Movie

Sony Pictures' adaptation of the Marvel character bags an estimated $39.1 million on its first weekend following dismal reviews, but it's enough to take the throne from 'The Lost City'.

• Apr 4, 2022

AceShowbiz - "Morbius" has a not-so-marvelous opening at the box office. The superhero film starring Oscar-winning actor Jared Leto takes over the throne at the North American ranking with an estimated $39.1 million on its first weekend, which is quite modest for a movie in its genre.

Adapted from Marvel comic books, the Daniel Espinosa-directed pic took in $44.9 million at the international box office for a global total of $84 million so far, against its $75 million budget. It's also somewhat less pricey than most superhero movies.

It doesn't help that "Morbius" was slammed by critics, with an approval rating of 17% on Rotten Tomatoes. By comparison, Sony's another panned superhero movie, 2018's "Venom", still managed to score at the domestic box office with $80 million to start and $213 million in total.

"This is a weak opening by Marvel's exceptional standard for launching a new superhero series," said David A. Gross, who runs the consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research. "The weekend figure is well below average for a Marvel first episode, and below average compared with a DC Comics new series, as well."

Still, the number is enough for "Morbius" to enter atop the domestic chart, edging out last week's new release and new champion "The Lost City". The adventure flick starring Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum slips to No. 2 with an estimated $14.8 million, bringing its total domestic gross to $54.6 million so far.

At No. 3 is "The Batman", which drops another slot with an estimated addition of $10.8 million to its domestic gross. It has collected $349 million in North America so far and $361.5 million overseas for a worldwide total of $710.5 million.

"Uncharted" and "Jujutsu Kaisen 0: The Movie" hold on to the fourth and fifth places respectively. The Tom Holland-starring movie took in another $3.6 million on its seventh weekend, while the animated movie based on a Japanese manga series added approximately $1.97 million.

Top 10 of North America Box Office (Apr.01-03, 2022):

1. "Morbius" - $39.1 million
2. "The Lost City" - $14.8 million
3. "The Batman" - $10.8 million
4. "Uncharted" - $3.6 million
5. "Jujutsu Kaisen 0: The Movie" - $1.97 million
6. "RRR" - $1.6 million
7. "Spider-Man: No Way Home" - $1.4 million
8. "Dog" - $1.3 million
9. "X" - $1 million
10. "Everything Everywhere All at Once" - $1 million