Venom No. 1, but Tiny Movies dominated the Veterans Day Box Office Top 20

“Venom: The Last Dance” (Sony) was number one with a gross of $16.2 million. That’s an uninspiring number for the top spot, but the threequel has now earned $394 million worldwide, while its predecessor, “Venom: Let There Be Carnage,” brought in a total of $507 million. “Dance” could do the same thing.

The modestly budgeted films “Heretic” (A24) and “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” (Lionsgate) are fighting for a second place, which won’t be secure until the actual numbers come in on Sunday. Both grossed around $11 million, slightly above projections.

But the most striking aspect of this post-election weekend box office is that the top 20 are so diverse that it’s entirely possible that even the most dedicated film completist will never see them all.

This is even stranger since Veterans Day falls on Monday, making it a four-day weekend for many. Normally this encourages major studios to place their top films, but the studios held back because of the choice; The aftermath of last year’s strikes also led to a decline in available publications.

A24 no longer dominates the market for cutting-edge independent horror films, with Neon’s “Longlegs,” Cineverse’s “Terrifier 3” and others doing well. However, A24 has another success with “Heretic,” in which Hugh Grant plays a man who holds two young Mormon missionaries captive in his home. It premiered in Toronto and received good reviews (Metacritic score 72) but a C+ Cinemascore (not unusual for the genre). Gross receipts were at or above the company’s normal opening levels for similar films.

“Christmas Pageant” also begins on a religious note: six misbehaving children accidentally become involved in a church holiday event that changes their lives. Directed by Dallas Jenkins (“The Chosen”), it is supported by early week shows that boost image and word of mouth. (A Cinemascore too.) This could be a sleeper hit backed by a possible Christmas play. This is a nice boost for Lionsgate, which has released a number of non-launching releases in recent months.

Both “Heretic” and “Pageant” are budget original films that can excel in lesser competition. That’s important as theaters wait for “Red One” (Amazon MGM), “Wicked” (Universal), “Gladiator 2” (Paramount) and “Moana 2” (Disney) in the next three weeks. The $73 million total fell again this week compared to last year (year-to-date, down nearly 12 percent).

What is remarkable this week is the incredible range of films shown. There are only five medium or high-budget studio films among the 20 most successful films this week, four of which are in the top 10: “Venom”, “The Wild Robot” No. 4, “Smile 2” No. 5 and are holding up very well disappointing “Here” #8 in the second week.

Three major specialist titles are booming. “Conclave” (Focus) fell just 19 percent to No. 6 in its third weekend, already at $21.5 million. “Anora” (Neon), which is expanding more slowly, is at No. 7 with an impressive $7 million to start with. A24’s “We Live in Time” is at No. 8 with nearly $22 million.

The phenomenal “Terrifier 3” is still at No. 10 with $53 million in its sixth week. The sci-fi thriller “Elevation” (Vertical), starring Anthony Mackie, is at No. 11 and Crunchyroll’s anime “Overlord: the Lost.” Kingdom” (Sony) is just below that.

After that it becomes more niche. Three Indian releases (“Singham Again” and “Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3,” both Top 10 last week) and the new “Amaran” grossed around $2 million combined. A Taiwan-set Luc Besson co-production, “Weekend in Taipei,” is No. 20. Further up are Fathom’s “Andrea Bocelli 30,” the British animated film “Hitpig” and “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.” Something for almost everyone.

In that mix is ​​the first weekend for “Small Things Like These” (Roadside Attractions), Cillian Murphy’s first film since “Oppenheimer.” However, despite good reviews (82 Metacritic), this success didn’t pay off. The Irish monastery drama grossed $586,000 in 799 theaters.

A more modest expansion of Jesse Eisenberg’s “A Real Pain” (Searchlight) grossed $282,000, with a still-high per-theater average of $23,500. Next week there will be an expansion to over 900 cinemas.

Andrea Arnold’s “Bird” (MUBI) with Barry Keoghan brought in $24,104 in its single edition (Angelika in New York). The British drama about a 12-year-old girl, which premiered in Cannes, is expanding to other major cities this week.

Once again, the gross receipts and number of theaters for Clint Eastwood’s Juror #2 (Warner Bros.) remain a secret; We assume there are around 45 in new cities. When spot checks were carried out in the old cinemas, the numbers were still strong, perhaps down by a third.

Likewise, Apple didn’t report Steve McQueen’s “Blitz.” Sources estimate that the second week brought in around $275,000, now in 396 theaters.

