Box Office

In an “insidious” development, the direct sequel to Chapter 2 and the fifth film in the horror series beat them all on its opening weekend…and with remarkably solid figures. Insidious: The Red Door, the feature directing debut of Patrick Wilson, who also stars, toppled Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny and the other competition to win the box office weekend.

Indiana Jones needs to crack that whip. The fifth and final installment in the fedora-wearing archaeologist’s franchise, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, is not performing as expected although it still debuted at the top.

In an unusual feat, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse swung back to the top on its fourth weekend with a robust $19. 3 million.

The Flash got a good start at the Italian box-office, though not lightning fast as had been expected, debuting with €1. 9 million in its first weekend of release, topping the chart ahead of other Hollywood action offerings: Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, the live action adaptation of The Little Mermaid and Fast X.

The Flash dashed to the top of the domestic box office charts but its $55. 1 million earnings fell short of its studio’s $70 to $75 million expectations.

The Flash opened in China on Friday, day and date with North America, with about 300 advance screenings on Tuesday and Wednesday. It premiered in Beijing on June 11 with fans arriving dressed as the characters in the film – Batman, The Flash and Supergirl – which contributed to the festive atmosphere, according to China Daily.

Who won the battle between Spider-People and the Maximals? It was a close fight but Transformers: Rise of the Beasts ultimately won over Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. On their debut, the Cybertronians rose to the top with a three-day weekend haul of $60.

The 30th edition of the Shanghai International Film Festival had its opening ceremony last Friday, June 9, when the star of the US-China co-production Meg 2: The Trench, Jason Statham, and director Ben Wheatley walked the red carpet accompanied by his Chinese co-stars. The film opens in China on August 4.

Propelled by three Hollywood juggernauts, the new live adaptation of The Little Mermaid, Spider-man: Across the Spider-Verse and Fast X, which dominated in theaters last weekend, the month of May closed with very good results for the Italian box-office. Over €40 million in grosses overall, about €15 million more than the same month in 2022, still less than the three years period before the pandemic, but nevertheless rising in a steady trajectory.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse spun its web across the world and the result is spectacular, foreshadowing a summer that will be one for the books. In an instance of a film getting box office love commensurate to its critical and audience acclaim, the animated sequel set several records.