Receipts: 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' Makes a Triumphant Return, 'They Cloned Tyrone' Tops Netflix Charts
Domestic: Disney’s Haunted Mansion had a lackluster opening weekend, bringing in only $24 million domestically. Based on the eponymous ride at California’s Disneyland park, Haunted Mansion had a reported production budget of at least $150 million, with an additional $150 million for marketing. The film has yet to break the $50 million mark at the box office, a fate likely due to competition from Barbie and Oppenheimer, as well as the ongoing actors’ union strike preventing Haunted Mansion stars from promoting the film. Despite its less-than-stellar box office showing, Haunted Mansion has an 84% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. The film stars LaKeith Stanfeld, Tiffany Haddish, Rosario Dawson, Jared Leto, and Owen Wilson.
Meg 2: The Trench fared better this week, raking in $30 million domestically. A sequel to 2018’s The Meg, Meg 2: The Trench features Jason Statham reprising his role as Jonas Taylor, along with Wu Jing, Sophia Cai, Page Kennedy, Cliff Curtis, Able Wanamakok, and Li Binging. Meg 2 came just shy of its predecessor’s $45 million debut, but is anticipated to continue its success in theaters. Both films have similarly reported production budgets of around $130 million. Though critics give Meg 2: The Trench a 28% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, audiences have enjoyed the film, and it currently holds a 73% audience score.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem pulled an impressive $43 million domestically during its debut, already more than half of its estimated $70 million production budget. The animated film features Jackie Chan as Splinter, Nicolas Cantu as Leonardo, Seth Rogen as Bebop, Ayo Edebiri as April, Micah Abbey as Donatello, and John Cena as Rocksteady. Mutant Mayhem is the first animated addition to the TMNT universe in over a decade, and follows two ill-fated live-action TMNT films released in 2014 and 2016. The studios’ decision to revisit the animated turtles of the 1990s has paid off financially and in its ratings: Mutant Mayhem has a 96% Certified Fresh critics rating and a 92% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
International: Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani, directed by Karan Johar, has been cleaning up at the box office. The film has brought in nearly $1.4 million since its July 28 release, one of only a few Hindi films to fare well in theaters this year. Despite tough competition from US hits Barbie and Oppenheimer, the film has gained momentum and continues to draw audiences in India. The film has an 82% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, with stars Dharmendra, Jaya Bachchan, Shabana Azmi, and Anjali Anand.
By the end of July, Fēng Shén Dì Yī Bù (封神第一部) (The First Part of Fengshen: Chaoge Fengyun) had surpassed ￥1B, or $139 million, in Chinese theaters. Now, the fantasy epic is approaching an international box office gross of $2 million, with audiences lauding its performances and effects. The film finds its inspiration in a 16th century Chinese mythology novel 封神演義 (The Romance of the Gods), and stars Shi, Fei Xiang, Chen Muchi, Li Xuejian, Huang Bo, Na Ran, Xia Yu, Yuan Quan, Wang Luoyong, Yang Wei, and Chen Kun. The Fengshen Trilogy, which comprises 封神第一部：朝歌風雲 (Fengshen First Part: Chaoge Fengyun) and two sequels, was produced back-to-back as the largest epic film project in the country thus far. The subsequent two films are scheduled for release in 2024 and 2025, with critics and audiences alike expecting a similarly impressive turnout. Some have lauded the film as the best Chinese mythological epic yet, and as it enters its third week in theaters, its audience turnout has remained steady.
Streaming: Hidden Strike, starring Jackie Chan, Chunrui Ma, Jiang Wenli, Gong Jun, Zhenwei Wang, and John Cena, sits at #1 on Netflix Global Top 10 only days after it became available on the platform. Despite a mediocre audience score of 57% and a critics score of 22% on Rotten Tomatoes, the 2023 action flick was viewed for nearly 40 million hours this week. The mystery thriller follows two ex-fighters with different missions as they traverse the world’s most dangerous road in search of an “evil oil monger” whose tyranny has hurt everyday citizens. The official synopsis reads,
“When a group of international rebels target a massive oil refinery in Iraq, a private Chinese security team led by Commander Luo (Chan) volunteers to escort nearly 500 civilians to safety in Iraq’s Green Zone. To get there, they must travel via bus along one of the most dangerous roads in the world. On the way, they’re attacked by a team of mercenaries, including decorated US veteran Chris (Cena). . . . As Luo and Chris find out who’s really behind the oil refinery heist, the two join forces to save lives… and kick ass.”
Though audience reviews are mixed, the film has nearly double the hours viewed as Miraculous: Ladybug & Cat Noir, The Movie, the second-place film in Netflix’s Top 10.
They Cloned Tyrone, starring Jamie Foxx, John Boyega, Teyonah Parris, J. Alphonse Nicholson, and Megan Sousa, is in the #3 spot on Netflix’s Top 10 for a second week with 23 million hours watched. The science fiction comedy mystery, directed by Juel Taylor, follows a trio of friends as they investigate a government cloning conspiracy. The film premiered at the American Black Film Festival in June, after which it began a limited theatrical release on July 14th and was released for streaming on July 21. Audiences and critics alike have given They Cloned Tyrone high praise, with the film currently holding a 94% certified fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a whopping 100% audience score. The film has enjoyed a spot in Netflix’s global top 3 since it was available on the platform, and sees no signs of slowing down.