Weekend projections: Priscilla, Taylor Swift, and Radical make up for sharp fall for Freddy’s

November 5, 2023

Priscilla

We’re headed for a slow weekend at the box office, thanks mostly to a lack of major new releases, but also because Five Nights at Freddy’s is suffering a steep post-Halloween slump. Several films are stepping up and taking advantage of their opportunity to lure in audiences not distracted by a blockbuster title. Priscilla is outperforming expectations on its wide expansion; Radical has come from almost literally nowhere to land in the top five; and TAYLOR SWIFT | THE ERAS TOUR is enjoying a strong hold in its fourth weekend in theaters.

Here’s how the domestic numbers look as of Sunday morning (click on the image for the full chart of films reporting so far)…



The steep drop for Five Nights at Freddy’s isn’t a surprise. It really has everything working against it this weekend in terms of its comparison to last weekend: a bigger-than-expected opening, the fact that Halloween has come and gone, and weak reviews. It’s holding on a little better internationally, partly thanks to opening in 11 more territories. It’ll be down 54% from last weekend outside North America, earning a projected $35.582 million this time around. That will take it to $103.511 million internationally, and a projected $217.115 million worldwide by the end of the weekend. Standout territories are Spain, where it will open with $5 million, including having the biggest opening Wednesday of all time in the territory; and Italy, where it will hit $4 million this weekend.

Priscilla expanded well for A24 and should have the opportunity for a long run, although it’s not garnering universally enthusiastic reviews. The fact that it will top $5 million this weekend is perhaps testament to the lack of quality dramas in theaters at the moment. This time last year, filmgoers could choose between The Banshees of Inisherin, Till, Armageddon Time, Tár and Triangle of Sadness, all of which were playing nationwide. Between them, those films earned $5.8 million this weekend last year, and it could be argued that Priscilla’s $5.1 million is a step backwards, even if it’s outperforming all of them so far. The bottom line is that the continued actors’ strike is really hurting dramatic films.

The final film of note in this weekend’s top ten is Radical from Pantelion Films. The Mexican drama, starring Eugenio Derbez, is already a hit over there, and is clearly resonating with audiences here. It’ll be a challenge for it cross over to a broader audience, but it’s worth looking out for in the coming weeks, particularly (as noted above) with limited competition from English-language dramas.

- Studio weekend projections
- All-time top-grossing movies in North America
- All-time top-grossing movies worldwide

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Bruce Nash,

Filed under: Eugenio Derbez