Magic Tricks Beat Action Thrillers at the Box Office

The weekend saw a surprising turn of events at the box office. "Now You See Me: Now You Don't, " the third installment in the magic-themed series, managed to outshine both "The Running Man" and "Predator: Badlands. " It raked in $21. 3 million domestically and an additional $54. 2 million internationally, bringing its worldwide total to $75. 5 million. This is a significant achievement for a franchise that has been on hiatus since 2016. On the other hand, "The Running Man, " despite its star-studded cast and high budget, only managed to pull in $17 million domestically and $11. 2 million internationally. This underwhelming performance is a blow to both Glen Powell and Edgar Wright, who had hoped for a stronger debut. The film's demographic was predominantly male and aged between 18 and 44, a stark contrast to the more diverse audience that "Now You See Me: Now You Don't" attracted. "The Running Man" is the second adaptation of Stephen King's dystopian novel, the first being the 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger flick. Interestingly, Schwarzenegger also starred in the original "Predator" film, which was released the same year. "Predator: Badlands, " the latest installment in the series, saw a steep drop of 68% in its second weekend, earning only $13 million domestically. Despite its high production cost of $105 million, the film has managed to gross $136. 3 million globally. Meanwhile, "Keeper, " an indie horror film, had a dismal debut, earning just $2. 5 million. This is a far cry from the success of writer-director Osgood Perkins' previous films, "Longlegs" and "The Monkey. " The film's poor performance can be attributed to the negative reviews it received from both critics and audiences. In other news, "Regretting You, " an adaptation of Colleen Hoover's novel, earned $4 million in its fourth weekend, bringing its domestic total to $44. 9 million. "The Black Phone 2, " another horror film, rounded out the top five, earning $2. 6 million to bring its domestic total to $74. 7 million after five weeks of release. "One Battle After Another, " an R-rated thriller, crossed the $70 million mark domestically and $200 million globally after eight weekends in theaters. Despite its critical acclaim and Oscar buzz, the film is unlikely to break even given its high production cost of $140 million. Overall, the domestic box office topped out at just over $75 million, slightly ahead of the same period last year. Next weekend brings "Wicked: For Good, " giving theater owners renewed hope after a challenging fall season. Universal re-released "Wicked, " bringing in $1. 2 million to prime the pump for the upcoming holiday season.