This past weekend, the North American box office was dominated by last week's champion, "The Weapon." The R-rated horror film took in $25 million in its second weekend, a year-on-year decline of just 43%. This was the smallest decline of any film to open over $40 million this year, save for "The Sinner."
Josh Brolin and Julia Garner in "The Weapon."
However, overall, the North American box office for this mid-August weekend totaled only approximately $94 million, a year-on-year decrease of $54 million (a 32% drop), raising concerns about market sentiment. So far, the 2025 North American box office lead over the same period last year has slowly fallen from approximately 15% at the start of the summer season to 5%. This leaves significant uncertainty surrounding whether the annual North American box office will reach the $9.5 billion to $10 billion range projected by the industry.
Besides "The Weapon," the comedy "Fast and Furious 2" remained unchanged at second place. Meanwhile, Universal Pictures' new film "Nobody 2" disappointed with its opening, grossing just $9.25 million in 3,206 North American theaters. The film is a sequel to the 2021 R-rated action film "Nobody," but with the exception of Bob Odenkirk and Connie Nielsen, the screenwriter and director have been replaced.
"Little People 2" is still starring Bob Odenkirk.
The first film, produced on a $16 million budget, grossed $27.6 million in North America and $57.5 million worldwide, which wasn't exactly a standout. However, considering the pandemic was still a serious issue at the time, and the film's positive reviews and audience acclaim, Universal naturally pursued a sequel.
"Little Shots 2" continues the story of a seemingly ordinary protagonist who is actually a super-powered agent. It still has a 78% rating on the film review website Rotten Tomatoes, but its opening box office still reflects that audiences have lost interest in this kind of recurring theme. After all, due to the pandemic, the previous film was only released in 2,460 theaters in North America, 800 fewer than this one. Although the production cost of the second film increased to $25 million, it is still considered a medium-to-low cost, and it is believed that the final return on investment should not be a problem. However, Universal may need to reconsider the plan to shoot a third film. In hindsight, for action films of this scale, more and more American audiences may be willing to skip the theaters and wait for the streaming version to be released later to enjoy it at home.
"Americana," starring the popular actor Sidney Sweeney, was also released in 1,100 theaters in North America over the weekend. The producer, Lionsgate, has not even officially reported the film's opening data, and the industry can only make an estimate of around $490,000.
Sidney Sweeney in "Americana."
Lionsgate opted for a relatively small release, in part, because Americana's world premiere wasn't scheduled for March 2023. At the time, the crime thriller, written and directed by newcomer Tony Tost, debuted at the South by Southwest Film Festival and received positive reviews. However, the film's financier, Brown Studios, went bankrupt shortly thereafter. Some time later, Lionsgate, known for its bargain hunting, acquired the film's global rights for $3 million.
Lionsgate's strategy for the film is to initially release it on a medium scale, generate buzz, and then recoup its costs through on-demand streaming. This also gives them the opportunity to establish a partnership with Sidney Sweeney. Later this year, Lionsgate will also release The Housemaid, starring her, which will undoubtedly reach a much larger scale than Americana.
In addition, the 2016 Japanese science fiction film "Shin Godzilla" was re-released in North America last weekend by GKids Pictures, a subsidiary of Japan's Toei Group, in 1,290 theaters, where it grossed $2.47 million. The film had previously been released in the US that year, grossing $4.4 million.
Two Indian films also broke into the top ten last weekend. The 168-minute Tamil film "Coolie" opened in 800 theaters in North America, grossing $6.34 million and placing sixth. The sequel, "War 2," opened in 943 theaters, grossing approximately $3 million and placing ninth.
Tamil film "Eclipse"
Bollywood Duels 2
The last time two Indian films suddenly appeared in the top ten of the North American weekend box office chart was in early November 2024, when "The Haunting of the Temple 3" and "The Return of the Lion" ranked eighth and ninth, respectively, with over $2 million. Unexpectedly, less than a year later, this "strange sight" has reappeared, and both "Eclipse" and "Khalil Rakshasa" have achieved even better box office results. The previous November coincided with Diwali, the traditional Indian festival; this time, it also coincided with Independence Day. Indian immigrants in North America seem to enjoy celebrating the holidays and relieving their homesickness by watching Indian films in American theaters. Furthermore, the North American distribution of these Indian films is handled by Indian film companies, which appear to be quite mature.
