Ghostbusters: Afterlife has haunted its way to a weekend domestic box office win by earning $44 million in its theatrical debut.
As reported by Variety, this “better-than-expected result” for Ghostbusters: Afterlife is a strong sign for the film that also collected another $16 million overseas for a global total of $60 million. While Afterlife’s opening weekend ticket sales were less than 2016’s Ghostbusters’ $46 million, that reboot did not have a pandemic to contend with and also cost $144 million to produce – a big jump from Ghostbusters: Afterlife’s $75 million.
In our Ghostbusters: Afterlife review, we said, “A delightfully lovely movie that will satisfy those who grew up with Ramis, Hudson, Murray, and Aykroyd, Ghostbusters: Afterlife will make youngsters fall just as in love with the new generation.”
Marvel’s Eternals secured the #2 spot with $10.8 million after securing two weekend box office wins in a row following its premiere earlier this month. Eternals has brought in over $135.8 million domestically and $200.3 million internationally.
Clifford the Big Red Dog placed third by pulling in another $8.1 million in its second weekend, bringing its domestic total to $33.5 million.
Will Smith’s King Richard, which debuted in theaters and on HBO Max this weekend, placed fourth with a less-than-expected $5.7 million. WB had projected King Richard’s start to be closer to $10 million.
In our review of the film that follows Smith’s Richard Williams raising tennis superstars Venus and Serena Williams, we said that it “is a simple tale of triumph over adversity. The supporting cast shines, Will Smith excels, and while this might not be the full story, King Richard nevertheless works as both character study and feel-good sports movie.”
Dune rounded out the top five with $3 million, bringing its $98.1 million domestic tally ever-closer to $100 million.
For more on Ghostbusters: Afterlife, check out our explainer of the ending and director Jason Reitman’s thoughts on fan service and revealing the movie’s secrets.
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Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.
