Downton Abbey the movie blew away all expectations when it opened to $31 million in September 2019, a record-high for specialty company Focus Features. Since then, a lot has changed.
The big-screen version of Julian Fellowes’ successful British TV series in 2019 was powered by moviegoers 45 and older — a demographic that has been the most hesitant to return to theatres since the COVID-19 issue occurred, particularly older females — and was fueled by older females.
Fellowes’ sequel Downton Abbey: A New Era Era debuted to $16 million from 3,815 venues over the weekend.
While this is in line with prerelease tracking, it is significantly behind the first film, highlighting the challenges faced by films that rely on older consumers who may still be wary of COVID and whose habits have changed in the post-pandemic era as studios offer new releases in the home as soon as three weeks via premium VOD.
Downton Abbey 2 drew a lot of interest from those aged 55 and up (48 percent), which is a good indicator, but attendance wasn’t as high as it was in 2019, when customers aged 55 and up made up 52 percent of the opening weekend viewership. Downton Abbey 2 has grossed more than $35 million in foreign markets.
The Grantham family travels to the South of France to solve the mystery of the Dowager Countess’ newly inherited property, which was written by Fellowes. There’s also the possibility of a film crew filming at the Abbey.
Hugh Bonneville, Laura Carmichael, Jim Carter, Raquel Cassidy, Brendan Coyle, Michelle Dockery, Kevin Doyle, Joanne Froggatt, Michael Fox, Harry Hadden-Paton, Robert James-Collier, Allen Leech, Phyllis Logan, Elizabeth McGovern, Sophie McShera, Tuppence Middleton, Douglas Reith, Maggie Smith, Imelda Staunton, Imelda Staunton, Penelope Wilton, Hug
The superhero film from Marvel and Disney?
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness remained at the top of the box office in its third weekend, grossing $31.6 million for a domestic total of $342.1 million and $803.2 million worldwide, making it the No. 2 Hollywood film of the pandemic era, trailing only Spider-Man: No Way Home ($1.8 billion).
Doctor Strange 2 beat out James Bond film No Time to Die ($774.2 million) and more recent superhero film The Batman ($768.5 million) to become the highest-grossing film of all time.
The Bad Guys and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 came in second and third, with $6.1 million and $3.9 million, respectively.
Bad Guys has now grossed $74.4 million in the United States and $182.2 million worldwide, while Sonic 2 is approaching $400 million after grossing $181 million in the United States and $375 million worldwide on Sunday (Uncharted was the only film to surpass $400 million this weekend).
Men, A24’s folk horror thriller, premiered in 2,212 cinemas worldwide this weekend, just in time for its Cannes Film Festival presentation. The film, directed by Alex Garland, came in fifth place on a budget of $3.3 million.
Everything Everywhere All at Once earned $3.2 million in the United States, bringing the picture’s domestic total to $52.3 million, surpassing Uncut Gems ($50 million) to become A24’s highest-grossing film of all time.
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