From Brad Pitt To Toothless: This Weekend’s Box Office Winners – Hollywood Outbreak

What a wild ride at the movies this weekend. Audiences really had their pick: from high-octane racing thrills to a long-awaited horror comeback, and even an animated trip into deep space. Some films totally crushed it, while others, well, they definitely found themselves stuck in a bit of a cinematic ditch. Let’s unbuckle and dive straight into the top five, shall we?

Taking pole position, no surprise, is F1, that massive racing drama starring Brad Pitt. This movie absolutely blew past expectations with a $55.6 million domestic debut, honestly landing right where it needed to be. For an adult-focused film that’s not some pre-existing franchise in today’s IP-obsessed world, that’s a huge win! With critics loving it and audiences giving it a solid “A” CinemaScore, it’s clear the super-fast action and Pitt‘s undeniable star power were a winning combo. Joseph Kosinski, who gave us Top Gun: Maverick, clearly worked his magic again, and F1 really cashed in on premium formats like IMAX, which drove a ton of those ticket sales. This is a pretty big moment for Apple, too, considering they bankrolled the nearly $250 million spectacle – it’s their most serious shot yet at a genuine, all-audiences blockbuster.

Now, sliding into second place after two weeks dominating the charts is Universal’s live-action How to Train Your Dragon. It added a cool $19.4 million, pushing its North American total comfortably over the $200 million mark, and its global tally? A stunning $454.5 million! It just goes to show, Hiccup and Toothless still totally connect with viewers. Some stories are just ageless, aren’t they, whether they’re animated or brought to life with real actors.

Down in third, Pixar’s latest original story, Elio, debuted last week in what felt like an unbelievably crowded market. The idea of a little kid in a cosmic leadership role certainly sounded charming, and critics and families seemed to dig it. But man, it just stumbled in with only $10.7 million domestically. This really highlights a trend we’ve been seeing: original animated movies just have a tough time finding their footing these days. That said, Elio did get strong reviews and “A”-level family film scores, so maybe, just maybe, it can build momentum later on, kind of like Elemental surprisingly did.

Then there’s the much-hyped horror sequel, Universal and Blumhouse’s M3GAN 2.0, which kind of tiptoed into fourth place with $10.2 million. Look, it’s not a terrible start for a modestly budgeted thriller, but honestly, those ticket sales are a massive drop from the original M3GAN’s explosive premiere. Even with a slightly better “B+” CinemaScore, the lukewarm attendance pretty much suggests that the murderous AI doll, with her infamous dancing, was more of a viral, one-off sensation than the foundation for a long-running horror dynasty. Maybe the world just wasn’t ready for more of her moves?

Finally, rounding out our top five, we’ve got Sony’s zombie thriller 28 Years Later. And wow, did it take a brutal dive in its second weekend, pulling in just $9.7 million—a crushing 68% decrease from its debut! Director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland did return to their beloved, terrifying world, and critics largely embraced that R-rated intensity. But, and this is a big “but,” audience reactions were, well, way more mixed. While it certainly sparked plenty of post-movie debates, that divisiveness clearly impacted its staying power at the box office. Seems like not everyone was ready for another zombie apocalypse.