{"id":52123,"date":"2022-08-21T18:15:14","date_gmt":"2022-08-21T18:15:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/box-office-dragon-ball-super-super-hero-debuts-over-beast\/"},"modified":"2022-08-21T18:15:14","modified_gmt":"2022-08-21T18:15:14","slug":"box-office-dragon-ball-super-super-hero-debuts-over-beast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/box-office-dragon-ball-super-super-hero-debuts-over-beast\/","title":{"rendered":"Box Office: ‘Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero’ Debuts Over ‘Beast’"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u201cDragon Ball Super: Super Hero\u201d topped the box office in its debut, beating expectations by collecting an impressive $21 million in North American ticket sales.<\/p>\n

The anime film, playing on 3.007 screens, is backed by the production company Crunchyroll, which specializes in Japanese anime film and television. \u201cSuper Hero\u201d is a necessary bright spot in an otherwise dreary August at the movies. The newest \u201cDragon Ball Super\u201d installment earned twice as much as the weekend’s other new nationwide release, Universal’s survival thriller \u201cBeast,\u201d starring Idris Elba. Dinged by mixed reviews, \u201cBeast\u201d opened to a modest $11.5 million from 3,743 North American cinemas.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe’re absolutely thrilled that ‘Dragon Ball’ fans could come together to experience and enjoy this amazing movie in theaters,\u201d Mitchel Berger, Crunchyroll’s senior VP of global commerce, said in a statement. \u201cCrunchyroll thanks all of the fans, whether or not you are a ‘super’ fan or a newcomer, and we hope they come back again and again.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDragon Ball Super: Super Hero\u201d is the latest example of the passionate audience for anime films in the United States, and Crunchyroll, which is mostly owned by Sony Pictures, has been owning the market in North America. Earlier this year, the company’s PG-13 \u201cJujutsu Kaisen 0\u201d notched a remarkable $17.6 million in its debut, while its 2021 release \u201cDemon Slayer the Movie: Mugen Train\u201d generated $21.2 million to start, which is even more impressive since cinemas were still operating at reduced capacity. However, these movies tend to play like horror films in terms of ticket sales, withstanding big declines in subsequent weeks.<\/p>\n

Directed by Tetsuro Kodama, the well-reviewed \u201cDragon Ball Super: Super Hero\u201d benefitted from its outsized presence on premium formats, including Imax, 4DX and Dolby Cinemas. The movie played on 327 Imax screens, which accounted for $3.4 million in domestic ticket sales. At Imax, those returns rank as the widest and highest-grossing opening weekend for an anime film.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is another outstanding Crunchyroll anime opening. This has become an impressive niche theatrical business,\u201d says David A. Gross, who runs the movie consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research. But, he adds, \u201cCrunchyroll movies play fast in the US; their domestic multiples are low.\u201d<\/p>\n

Like critics, audiences were similarly mixed on \u201cBeast,\u201d giving the film a so-so \u201cB\u201d CinemaScore. Directed by Icelandic director Baltasar Korm\u00e1kur (\u201cAdrift\u201d), \u201cBeast\u201d follows a recently widowed father and his two teenage daughters (Iyana Halley and Leah Jeffries), who find themselves hunted by a massive rogue lion. The movie, which cost $36 million to produce, has raked in $10.2 million to date at the international box office.<\/p>\n

Jim Orr, Universal’s president of domestic distribution, is encouraged that \u201cBeast\u201d appealed to a broad audience. Among opening weekend crowds, 34% were African American, 26% were Caucasian, 23% were Hispanic and 10% were Asian. Meanwhile, 47% of ticket buyers were above the age of 35, skewing slightly older than expected.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s great to see,\u201d Orr says, referring to the audience breakdown. \u201cIt’s a very good start to what I’m convinced will be a great run.\u201d<\/p>\n

Elsewhere on domestic box office charts, Sony’s action-thriller \u201cBullet Train\u201d slid to third place after two consecutive weekends at No. 1. The movie brought in $8 million from 3,781 locations in its third weekend of release, taking its domestic tally to $68.9 million. That’s a decent result for a star-driven, original action movie in today’s fractured moviegoing landscape. But it cost $90 million to make \u2014 and many millions more to promote to the masses \u2014 meaning it needs to keep chugging along in theaters to justify its hefty budget. \u201cBullet Train\u201d has amassed $81 million overseas and a solid $150 million globally.<\/p>\n

In fourth place, Paramount’s \u201cTop Gun: Maverick\u201d pulled in $5.85 million from 2,969 locations in its 13th weekend of release. Tom Cruise’s blockbuster action sequel, which hits home entertainment in the coming days, has grossed an eye-popping $683 million to date, enough to overtake Marvel’s 2018 superhero epic \u201cAvengers: Infinity War\u201d ($678 million) as the sixth-highest grossing domestic release in history. For those keeping track at home, it’s only $17 million away from catching the No. 5 spots, \u201cBlack Panther\u201d ($700 million). Since it opened in theaters over Memorial Day weekend, \u201cMaverick\u201d has only spent one weekend out of the top five on North American box office charts.<\/p>\n

The Warner Bros. animated adventure \u201cDC League of Super-Pets\u201d took the No. 5 slots with $5.77 million from 3,537 venues. After four weeks in theaters, the family friendly movie has generated $66.4 million in North America.<\/p>\n

In 10th place, A24’s slasher satire \u201cBodies Bodies Bodies\u201d added $2.4 million from 2,541 theaters. The movie, which has been slowly expanding its footprint in recent weeks, has generated $7.4 million to date.<\/p>\n

In far fewer theaters, Paramount’s psychological horror movie \u201cOrphan: First Kill\u201d collected $1.6 million from just 498 venues. The prequel to 2009’s \u201cOrphan\u201d has such a scant screen count because it debuted simultaneously on digital platforms and on Paramount Plus, the studio’s streaming service.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n