Two very different movies are facing off this week at the box office: the football thriller “Him” and the romance drama “A Big Bold Beautiful Journey.”
Universal’s “Him,” starring Marlon Wayans as an aging quarterback, is expected to go the distance with $15 million to $18 million in its first weekend at the box office. So far, it’s made $2 million in Thursday previews. Sony’s “A Big Bold Beautiful Journey,” starring Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell, is projected to make between $8 million and $10 million this weekend; it made $400,000 in Thursday previews.
However, “Him” and “A Big Bold Beautiful Journey” are playing for second place behind last week’s surprise box office hit, Sony’s anime “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle.” The Sony-owned Crunchyroll action adventure exceeded expectations last week and made $70 million domestically in its opening, shattering the record for an anime movie. The previous best box office opening for an anime movie was back in 1999 when “Pokémon: The First Movie” launched to $31 million. During its second weekend, “Demon Slayer” is on track to make $21 million to $25 million.
“Him,” directed by Justin Tipping and produced by horror maestro Jordan Peele, only cost $27 million to make, so it won’t need much to turn a profit. It follows an up-and-coming quarterback (played by Tyriq Withers) who studies under the questionable mentorship of his football idol (Wayans). The movie also stars Julia Fox, Tim Heidecker and more.
“A Big Bold Beautiful Journey,” directed by Kogonada, follows an unexpected love story between Robbie and Farrell’s characters, who begin as strangers then have their lives strongly intertwined. The romantic fantasy also stars Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Kevin Kline, Lily Rabe, Jodie Turner-Smith, Billy Magnussen and more.
