In another quiet weekend for the box office, Sony/Columbia’s “Venom: The Last Dance” is cruising to a third No. 1 weekend with approximately $15 million grossed, topping newcomers “Heretic” from A24 and “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” from Lionsgate and Kingdom Story Company.
“The Last Dance” made $3.9 million on its third Friday and is projected to have a domestic total of $112.5 million, continuing its trajectory of finishing with a domestic and global total lower than the past two “Venom” films but still theatrically profitable against its $120 million budget.
“Heretic” and “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” are in a narrow race for the No. 2 spot. Currently, “Pageant” has the edge with a $5 million opening from 3,020 locations, putting it on track for a $10.7 million opening against a reported $20 million budget.
The family holiday film is set for a sustained run in theaters, earning an A on CinemaScore from Kingdom Story Company’s devoted audience along with Rotten Tomatoes scores of 89% critics and 99% audience.
“The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” is a much-needed success for Lionsgate, snapping a streak of flops that contributed to a $163 million quarterly loss. It is not only set to post a higher opening weekend than Lionsgate’s big-budget flop “Borderlands” but is also the first film from the studio since “The Strangers — Chapter 1” back in May to earn a $10 million-plus opening.
“Heretic” earned $4.3 million on opening day from 3,211 locations, putting it on track for a $10 million opening as well. With a production budget reported to be less than that, this provocative horror film starring Hugh Grant will be successful even if it ends up being frontloaded, as critics are praising the film with a 92% RT score while audiences are more mixed with a C+ on CinemaScore and 75% on Rotten Tomatoes.
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