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The August box office got a jolt of energy this weekend with the impressive debut of Sony's drama "It Ends With Us." The adaptation of Colleen Hoover's bestselling novel raked in $24 million on its opening day from 3,611 locations, including $7 million from Thursday previews. Industry analysts are now projecting the film could earn over $45 million for its opening weekend - a remarkable start for a drama with a modest $25 million budget.
"The popularity of Hoover's novel on TikTok and the marketing's focus on female audiences helped drive interest," noted box office analyst Paul Dergarabedian. "It's performing more like a franchise blockbuster than a typical drama."
Directed by Justin Baldoni, who also co-stars, the film features Blake Lively as a florist navigating a complicated relationship. Early audience reactions have been enthusiastic, with CinemaScore reporting an A- grade from opening day viewers.
Meanwhile, "Deadpool & Wolverine" continues to show impressive staying power in its third weekend. The Marvel superhero team-up took in $15.6 million on Friday, down just 44% week-over-week. It's on track to cross $500 million domestically and $1 billion globally in the coming days.
Unfortunately, not all new releases fared as well. Lionsgate's long-delayed video game adaptation "Borderlands" stumbled out of the gate with just $4 million on Friday from 3,125 theaters. The sci-fi action-comedy, which cost a hefty $115 million to produce, is in danger of opening below $10 million for the weekend. Critics have not been kind, with the film currently sitting at a dismal 22% on Rotten Tomatoes.
"'Borderlands' was always going to be a tough sell," said Jeff Bock, senior media analyst at Exhibitor Relations. "The three-year delay didn't help, and the reviews have been brutal. It's shaping up to be one of the bigger bombs of the summer."
Elsewhere, Universal's "Twisters" and "Despicable Me 4" rounded out the top five. The disaster thriller "Twisters" continued to hold well, dropping just 32% in its fourth weekend. It has now crossed $200 million domestically. "Despicable Me 4" also showed staying power, declining only 24% as it approaches $340 million in North America.
As the summer movie season enters its final weeks, the success of "It Ends With Us" demonstrates there's still an appetite for compelling dramas amid the usual blockbuster fare. However, the failure of "Borderlands" serves as a cautionary tale about the challenges of adapting popular video game properties to the big screen.
