‘Red One’ launches with $26m at global box office as ‘Venom 3’ closes in on $400m | News

Worldwide box office November 8-10

Credit: Comscore. All figures are estimates.

‘Red One’ debuts with $26m ahead of North America opening

Amazon MGM Studios’ Red One launched in 75 international markets at the weekend via Warner Bros, grossing an estimated $26.6m. The international release for the Dwayne Johnson festive action comedy is a week ahead of North America, where the film lands this coming Friday.

Red One ranks in second place in Latin America, behind Sony’s Venom: The Last Dance, and opened 35% above 2016 Dwayne Johnson/Kevin Hart action comedy Central Intelligence.

In Europe, Red One is tracking 9% ahead of Central Intelligence in like-for-like markets.

UK/Ireland was the best individual market for Red One, with the film landing in second place thanks to an estimated four-day $3.2m, below a triumphant Paddington In Peru (see below). Next for Red One come Mexico ($2.3m), China ($2.0m), Spain ($1.5m), Germany and Australia (both $1.4m).

The festive theme should allow the film to play through November and December up to Christmas Day.

Over the past decade, Johnson’s films include titles with existing IP (including DC Films’ Black Adam and animation DC League Of Super-Pets) or were sequels in the Fast & Furious and Jumanji franchises.

Among the others, Skyscraper grossed $305m worldwide in 2018, and Central Intelligence grossed $217m.

Jungle Cruise ($221m in 2021) and Rampage ($428m in 2018) were respectively based on a Disney theme park ride and a videogame series. TV adaptation Baywatch delivered a relatively subtle $178m worldwide in 2017.

Directed by Jake Kasdan, Red One stars Johnson as the North Pole’s head of security, who hires a maverick bounty hunter (Chris Evans) to assist rescue Santa Claus (JK Simmons) after he is kidnapped. Lucy Liu also stars. 

‘Venom 3’ tops worldwide box office chart, hits $394m

Columbia Pictures’ Venom: The Last Dance added an estimated $49.2m globally at the weekend, taking the total to $394.2m. That divides as follows: $114.8m for North America and $279.4m for international, the latter including a very handy $82.8m in China.

Venom: The Last Dance is now the 10^th-biggest film of 2024 at the global box office, having overtaken Twisters ($371m) and Alien: Romulus ($351m). It will imminently overtake ninth-placed Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes ($397m) and eighth-placed Bad Boys: Ride Or Die ($404m). Disney/Pixar’s Inside Out 2 leads the global box office for 2024 with $1.70bn.

Also for Sony, Walter Salles’ Oscar contender I’m Still Here opened in Brazil with an estimated $1.3m, topping the country’s box office. It’s the third highest opening for a local title in Brazil so far this year.

I’m Still Here premiered at Venice Film Festival in early September, winning the Golden Osella for best screenplay. Sony Pictures Classics releases in North America on November 20.

‘Paddington In Peru’ crashes global top 5

Released so far only in its home market UK/Ireland, Studiocanal’s Paddington In Peru has landed in fifth place in Comscore’s worldwide weekend chart, with an estimated $12.3m. That compares with an estimated $11.0m launch for Lionsgate’s faith-flavoured festive comedy The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, which likewise opened in just one market at the weekend – but in a significantly bigger territory, North America. Chinese melodrama The Untold Story, newly released in China and topping the box office in the populous nation, began with an estimated $11.1m.

Paddington In Peru has opened bigger than both the first Paddington film from 2014 and 2017 sequel Paddington 2.

Studiocanal begins the international rollout of Paddington In Peru in its own markets in early January, while Sony releases in North America on January 17, and has other international markets (but not China, Japan or Russia).

Screen International will offer further analysis of the Paddington In Peru result in its UK & Ireland box office report later this morning. 

‘Heretic’ boosted by North America opening

The arrival of Heretic in North America via A24 saw the psychological thriller enter the worldwide box office chart in fourth place – with estimated global takings of $12.6m. North America – with an estimated $11.0m – did the weighty lifting on Heretic, and four international markets (including UK/Ireland via Entertainment Film) provided the balance. Global total is now $16.3m.

The film is written and directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, who co-wrote A Quiet Place with John Krasinski, and wrote and directed science fiction film 65.

With a contained setting and a production budget reported at under $10m, Heretic looks set for a profitable outcome. The pair’s 65 grossed $60.7m worldwide in 2023, from a production budget reported at $45m.

‘The Wild Robot’ cools after holiday surge

Universal’s The Wild Robot saw its box office decline at the weekend after previously enjoying a boost from school holidays in key international markets. The weekend delivered an estimated $9.0m across 80 international territories (down 49%) plus an estimated $6.7m for North America (down 11%).

Totals for the DreamWorks animation are respectively $161.6m and $130.9m, combining to deliver $292.5m worldwide.

In cumulative totals, Mexico leads the international pack on The Wild Robot with $19.1m – benefiting from now being in the seventh week of release. UK/Ireland, in the fourth week of release, has reached $16.5m.

The Wild Robot a while ago overtook one of its comp titles, DreamWorks’ The Bad Guys ($250.4m worldwide in 2022), and will soon push past another, Illumination’s Migration ($299.9m in 2023).