Indiana Jones’ Box Office Reign Ends

Indiana Jones had a short-lived box office reign. Disney’s action-adventure “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” dropped to the No. 2 spot in its second weekend of release, earning $26.5 million from 4,600 North American theaters. It was dethroned by Sony’s horror-thriller “Insidious: The Red Door,” which beat expectations with its $32.6 million debut from 3,188 venues.

Declining Ticket Sales for Indiana Jones

Ticket sales for “Indiana Jones,” the fifth and final installment to star Harrison Ford’s swashbuckling adventurer, declined by 56% from its $60 million opening weekend, continuing the theatrical misfortunes for the nearly $300 million-budgeted movie. “Dial of Destiny” added $31.8 million at the international box office, bringing worldwide ticket sales to $247.9 million. It has a long and winding journey to get out of the red, at least in its box office run.

Success for Insidious: The Red Door

The fifth “Insidious” movie cost just $16 million to make, so it’s already reaping big rewards in its box office run. It also improved on the start of its predecessor, 2018’s “The Last Key,” which opened to $29 million and ended its run with $67 domestically and $167 million globally. It also marks the second-best debut of the franchise, behind 2013’s “Insidious: Chapter 2” with $40 million.

Mixed Reception for The Red Door

Screen Gems, Stage 6 Films and Blumhouse produced “The Red Door,” which is positioned as the conclusion to the horror franchise, one that brings back original cast members Patrick Wilson (who also directed the film) Ty Simpkins, Andrew Astor and Rose Byrne. Audiences turned out in force, but they weren’t all that kind to the film, which landed a “C+” CinemaScore and holds a 37% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Profitable Production for The Red Door

“At a cost of approximately $16 million and with good foreign potential, this is another smart, profitable Blumhouse production,” says David A. Gross, who runs the movie consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research.

Disappointing Opening for Joy Ride

The weekend’s other major new release, Lionsgate’s raunchy comedy “Joy Ride,” opened in sixth place with a tepid $5.85 million from 2,820 locations, falling short of expectations. “Crazy Rich Asians” co-screenwriter Adele Lim directed the film in her feature debut. Ashley Park, Sherry Cola, Stephanie Hsu and Sabrina Wu play four friends who embark on a trip to help one member of their group find her birth mother. Critics were high on the movie, but ticket buyers were mixed, giving the film a “B-” CinemaScore.

Success for Sound of Freedom

In third place, “Sound of Freedom,” a faith-based film about child sex trafficking, is shaping up to be an unlikely box office success. It has generated $17 million from 2,850 theaters over the weekend and $39 million since opening on July 4th. Those ticket sales are a reminder in the power of religious moviegoers, who helped propel this spring’s low-budget drama “Jesus Revolution,” starring Kelsey Grammar, to $53 million globally.

Powerful Story of Sound of Freedom

Angel Studios, a streaming and distribution company, backed the $15 million-budgeted drama. It’s based on the true story of Tim Ballard (Jim Caviezel), a former government agent who quit his job to rescue children from global sex traffickers.

Resilience of Elemental

Pixar’s “Elemental” landed in fourth place with $9.6 million from 3,440 North American locations, a decline of just 22% from the weekend prior. With this weekend’s sales, the family film has crossed $109.2 million at the domestic box office and $251.9 million worldwide. It’s a respectable hold from its lackluster debut. However, “Elemental” cost $200 million so it has a long way to go to break even in its theatrical run.

Continued Success for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Sony’s animated sequel “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” rounded out the top five, generating $8 million from 3,023 venues in its sixth weekend of release. So far, the film has generated a stellar $357.6 million at the domestic box office and $619 million globally.

More to come…