Top 10

1. Venom: The Last Dance (Sony) Week 3; Last weekend No. 1

$16,225,000 (-37%) in 3,905 (-206) theaters; PTA (per theater average): $4,155; Cumulative: $114,819,000

2. The best Christmas pageant ever (Lionsgate) NEW – Cinemascore: A; Metacritic: 59; Estimate: Budget: $10 million

$11,100,000 in 3,020 theaters; PTA: $3,675; Cumulative: $11,100,000

3. Heretic (A24) NEW – Cinemascore: C+; Metacritic: 72

$11,016,000 in 3,221 theaters; PTA: $3,420; Cumulative: $11,016,000

4. The wild robot (Universal) week 7; Last Weekend #2; also on PVOD

$6,650,000 (-11%) in 3,051 (-186) theaters; PTA: $2,180; Cumulative: $130,880,000

5. Smile 2 (Primary) Week 4; Last weekend #3

$5,000,000 (-26%) in 2,822 (-413) theaters; PTA: $1,772; Cumulative: $60,540,000

6. Conclave (Focus) Week 3; Last weekend #4

$4,100,000 (-19%) in 2,283 (+487) theaters; PTA: $1,796; Cumulative: $21,513,000

7. Anora (Neon) Week 4; Last weekend #

$2,445,000 (+36%) in 1,104 (+851) theaters; PTA: $2,284; Cumulative: $7,218,000

8. Here (Sony) Week 2; Last weekend #5

$2,425,000 (-50%) in 2,732 (+85) theaters; PTA: $888; Cumulative: $9,502,000

9. We live in time (A24) Week 5; Last weekend #6

$2,211,000 (-36%) in 1,865 (-1,099) theaters; PTA: $1,185; Cumulative: $21,812,000

10. Terrible 3 (Iconic/Cineverse) Week 5; Last weekend No. 7

$1,470,000 (-56%) in 1,500 (-1,087) theaters; PTA: $941; Cumulative: $53,313,000

Other specialized/independent titles

Films (Limited, Limited expansions) are listed by week of release, starting with films that opened that week; After the first three weeks, only films grossing over $5,000 will be shown. Metacritic scores and first film festivals were recorded if available.

Overlord: The Holy Kingdom (Sony) NEW – Metacritic:; Festivals include:

$1,165,000 in 621 theaters; PTA: $1,876

Bird (MUBI) NEW – Metacritic: 73; Festivals include: Cannes, Telluride, Toronto 2024

$24,104 at 1 theater; PTA: $24,104

elevation (Vertical) NEW – Metacritic: 47

$1,185,000 in 1,416 theaters; PTA: $837

Little things like this (Roadside Attractions) NEW – Metacritic: 82; Festivals include: Berlin 2024

$585,550 in 799 theaters; PTA: $733

Christmas Eve at Miller’s Point (IFC) NEW – Metacritic: 78; Festivals include: Cannes 2024

$32,590 in 405 theaters; PTA: $181

A real pain (Searchlight) Week 2

$282,000 in 12 (+8) theaters; PTA: $23,500; Cumulative: $600,216

flash (Apple) Week 2

$ (est.) 275,000 in 393 (+396); PTA: $700; Cumulative: $340,000 (estimated).

Luther: Never too much (Giant) Week 2

$43,049 at 9 theaters (no change); PTA: $4,783; Cumulative: $202,796

Memoirs of a Snail (IFC) Week 3

$82,180 in 467 (+443) theaters; Cumulative: $374,848

Dahomey (MUBI) Week 3

$8,028 in 10 (+1) theaters; Cumulative: $70,797

The autumn (MUBI) (Reissue) Week 4

$7,192 in 9 (+1) theaters; Cumulative: $297,700

piece by piece (Focus) Week 5; also on PVOD

$95,000 in 118 (-408) theaters; Cumulative: $9,705,000

White bird (Lionsgate) Week 6; Also on PVOD

$100,000 in 391 (-561) theaters; Cumulative: $4,991,000

The outrun (Sony Pictures Classics) Week 6; also on PVOD

$19,787 in 19 (-18) theaters; Cumulative: $901,747

Saturday evening (Sony) Week 7

$66,000 in 135 (-318) theaters; Cumulative: $9,454,000

The substance (MUBI) Week 8; also on PVOD and streaming

$235,121 in 205 (-134) theaters; Cumulative: $16,033,000