In Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters, main character Rumi sings about how she and her fellow singers are “goin’ up, up, up.”
Turns out, she was right.
The release, originally a surprise hit on Netflix, took to theaters this week, slicing and singing its way to a first-place win at the box office. It earned $18 million in the United States. Such a placing would be a shock for any film that had already spent over a month on a streaming service. But for those paying attention, that success was foreshadowed by the film’s soundtrack likewise dominating the Billboard Hot 100. As of today, three of its songs sit comfortably in the top 10. A couple of weeks ago, the movie’s pivotal track “Golden” (performed by fictional girl group Huntr/x) claimed the top spot—the first all-female group to do so since Destiny’s Child in 2001. As someone who has no strong opinions about K-Pop but was relatively surprised at the movie’s strong messages, I personally think the success is well deserved.
Plus, it’s a little poetically fitting that demon hunters are the ones who snatched victory away from the horror film Weapons, which fell to second place this week following two consecutive first-place showings. Weapons kidnapped $15.6 million from North American audiences, which brings its domestic cume to $115.9 million. Its worldwide total rests at $199.4 million.
Freakier Friday, meanwhile, swapped from second place to third this weekend. It earned $9.2 million, raising its domestic earnings to $70.5 million. Worldwide, the film currently sits at $113.3 million.
As it heads into its fifth week since release, The Fantastic Four: First Steps maintains its spot in fourth place. (That’s one place per member!) This weekend, it stretched an additional $5.9 million out of American pockets. That brings its total earnings stateside to $257.3 million. Around the globe, the movie has clobbered $490 million from moviegoers. It’s a nice paycheck for most, but for a Marvel film, the relatively low number signals storm clouds for the MCU.
Fifth place goes to The Bad Guys 2, which likewise maintained its spot from last week. The animated sequel snatched $5.1 million domestically ($66.2 million total). Combining its international earnings brings The Bad Guys’ criminal payout to $149.1 million.
Looking down the list, the whistleblowing Relay broke into the box office at ninth with $1.9 million. Meanwhile, Eden hoped to find a bit of paradise in the box office. Instead, it only found 14th place. It scrounged up $1.1 million.
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