Wakanda Forever launched to $181 million in North America last weekend, a November. It was also the second-biggest box office debut of 2022 so far, behind Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness ($187.4 million).
A special-event screening of faith-based series The Chosen, chronicling the life of Jesus, is pulling off a major upset. Fathom Events, which is showing the first two episodes of season three in more than 2,000 theaters, is projecting a $10 million-plus weekend for a second-place finish after grossing $3.4 million on Friday. The Chosen is from Angel Studios, which streams the independent show on such platforms as Prime Video and Peacock, as well as on its special app.
The Menu
The Chosen beat new epicurean horror-comedy The Menu, which is opening in 3,211 theaters, the widest release in the history of specialty label Searchlight. The Menu, starring Ralph Fiennes, Anna Taylor-Joy and Nicholas Hoult, should serve up a respectable $9 million debut after grossing roughly $3.6 million on Friday.
In comparison, 65 percent of The Menu’s audience were between ages 17 and 34. The Searchlight film earned a B CinemaScore.
At the specialty box office, Bones and All is opening in five theaters for a projected screen average of nearly $28,000.
