Tom Holland might be without his Spider-Man suit in ‘Uncharted,’ but his latest action-adventure is still doing good business at the North American box office, while also drawing in fans in the UAE.
The video game adaptation starring Holland and Mark Wahlberg is on its way to earning $51 million over the four-day Presidents Day weekend in the US, according to studio estimates Sunday. Sony Pictures estimated its three day grosses will be $44.2 million, putting it at No. 1.
Though not a superhero payday, it’s enough for the industry to breathe a sigh of relief as it’s the biggest opening weekend since ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home.’ The weekend’s other new opener in the US, ‘Dog’ found a modest audience too.
The unpredictability of pandemic-era audiences made ‘Uncharted’ a bit of a wild card, and the poor reviews from critics had some going into the weekend with cautious optimism. The Ruben Fleischer-directed pic, based on a PlayStation game, opened on 4,275 screens.
“This result is yet another extraordinary testament to the appetite for the theatrical experience that Sony Pictures bet on,” said Josh Greenstein, the president of Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, in a statement.
Sony also released the megahit ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ exclusively in theatres late last year. That Holland-led enterprise has now earned $771.7 million in North America and is the No. 3 domestic release of all time.
‘Uncharted’ does have a ways to go to make up its $120 million production budget, which will likely be heavily offset by overseas earnings. Its global total has already surpassed $100 million and, unlike ‘Spider-Man,’ ‘Uncharted’ will also get the benefit of a release in China, beginning March 14.
Channing Tatum’s ‘Dog,’ which he co-directed (with his longtime producing partner Reid Carolin) and stars in, also opened on 3,677 screens this weekend. United Artists estimates that it’ll earn $15.1 million for the weekend and $18.1 million including Monday. The movie, which opens this Thursday in the UAE, sees Tatum play an Army ranger tasked with driving a traumatised military dog from Oregon to Arizona for her handler’s funeral in the film, which was received well by critics and audiences. Plus, it only cost around $15 million to make.
