“Heretic” and Hugh Grant debut with $11 million, but “Venom: The Last Dance” once again tops the box office

NEW YORK (AP) – “Venom: The Last Dance” was not a blockbuster in North American cinemas. But in a lethargic fall movie season, even a mediocre superhero sequel can dominate the box office for three weeks.

According to studio estimates Sunday, “Venom: The Last Dance” was the No. 1 film at the box office for the third weekend in a row, generating $16.2 million in ticket sales in U.S. and Canadian theaters. It fended off two new challengers the Hugh Grant horror thriller “Heretic” and the feel-good Christmas film “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.”

With Tuesday’s election, the major studios have decided not to release new releases in theaters. This allowed Sony Pictures’ Venom: The Last Dance, the third installment in the Tom Hardy-led series, to maintain its position.

While “The Last Dance” wasn’t a huge success domestically – Opening below expectations Late October – it was thriving overseas, earning nearly three times what it did in North America. The “Venom” sequel has grossed $279.4 million internationally, bringing its worldwide total to $394.2 million.

“Heretic” and “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” were neck-and-neck for second place. Counting only Friday-Sunday ticket sales, the lead went to “Heretic,” which debuted with $11 million. However, “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” factored in $2.2 million in preview screenings from last weekend, resulting in a reported opening gross of $11.1 million.

A24’s “Heretic,” directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, is about two Mormon missionaries (Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East) who knock on the door of a man (Grant) who they say will regret trying to evangelize. Although “Heretic” was critically acclaimed Viewers were less impressed with Grant’s darkest turn yet, giving it a C+ grade in CinemaScore. Regardless, “Heretic” will easily turn a profit on a budget of less than $10 million.

“The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,” released by Lionsgate and Christian entertainment specialist Kingdom Story Company, follows six siblings with bad reputations who take over the local church pageant. The film, an adaptation of Barbara Robinson’s 1972 children’s book directed by Dallas Jenkins, was well received by audiences, who gave it an “A” box office rating. The budget was also modest at around $10 million.

In its seventh week of release, Universal and DreamWorks are releasing Animation’s “The Wild Robot” continues to show little rust in theaters. The company came in fourth place with $6.6 million, increasing its domestic haul to $130.2 million and its worldwide gross to $292 million.

Sean Baker’s acclaimed “Anora” starring Mikey Madison as a sex worker from Brooklyn, widely released. The Neon film, an expected Best Picture contender, grossed $2.4 million from 1,104 theaters. The four-week total is $7.2 million.

The papal thriller “Conclave” starring Ralph Fiennes continues to perform exceptionally well for an adult drama. The Focus Features release recorded 487 additional theaters and a modest 19% decline to $4.1 million in its third weekend of release. It raised $21.5 million. Likewise the A24 “We live in time” starring Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh remained strong, grossing $2.2 million in its fifth weekend for a total of $21.8 million.

Overall, however, ticket sales remain sluggish. According to Comscore, box office returns are about 11% behind last year. According to David A. Gross, a film consultant who publishes a franchise entertainment newsletter, overall ticket sales over the past two weeks are down about 50% from the pre-pandemic average.

The good news for theaters: There are several big new releases coming up in the next few weeks, including Amazon MGM’s Christmas comedy “Red One” (November 15), Paramount Pictures’ “Gladiator II” (November 22), Universal’s “Evil” (also November 22) and the Walt Disney Co.’s “Moana 2” (November 27).

“Better late than never is the rule and we can expect some positive success stories from the Thanksgiving corridor, which appears to be on par with some of the largest frames of its kind in recent years,” said Paul Dergarabedian. senior media analyst for Comscore.

Before opening in U.S. theaters, “Red One,” starring Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans, opened in 75 foreign markets and grossed $26.6 million. The production of the film boasts around $250 million.

The final domestic figures will be published on Monday. Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday in U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore, are:

1. “Venom: The Last Dance,” $16.2 million.

2. “Heretic,” $11 million.

3. “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,” $8.9 million.

4. “The Wild Robot,” $6.7 million.

5. “Smile 2,” $5 million.

6. “Conclave,” $4.1 million.

7. “Anora,” $2.5 million.

8. “Here,” $2.4 million.

9. “We Live in Time,” $2.2 million.

10. “Terrifier 3,” $1.4 million.