Warner Bros.’ “Barbie” and Universal Pictures’ “Oppenheimer” continued to dominate the domestic box office this weekend as Disney’s “Haunted Mansion” crept into third place, according to estimates from measurement firm Comscore.
“Barbie” clinched the No. 1 spot again, adding $93 million in its second frame for a North American cumulative of $351.4 million. The feminist comedy sustained a 43% drop in ticket sales from last week.
“Oppenheimer” stayed in second place, grossing $46.2 million in its sophomore outing for a North American total of $174.1 million. The historical drama experienced a 44% decline in ticket sales from last week.
Rounding out the top three was “Haunted Mansion,” which scared up $24.2 million in its opening weekend. That’s about $1 million less than Disney’s previous attempt at a “Haunted Mansion” picture earned when it opened in 2003 — not adjusting for inflation.
The spooky revival matched early projections ranging from $20 million to $30 million domestically. Internationally, the fantasy film earned $9 million for a global cumulative of $33 million.
Directed by Justin Simien, “Haunted Mansion” stars Rosario Dawson and Chase W. Dillon as a mother and son who recruit a ragtag team of ghostbusters to help them expel myriad supernatural terrors from their home. The movie’s ensemble cast also features LaKeith Stanfield, Tiffany Haddish, Owen Wilson, Danny DeVito, Dan Levy, Jared Leto and Jamie Lee Curtis.
Disney’s latest adaptation of the classic Disneyland ride of the same name received a lackluster 41% rotten rating on review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes and a B-plus grade from audiences polled by CinemaScore.
“‘Haunted Mansion’ isn’t as much of a digital Disney-ride-inspired eyesore as 2021’s ‘Jungle Cruise,’ mainly because all this cheesily computer-generated ectoplasm is more or less in keeping with the (ahem) spirit of the proceedings,” writes Times film critic Justin Chang.
“But because no effort has been expended to make any of this even remotely scary — there are only so many times you can watch Stanfield dodge a flying CGI axe — you might at least hope for a belly laugh or two, or at least a few decent jokes.”
It’s worth noting that “Haunted Mansion” was among the first mainstream titles to be affected by the SAG-AFTRA strike in the weeks leading up to its release. The stars of the film skipped its Disneyland premiere and haven’t promoted it since the strike went into effect July 14.
Opening in wide release next week are Paramount Pictures’ “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” and Warner Bros.’ “Meg 2: The Trench.”
