‘Jackass Forever’ is top US film worldwide as Chinese New Year titles dominate global box office

Worldwide box office February 4-6

Credit: Comscore, all figures estimates, click top right to expand

’Jackass Forever’ beats ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ at worldwide box office

For the first time in eight weeks, a film other than Sony’s Spider-Man: No Way Home has proved the top attraction in the worldwide chart for weekend cinema box office. In fact, no fewer than five titles beat the webslinging adventure over the February 4-6 session – but only one is from a US studio.

Paramount’s Jackass Forever topped the North America box office with an estimated $23.5m, and also grossed an estimated $5.2m in nine international territories – combining for $28.7m. That puts it one place above Spider-Man: No Way Home in the latest worldwide weekend chart.

Among the first nine international markets to receive Jackass Forever, UK/Ireland led the way with an estimated $2.8m, opening in second place behind Sing 2. In Australia, the film topped the chart with an estimated $1.8m.

The Jackass films have always been more potent in North America than in foreign markets, with the latter only accounting for 19% of the first film (Jackass: The Movie, 2002), 14% of the second (Jackass Number Two, 2006), and 32% of the third (Jackass 3D, 2010). Global grosses have fluctuated, with the second being the weakest of the trio. Jackass Forever would need to reach $171.7m to reach the global total of the most recent in the series, Jackass 3D.

Major markets yet to open include the Netherlands on February 17 and Germany on March 10.

Chinese New Year releases dominate global chart

The weekend worldwide box office chart is totally dominated by films released for China’s New Year holiday, which began last Tuesday (February 1). The Battle At Lake Changjin II – the 1950s-set patriotic war epic directed by Tsui Hark, Chen Kaige and Dante Lam – grossed $153.5m from its first six days, topping the chart. The original The Battle At Lake Changjin grossed $903m in 2021 – the second-biggest hit at cinemas worldwide last year, after Spider-Man: No Way Home.

In second place, with takings of $111.5m in six days in Xing Wenxiong’s comedy Too Cool To Kill, starring Wei Xaing as an amateur actor who is invited to play a leading role in a film and ends up unwittingly involved a dangerous crime plot. The film is based on 2008 Japanese film The Magic Hour, written and directed by Koki Mitani.

From director Wen Wuye (Dying To Survive), comedy-drama Nice View is in third place, with six-day box office totalling $45.5m. In fourth is family animation Boonie Bears: Back To Earth, with $40.0m including previews. Boonie Bears began life in 2012 as an animated TV series, and has now yielded eight feature films, beginning with 2014’s Boonie Bears: To The Rescue.

‘Moonfall’ misses orbit with mediocre $19.6m debut

The independent-backed Roland Emmerich sci-fi disaster film Moonfall got off to a slow start, with an estimated $10.0m debut in North America for Lionsgate, and $9.4m in 45 international territories for a variety of distributors. Those numbers combine for a global $19.4m weekend session, and $19.6m cumulatively.

Moonfall, which shot in Montreal in 2020 under pandemic conditions, stars Halle Berry, Patrick Wilson and Game Of Thrones’ John Bradley as a trio trying to save humanity when a mysterious force sends the Moon hurtling towards Earth. AGC Studios introduced Moonfall to Cannes buyers in 2019 and raised equity funding with Emmerich’s Centropolis and CAA Media Finance. Production budget is reported around $140m.

AGC has yet to provide individual territory numbers for international markets.

UK/Ireland keeps ‘Sing 2’ in tune

UK/Ireland was once again the hero market for Universal’s Sing 2, delivering more than a third of the worldwide box office for the February 4-6 weekend. The animated sequel grossed an estimated $18.2m at the weekend, taking the worldwide total to $291.5m – the biggest total for a US studio animation in the pandemic era.

International accounted for $14.0m of the weekend number, with UK/Ireland delivering an estimated $6.6m, taking the total there to $17.0m, just below the first Sing at the same point of release. The February half-term school holiday should bring plenty more to Sing 2 this month.

In cumulative totals, France leads the international pack for Sing 2 with $18.2m ahead of UK/Ireland, Australia ($13.2m), Russia/CIS ($12.8m) and Mexico ($12.6m). Denmark opened at the weekend with a strong $1.1m including extensive previews.

‘Belfast’ boosted by Antipodes opening

Also for Universal, Belfast expanded from three to seven international markets, notably landing in Australia (debut of $646,000) and New Zealand ($242,000). International weekend total was an estimated $3.2m, led by UK/Ireland with $2.0m. International cume is now $13.9m after just two weeks of international release – well ahead of the $7.5m earned since November 12 in North America, and with many territories yet to come. Worldwide total is $21.4m. Next to open is Germany (February 24), with Mexico, Brazil, South Korea and Japan all set for March.

‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ pushes towards $1.8bn

Although Sony’s Spider-Man: No Way Home was toppled from the top of the global box office chart at the weekend, tumbling all the way to sixth place, weekend box office was a solid $25.2m, taking the total after eight weeks to $1.78bn. Box office fell just 30% in international markets.

UK/Ireland continues to lead the international league table for the film, now with a heroic $122.5m, ahead of Mexico ($75.1m), South Korea ($62.6m) and France ($62.0m).

No Way Home is the sixth biggest film of all time at the global box office, behind Avatar, Titanic, the final two Avengers films and the seventh Star Wars – which have all grossed more than $2bn.

‘Golden Boy’ delivers Serbian hit

Serbian film Golden Boy – a sport and crime drama from debut feature director Ognjen Jankovic – is proving a local hit in the country, leading the box office for January. Since release on January 13, Golden Boy racked up 118,000 admissions to January 31 (and 129,000 including Bosnia and Herzegovina). Box office for January was €437,000 ($500,000) – ahead of US studio fare such as Spider-Man: No Way Home. Golden Boy is a coming-of-age story focusing on a young and aspiring football player with a volatile temperament, finding his way in tough circumstances.

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