Audiences are ponying up for “Magic Mike’s Last Dance,” which is projected to lead a quiet Super Bowl weekend at the domestic box office.
The third “Magic Mike” entry earned roughly $4.1 million in opening day and Thursday preview screenings, with industry sources projecting a debut around $8 million. Warner Bros. itself isn’t reporting numbers.
There are a few question marks surrounding the debut of “Magic Mike’s Last Dance,” which is receiving a limited release in 1,500 North American locations. Though the film was commissioned for an HBO Max release, Warner Bros. swerved to go theatrical — the studio did the same for its comedy remake “House Party” in January, which also opened in less than 2,000 theaters and has earned a slim $8.8 million.
While “Last Dance” is making a bigger splash than “House Party,” it’ll finish with an opening down from the 2012 original ($39.1 million) and 2015 sequel “Magic Mike XXL” ($12.8 million three-day, $27 million five-day holiday weekend). Critical consensus is that the film marks a series low, landing a 39% approval rating from top critics on review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes.
Helmed by original “Magic Mike” director Steven Soderbergh, “Last Dance” catches up with the now-retired male entertainer Mike (Tatum), who travels to London to help a socialite (Salma Hayek Pinault) produce a strip-tease stage play. In addition to Tatum and Hayek Pinault, “Magic Mike 3” also stars Ayub Khan Din, Jemelia George, Juliette Motamed, Vicki Pepperdine, Gavin Spokes, Alan Cox, Caitlin Gerard and Christopher Bencomo.
Though it’s the only new film in wide release this weekend, “Last Dance” is seeing stiff competition for No. 1, as nothing is projected to earn more than seven figures this weekend.
Paramount’s 3D re-release of “Titanic” looks to slot in fourth place, projecting $6.1 million from 2,464 locations. James Cameron’s historical romance is back in theaters to commemorate its 25th anniversary (which was technically last year, though the anniversary of its legendary Oscars night is fast approaching).
Cameron is staying ahead of himself, with his sci-fi epic “Avatar: The Way of Water” projected to land in second place. The film looks to add $7.1 million in its ninth weekend, boosting its domestic tally to $647 million. Next to topple in the all-time domestic record books is the ninth place “Jurassic World” ($652 million).
Paramount’s “80 for Brady” is aiming for third place, projecting a 50% drop for a $6.3 million second weekend. The comedy is still selling tickets at matinee prices and looks to bump its domestic gross to $25 million through Sunday.
“Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” looks to round out the top five, dropping a slim 31% to bump its domestic gross to $158 million. The DreamWorks spinoff had a dicey debut over the holidays but has proven to have quite the staying power through 2023.