Emerging from its third weekend in theaters, Zach Cregger’s Weapons is maintaining its hold on the box office as it hits a major global milestone. The director’s Barbarian follow-up about a small town rocked by the disappearance of 17 children, all from the same classroom, has achieved immense critical and commercial success, a huge victory for the horror genre overall.
Admittedly, Weapons was overtaken by KPop Demon Hunters’ theatrical release, which has the advantages of a mᴀssive fanbase from its record-breaking Netflix run and a PG rating. However, when it is judged on its own terms, it is clear that there is no stopping Weapons either.
According to Warner Bros., Weapons grossed an additional $1.9 million overseas on Monday, bringing the horror movie’s international gross to a total of $86.9 million. This is also only a 38% drop from last week. Weapons’ worldwide total is now $204.1 million, on an estimated budget of $38 million.
What This Box Office Achievement Means For Weapons
Last week, when Weapons hit a major milestone in under three weeks, the movie’s ability to continuously bring in large audiences was the biggest story. While it is typically expected that horror movies will drop by 50% or more in their second weekend, and everyone was astounded earlier this year by Sinners’ 6%, Weapons is maintaining moderate incremental drops each week.
While Weapons dropped off 36% domestically in its third weekend, it hit the $200 million global milestone, a significant achievement for a small-budget, R-rated horror. It has also clearly broken even and is actually making money, as it is generally ᴀssumed that a movie needs to make 2.5 times its budget to be a box office success.
Our Take On Weapons’ Latest Box Office Milestone
However, I also think it’s clear at this point, for those who were still comparing the two biggest victories for the horror genre this year, that Sinners will end up with a higher final gross, having earned over $230 million by its third weekend. But Weapons has clearly become a runaway hit in its own right, and from here on out, we are just seeing how far it can go.
I’m curious to see if Weapons will be able to make it to $300 million by the end of its theatrical run, which may be a tall order as things will start slowing down, and new releases will occupy audiences’ time. It is also likely to become a mᴀssive streaming phenomenon in the coming months when it is so tempting to watch it again and again, discovering something new each time.