Title: Gran Turismo Tops Box Office with Impressive Opening Weekend
In a surprising turn of events, Sony’s highly anticipated film adaptation of the popular video game Gran Turismo has taken the lead at the domestic box office, raking in an impressive $17.3 million in its opening weekend. Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Neill Blomkamp, the movie was originally scheduled to release on August 11 but was delayed due to an unforeseen actors’ strike and subsequent media prohibition.
To build anticipation among eager fans, Gran Turismo treated them to two weekends of sneak previews and exclusive fan screenings before its wider release on August 25. These early screenings proved to be a success, bringing in a remarkable $3.9 million, which is significantly higher than the average earnings from such previews.
If not for Gran Turismo’s strong start, Warner Bros. and Greta Gerwig’s Barbie would have claimed the top spot on the box office chart. Barbie, in its sixth weekend, earned an estimated $15.7 million but was revised to $17.1 million.
Internationally, Gran Turismo has also made a splash, earning an impressive $36.5 million from 61 markets, bringing its global total to a staggering $53.8 million. It’s worth noting that Barbie has been a true global sensation, amassing a remarkable $1.34 billion in worldwide earnings.
While Gran Turismo emerged victorious, DC’s Blue Beetle, in its second weekend, secured the third position with an estimated $12.8 million. However, it experienced a 49 percent decline in ticket sales compared to its opening weekend. Meanwhile, Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, distributed by Universal, continued to perform well, generating $9 million over the weekend and reaching a domestic total of $300 million. Impressively, this film has become Nolan’s third-highest-grossing release in the domestic box office.
Other films, such as Retribution, The Hill, and Golda, had more modest openings at the box office, catering to the niche audience of indie film lovers. However, MGM and Amazon’s Bottoms, a teen sex comedy, stood out with an impressive start, averaging a location gross of $51,600, making it the best-performing film since before the pandemic.
Moreover, high-profile rereleases, including Jurassic Park and American Graffiti, were strategically timed with National Cinema Day, attracting decent box office figures.
Industry analysts, however, caution that box office numbers might experience some shifts due to National Cinema Day, which offers reduced-price tickets on Sundays. Nevertheless, Gran Turismo’s success marks an exciting milestone for video game adaptations in the film industry, leaving fans eagerly awaiting the future of this genre.
“Social media scholar. Reader. Zombieaholic. Hardcore music maven. Web fanatic. Coffee practitioner. Explorer.”