NEW YORK (AP) 鈥 In an unexpected upset, the Jason Statham thriller 鈥淎 Working Man鈥 took No. 1 at the box office, besting the rapidly declining 鈥淪now White,鈥 according to studio estimates Sunday.
Even after , the Walt Disney Co.sa国际传媒 live-action remake was predicted to remain the top film in U.S. and Canadian theaters over the weekend. Instead, 鈥淪now White,鈥 plagued by bad buzz and backlash, nosedived in its second weekend and dropped 66%.
At the same time, Amazon MGM Studios鈥 鈥淎 Working Man,鈥 directed by David Ayer, beat expectations with a $15.2 million debut. Co-written by Sylvester Stallone, 鈥淎 Working Man鈥 reteams Statham and Ayer following last yearsa国际传媒 successful 鈥淭he Beekeeper鈥 ($162 million worldwide). This time around, Statham plays a construction worker with an elite military past.
While reviews have been mixed and audiences only gave 鈥淎 Working Man鈥 a 鈥淏鈥 CinemaScore, showing Statham has carved out something rare in the movie industry today: bankability. 鈥淎 Working Man鈥 opened similarly to 鈥淭he Beekeeper,鈥 which launched with $16.5 million.
The bigger headline, though, might have been the fast erosion of ticket buyers' appetite for 鈥淪now White.鈥 The film, directed by Marc Webb and starring Rachel Zegler, had been hoped to lift movie theaters after a painful start to 2025. Produced for more $250 million, the film has turned into a poisoned apple, with a two-week global haul of $143.1 million.
Next weekend, Warner Bros.鈥 鈥淎 Minecraft Movie,鈥 is expected to win the weekend and will, like 鈥淪now White,鈥 target family audiences.
A trio of newcomers 鈥 A24sa国际传媒 鈥淒eath of a Unicorn,鈥 Universal and Blumhousesa国际传媒 鈥淭he Woman in the Yard,鈥 and the Fathomsa国际传媒 鈥淐hosen: The Last Supper鈥 鈥 also opened over the weekend, though none made a big impact.
鈥淭he Chosen: The Last Supper,鈥 fared the best, with $11.5 million in 2,235 theaters. The Christian TV series, now in its fifth season, has regularly driven ticket sales before streaming. More episodes will roll out in theaters through April.
鈥淒eath of a Unicorn,鈥 a horror comedy starring Jenna Ortega and Paul Rudd, portrays a father and daughter who hit a unicorn on the road while they're driving. The movie collected a modest $5.8 million from 3,050 theaters.
The weekendsa国际传媒 more straightforward horror contender, Blumhousesa国际传媒 鈥淭he Woman in the Yard,鈥 starring , debuted with $9.4 million from 2,842 cinemas. In 鈥淏lack Adam鈥 director Jaume Collet-Serrasa国际传媒 film, a mysterious woman keeps appearing in a familysa国际传媒 front yard. Though it cost little to make, with a production budget of $12 million, it has been slammed by critics.
One of the weekendsa国际传媒 biggest successes was the 1997 Studio Ghibli classic 鈥淧rincess Mononoke." The Hayo Miyazaki film grossed $4 million across just 347 IMAX screens. Distributor GKids touted that result as a victory for humanity over technology. Earlier in the week, a new version of ChatGPT allowed users
Sony Pictures Classicsa国际传媒 鈥淭he Penguin Lesson,鈥 starring Steve Coogan and Jonathan Pryce, opened with $1.2 million at 1,017 theaters. Coogan plays an Englishman teaching in Argentina in 1976 who rescues a penguin from an oil spill.
With flagging ticket sales overall, Hollywood marked the first quarter of 2025 with a sizeable box-office deficit. Sales are down 11% from the same point in 2024, and nearly 40% from 2019, according to Comscore.
鈥淗opefully 鈥楳inecraft鈥 can help the marketplace level up since after some underwhelming weekends at the box office we need to get some momentum back at the multiplex,鈥 said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Comscore.
Top 10 movies by domestic box office
With final domestic figures due Monday, the following list factors in estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore:
1. 鈥淎 Working Man,鈥 $15.2 million
2. 鈥淪now White,鈥 $14.2 million.
3. 鈥淭he Chosen: Last Supper,鈥 $11.5 million.
4. 鈥淭he Woman in the Yard,鈥 $9.5 million.
5. 鈥淒eath of a Unicorn,鈥 $5.8 million.
6. 鈥淧rincess Mononoke,鈥 $4 million.
7. 鈥淐aptain America: Brave New World,鈥 $2.8 million.
8. 鈥淏lack Bag,鈥 $2.2 million.
9. 鈥淢ickey 17,鈥 $1.9 million.
10. 鈥淣ovocaine,鈥 $1.5 million.
