Weekend Box Office: Winners and Losers | September 19-21

The domestic box office tells a new story every weekend, revealing which films captured the public’s imagination and which ones failed to launch. This past weekend offered a fascinating snapshot of current audience tastes, with an anime behemoth holding its ground against new Hollywood releases. The results produced clear victors and some surprising disappointments, highlighting ongoing trends in the film industry.

This article breaks down the weekend box office winners and losers, analyzing the key numbers, audience reception, and market trends that defined the cinematic landscape. From record-breaking anime to star-powered stumbles, here’s who came out on top and who missed the mark.

Winner: ‘Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle’ Continues Its Reign

Even with a significant drop in its second weekend, the anime blockbuster Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle proved its staying power by once again claiming the #1 spot. The film, distributed by Sony and Crunchyroll, brought in an estimated $17.3 million. While this represents a steep 75% decline from its record-shattering opening, it was more than enough to fend off the competition.

The film’s continued success is a testament to the massive, dedicated fanbase of the Demon Slayer franchise. With a domestic total now exceeding $104 million, it has officially become the highest-grossing anime film in North American box office history. Its global performance is even more staggering, with a worldwide total of over $555 million, making it one of the biggest films of the year. This performance solidifies the trend of anime features becoming major theatrical events that can compete with, and even surpass, traditional Hollywood blockbusters.

Loser: ‘A Big Bold Beautiful Journey’ Fails to Find Its Audience

Perhaps the most significant disappointment of the weekend was the performance of A Big Bold Beautiful Journey. Despite starring two of Hollywood’s biggest names, Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell, the romantic fantasy landed with a thud, debuting in sixth place with a meager $3.5 million.

This was a particularly tough result for Robbie, as it marks her first major starring role since the cultural and financial phenomenon of Barbie two years prior. The film’s weak opening has been attributed to several factors:

• Tepid Reviews: The film failed to connect with critics, earning a low 37% on Rotten Tomatoes.
• Poor Audience Reception: Moviegoers seemed equally unimpressed, giving the film a “B-” CinemaScore. This kind of word-of-mouth makes it difficult for a film to build momentum after its opening weekend.
• A Challenging Genre: Original, high-concept romantic fantasies can be a tough sell for mainstream audiences without overwhelmingly positive buzz.

The film’s underperformance is a stark reminder that star power alone is no longer a guarantee of box office success, especially when the project itself doesn’t resonate with viewers.

Mixed Results: ‘Him’ Debuts at Number Two

Universal’s new sports-horror film, Him, produced by Jordan Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions, secured the second-place spot with a $13.5 million opening. While a #2 debut is respectable, the figure fell short of initial industry projections, which had ranged from $15 million to $20 million.

Starring Marlon Wayans, the film follows a promising quarterback prospect who enters a Faustian bargain with an aging football legend. The movie’s performance can be seen as a mixed bag:

• The Winner Aspect: It successfully opened as the top new release of the weekend and found a solid audience, particularly among diverse demographics.
• The Loser Aspect: The film was hampered by poor critical reviews (28% on Rotten Tomatoes) and a discouraging “C-” CinemaScore from audiences. This suggests the film may struggle to have strong legs in the coming weeks, as negative word-of-mouth could deter potential viewers.

Ultimately, Him serves as another example that having a well-known producer like Jordan Peele attached to a project doesn’t automatically translate to the same level of critical or commercial success as his directorial efforts.

Notable Holdovers: Horror Continues to Thrive

Beyond the new releases, the weekend box office showed the continued strength of the horror genre. The Conjuring: The Last Rites demonstrated impressive staying power in its third weekend. The film dropped only 49% to earn another $12.95 million, landing it in third place. With a domestic total now over $151 million, it has become the highest-grossing film in The Conjuring franchise, proving that audience appetite for well-made supernatural horror remains strong.

Rounding out the top five were Lionsgate’s Stephen King adaptation The Long Walk ($6.3 million) and Focus Features’ Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale ($6.3 million), showing that both genre fare and established comfort-viewing franchises can still find their place in the market.

This Weekend’s Box Office Winners and Losers

Rank	Film	Weekend Gross	Total Domestic	Analysis
1	Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle	$17.3 Million	$104.7 Million	Winner: Despite a steep drop, it held the #1 spot and continues its historic run, proving the immense power of the anime market.
2	Him	$13.5 Million	$13.5 Million	Mixed: A solid #2 opening for a new horror film, but poor audience scores and reviews suggest it may have a short theatrical life.
3	The Conjuring: Last Rites	$12.95 Million	$151.1 Million	Winner: Excellent hold in its third weekend, officially becoming the highest-grossing film in its franchise.
4	Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale	$6.3 Million	$31.6 Million	Mixed: A significant drop from its opening, but still performing adequately for its target demographic.
5	The Long Walk	$6.3 Million	$22.7 Million	Winner: Another solid hold for a genre film, demonstrating steady interest from its core audience.
6	A Big Bold Beautiful Journey	$3.5 Million	$3.5 Million	Loser: A major box office bomb despite its A-list stars, proving that star power isn’t everything.

This weekend’s results paint a clear picture of the current theatrical landscape. Established franchises and globally recognized brands like Demon Slayer and The Conjuring continue to dominate, while original, star-driven projects like A Big Bold Beautiful Journey face an uphill battle without strong critical and audience support. As the box office continues to evolve, the ability to generate genuine excitement and positive word-of-mouth is proving to be the most valuable asset a film can have.