Sony’s venture into R-rated comic book territory with Kraven the Hunter has resulted in a disappointing $11 million domestic opening weekend, marking the lowest debut for any Sony-produced Marvel film to date. The $110 million action-thriller, starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, managed only $26 million globally, with international markets contributing $15 million across 60 territories.
The film, which faced multiple release delays and budget increases due to pandemic and strike-related issues, failed to connect with both critics and audiences, earning poor reviews and a C CinemaScore. Despite Sony’s attempts to position it as an action film in the vein of John Wick rather than a traditional superhero movie, Kraven represents another setback for the studio’s Spider-Man universe following the underwhelming performance of Madame Web.
Meanwhile, the holiday season’s major releases continue to demonstrate strong staying power. Disney Animation’s Moana 2 maintained its box office dominance for a third consecutive weekend with $26.6 million domestically, pushing its global total beyond $717 million as it approaches the billion-dollar milestone. Wicked secured second place, adding $22.5 million to its domestic earnings and surpassing $500 million worldwide.
The weekend’s other new wide release, the animated The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, opened modestly with approximately $5 million domestically and $10.3 million globally. Gladiator II continued its successful run, approaching $400 million in worldwide earnings with particularly strong international performance.
Special releases and awards contenders also made their mark, with Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar IMAX rerelease earning $3.3 million. In the specialty market, A24’s Queer expanded to 460 theaters, while new releases Nickel Boys and September 5 showed promise in limited runs.
Overall box office revenues showed a 16 percent increase compared to the same period last year, driven by the continued success of the season’s major releases.
