Box Office | 'Expend4bles' Struggles With $8.3 Million Opening as 'The Nun II' Retains Top Spot

Relying solely on clever sequel naming might not invigorate a film’s appeal. That's the takeaway for Millennium Films, the minds behind the $100 million project “Expend4bles.” Despite being the fourth installment and the first since 2014, it struggled to reach the expected top spot and settled for second.

Lionsgate's numbers point towards an $8.3 million haul, although inside sources predict it might be closer to $8 million. Earlier predictions suggested somewhere north of $10 million, but scathing reviews, with Metacritic rating it a dismal 29, played spoilsport.

However, not all sequels face a bleak fate. “The Nun II” (Warner Bros.) astonishingly held its #1 spot for the third consecutive week. Just last week, it surpassed Disney’s “A Haunting of Venice” in an unforeseen twist. This horror venture from New Line, crafted on a modest budget of less than $40 million, is pacing towards a domestic total surpassing $85 million. This achievement will elevate it above pricier DC projects like “Blue Beetle” and “Shazam: Fury of the Gods.”

For “The Nun II”, Warner Bros. forecasts a revenue of $8.4 million. In a previous close call, they overestimated by $200,000. Now, they have a buffer of $100,000 to avoid the title of the year's lowest #1. That dubious distinction currently belongs to Warner’s “Magic Mike’s Last Dance,” which had a lukewarm $8.3 million debut during the Super Bowl weekend.

This weekend’s provisional cumulative is roughly $52 million, a low for the year. Nonetheless, this year's box office is currently outperforming the previous year by 26 percent.

Two other contenders entered the top 10. Neon showcased “It Lives Inside,” detailing an Indian-American teenager's battle against a demonic entity possessing his peer. After its SXSW 2023 premiere, it landed at #7 amidst mixed critiques.

Sony's “Dumb Money” broadened its reach to 616 theaters, up from last week’s eight, securing the 8th spot. With earnings of $2.5 million, anticipation builds for its more extensive release next week. Comparatively, its per-theater average of $4,058 slightly lags behind MGM's “Bottoms” in its sophomore weekend. While “Bottoms” (with an $11 million budget) is projected to touch $12 million, “Dumb Money” had a heftier budget of approximately $30 million.

Disney’s “A Haunting in Venice” slid to third, experiencing a 56 percent decline in its second weekend. While it's performing better internationally with a $46.2 million tally, it still falls short of expectations.

Warner Bros.' “Barbie,” with new IMAX screenings, showed resilience at #5, dipping by only 16 percent despite competing with home PVOD options. "Oppenheimer" is neck and neck for 10th, marking a 22 percent decrease. (Paramount's “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” is trailing by a mere $5,000).

An exclusive IMAX re-release of the iconic Talking Heads concert film, “Stop Making Sense” (often paired with “Barbie”), raked in $800,000 over the weekend and approximately $1.4 million including Thursday previews. Before A24's latest release, this 1984 Jonathan Demme masterpiece had accumulated around $20 million (adjusted).