‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ is No. 1 again; conservative doc ‘Am I Racist’ cracks box office top 5
By Lindsey Bahr, The Associated Press on September 15, 2024.
Moviegoers said yes to more ” Beetlejuice Beetlejuice “ this weekend. After its monster opening, the Tim Burton sequel easily topped the domestic box office charts again with $51.6 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday. Down only 54% from a week earlier, the North American gross for the Warner Bros. release is already at $188 million. Internationally, it added $28.7 million, bringing its worldwide total to a staggering $264.3 million. While its hold was strong, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” didn’t have much in the way of major new competition. Fresh offerings included the James McAvoy horror ” Speak No Evil,” a satirical documentary following right wing podcaster Matt Walsh; and a new Dave Bautista action pic, “The Killer’s Game.” Second place in weekend ticket sales went to ” Speak No Evil,” a remake of a 2022 Danish horror film about an unsuspecting family who decides to spend a weekend with new friends in the country. McAvoy stars in it, along with Mackenzie Davis and Scoot McNairy. With positive reviews and a shrewd release date of Friday the 13th, the Blumhouse production released by Universal Pictures made an estimated $11.5 million from 3,375 locations. ” Deadpool & Wolverine “ landed in third place in its eighth weekend with another $5.2 million. The Disney and Marvel blockbuster is now up to $621.5 million in North America and $1.3 billion globally. The Daily Wire movie “Am I Racist?” placed fourth at the box office, with an estimated $4.7 million from only 1,517 theaters. Described as a mockumentary in the style of “Borat,” the movie has conservative columnist Walsh going undercover as a “DEI trainee.” Walsh had a similar gimmick, pretending to be a gender studies professor, in the 2022 movie “What is a Woman?” Both were directed by Justin Folk. “Am I Racist?” cost a reported $3 million to make. To release it, the Daily Wire – the Ben Shapiro co-founded company – partnered with SDG Releasing, a distribution company founded by “God’s Not Dead” writers Cary Solomon and Chuck Konzelman, who promise the “lowest fees in the business.” Among the trailers playing before “Am I Racist?” is another film targeting conservative audiences: The upcoming Dinesh D’Souza movie “Vindicating Trump.” In limited release, Amazon MGM Studios began its rollout of the Sundance breakout ” My Old Ass,” starring Maisy Stella, in seven theaters in New York, Los Angeles and Austin, where it made a combined $171,242. The coming of age movie expands nationwide on Sept. 27. 9-8
