two,” opening March 1. Until then, “Bob Marley: One Love” will be jammin’.