Turns out the slasher film Barbarian and the Bollywood import Brahmāstra: Part One – Shiva were both underestimated. Both films are outperforming Saturday’s weekend estimates, with Barbarian now expected to top $10 million, while Brahmāstra is expected to gross $4.4 million. Despite the extra bucks, this weekend is still on track to be the second-lowest of the year, after the January 28-30 frame, when Spider-Man: No Way Home claimed the top spot.
Directed by Zach Cregger and starring Georgina Campbell, Bill Skarsgård and Justin Long, Barbarian made $3.8 million on Friday, on the back of solid reviews. Released via 20th Century Pictures, the film reportedly tested really well, which empowered the studio to give it a theatrical release, as opposed to dropping it on Hulu like the recent Prey. One wonders how that Predator prequel would have performed in theaters, especially if it was released in the last few weeks (which have been disappointingly dull).
With a C+ CinemaScore from opening day audiences, Barbarian will have to rely on strong word-of-mouth from its target demographic to deliver a solid multiplier in theaters. Earlier this year, the horror entries Scream and The Black Phone both finished with over $80 million at the domestic box office. The total business this weekend is estimated to be around $42 million, which isn’t anything to write home about.
But there’s more cause to celebrate for 20th Century Studios, which also debuted the $50 million Bollywood fantasy epic Brahmāstra in around 800 domestic theaters this weekend. Directed by Ayan Mukerji and starring real-life husband-wife pair Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt in the lead roles, Brahmāstra is now expected to finish the weekend with $4.4 million, up from the $3.6 million that was predicted yesterday. The film is also performing stupendously in its native land, where it has made nearly $9 million in two days. Brahmāstra is intended as the first part of a planned trilogy, and is expected to kick-start Bollywood’s own shared universe of superhero-inspired films that are rooted in Indian mythology. This is the fifth-largest debut for a Bollywood film stateside.
Sony’s Bullet Train took the third spot with $3.2 million, taking its running domestic total to a little over $92 million. Worldwide, the action picture starring Brad Pitt has passed $200 million. The fourth spot was claimed by the year’s biggest film, Top Gun: Maverick, which added a little over $3 million in its 16th week of release. The film has made over $705 million domestically, and is now the fifth-biggest domestic release ever. The top five was rounded out by the vampire film The Invitation, which added another $2.6 million to its domestic haul. The film’s running tally has now passed $18 million.
Next weekend is expected to bring some respite to the box office, with Viola Davis’ acclaimed Toronto title The Woman King expected to bring in between $13 million to $16 million in its debut weekend. The week after that, Olivia Wilde’s controversial Don’t Worry Darling is projected to hit $20 million in its opening weekend. Watch our interview with the Barbarian cast here, and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.