Bob Marley: One Love Takes the Lead at the Box Office, Surpassing Madame Web
In a surprising turn of events, Paramount’s biopic “Bob Marley: One Love” has emerged as the reigning champion at the box office, outperforming Sony’s superhero film “Madame Web.” The six-day holiday frame saw “One Love” raking in an impressive $7.4 million on Friday from 3,539 locations, bringing its domestic total to $25.3 million. Meanwhile, “Madame Web” earned $4.3 million from 4,013 theaters on Friday, lagging behind its reggae counterpart. With a North American haul of $12.5 million, “Madame Web” is struggling to keep up.
Both films were released on Valentine’s Day and are hoping to maintain their momentum through the Presidents’ Day holiday. However, “One Love” has clearly asserted itself as the audience favorite, opening with a remarkable $14 million on Wednesday. Despite receiving mediocre reviews, the film has resonated with early viewers and even earned an “A” grade from Cinema Score. Paramount’s decision to move the film from a more awards-friendly January release to February has paid off, as it seems to have found an enthusiastic audience in its new spot on the calendar.
With a production budget of $70 million and additional distribution and marketing costs, “One Love” is banking on its international appeal to secure its success. Given Bob Marley’s worldwide popularity, the film is expected to perform well overseas. However, it will need to continue drawing audiences in the coming weeks to ensure a worry-free run.
Kingsley Ben-Adir leads the cast of “One Love” as Bob Marley, with Lashana Lynch co-starring as Rita Marley. The film follows the musician’s European and African tour, as well as the production of his iconic album “Exodus.” The combination of Ben-Adir’s captivating portrayal and the exploration of Marley’s life and music has struck a chord with audiences.
On the other hand, “Madame Web” has faced a rough start. The standalone comic book adaptation has received even worse reviews and disappointing audience scores, earning a mere “C+” from Cinema Score. Initially projected to have a six-day total of over $30 million, the film is now expected to finish closer to $20 million. This underwhelming performance is particularly disheartening for Sony, as “Madame Web” was intended to be the start of a new franchise.
With an $80 million production budget and additional marketing costs, Sony had high hopes for “Madame Web.” However, the film’s rejection is not only widespread but has also become an online culture of its own. Memes referencing Sony’s less-than-stellar track record among superhero enthusiasts, such as the Jared Leto vampire film “Morbius,” have further contributed to the negative buzz surrounding “Madame Web.” Overcoming this bad reputation will be a challenging task for the film.
Starring Dakota Johnson as a paramedic with clairvoyant abilities, “Madame Web” follows her journey to protect a group of teenagers from a wall-crawling killer who murdered her mother. The film boasts a star-studded cast, including Sydney Sweeney, Tahar Rahim, Isabela Merced, Celeste O’Connor, Emma Roberts, Adam Scott, and Zosia Mamet. Directed by S.J. Clarkson, “Madame Web” had the potential to be a thrilling addition to the superhero genre but has fallen short of expectations.
While “Argylle” is projected to fall to third place with a 32% decrease in its third weekend, it is Apple Studios’ production that has suffered the most. With a massive budget exceeding $200 million, the film has failed to cross the $40 million mark domestically within its first 17 days of release. This makes it the first high-profile bomb of the year.
Universal’s “Migration” is also vying for third place, despite its holiday debut being well behind. The Illumination production is expected to reach $116 million domestically by Presidents’ Day. However, the upcoming release of “Kung Fu Panda 4” on March 8 will provide theaters with another highly anticipated animated film for family audiences.
In its 10th weekend of release, Fathom Event’s faith-based TV series “The Chosen” may push “Wonka” out of the top five. The Timothée Chalamet musical continues to attract viewers in a relatively quiet marketplace, with an estimated additional $4 million during the four-day holiday frame. Its domestic tally is on track to reach $210 million, inching closer to surpassing “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” ($214 million) as the seventh-highest grossing North American release of 2023.
As the box office battle continues, “Bob Marley: One Love
