While Marvel’s Thor fourquel has an easy path to remain the weekend’s top release, the superhero movie has been taking a big dip since its opening. “Love and Thunder” added $13.8 million on its second Friday, down about 80% from its opening day. That’s a hair stronger than Marvel’s most recent releases “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” (down 81% on its second Friday) and “Spider-Man: No Way Home” (down 84%), but it’s steeper side for the studio, especially compared to its predecessor “Thor: Ragnarok,” which dropped 60% on its second Friday. Some industry projections have “Love and Thunder” grossing $45 million from 4,375 locations in its second weekend, falling short of initial estimates for a $55 million sophomore. The film is expected to extend its domestic take past $230 million through the weekend, already marking it as the sixth-highest-grossing domestic release of 2022 so far. Even allowing for the slight underperformance, those numbers are nothing to sneeze at. Directed by “Ragnarok” director Taika Waititi, the fourth solo installment in Thor’s Marvel journey stars Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Christian Bale, Tessa Thompson, Jaimie Alexander and Russell Crowe. Sony’s “Where the Crawdads Sing,” the feature adaptation of the popular murder mystery novel, is expected to take in $15 million to $16 million from 3,650 locations in its opening weekend. It’s quite a debut for a female drama with a modest production budget of $24 million. Additionally, “Crawdads” is beating initial industry projections, which had pegged the adaptation for a $10 million opening heading into the weekend. The film appears to be at number three on the domestic charts. Produced by Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine, “Where the Crawdads Sing” follows Kya (Daisy Edgar-Jones), an outcast living in the swamps of North Carolina who finds herself at the center of a murder investigation. Critics were largely dismissive of the film, which has earned a 38% score on Rotten Tomatoes from top critics. However, Variety’s chief film critic Owen Gleiberman praised “Crawdads,” saying that “it’s at once a mystery, a romance, a nature-set daydream filled with trees and hanging moss, and a parable of female power and of independence in a world crushed by male will.” Audiences were also receptive, with the film receiving an “A-” grade from research firm Cinema Score, indicating consistent acceptance among general moviegoers. Paramount’s “Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank” isn’t making much of a splash. The animated release debuts outside the top five with a projected opening of $6.2 million from 3,475 locations. The film faces stiff competition for family audiences from Universal’s “Minions: The Rise of Gru” and Marvel’s “Thor,” which remain hot multiplex releases. The family-friendly film “Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank” is loosely based on Mel Brooks’ landmark 1974 comedy “Blazing Saddles,” trading cowboys for samurai and racial tensions for dog-vs.-cat antics. The story follows a beagle, voiced by Michael Cera, who becomes the swordsman protector of a feline town. The film also features the voices of Samuel L. Jackson, Ricky Gervais, Michelle Yeoh and Brooks. The original release date for “Paws of Fury” was April 2017. Needless to say, it’s been a long road for the film, which was slated to be a Sony production before moving to Open Road. Now, “Paws of Fury” is released by Paramount. It’s easy to imagine that many involved are relieved to put the troubled production in the mirror. And with an “A-” grade from CinemaScore, it looks like they’ve put at least a few smiles on people’s faces along the way. Universal’s “Minions: The Rise of Gru” looks set to repeat in second place. The animated spinoff looks to add $25.3 million in its third weekend, down only 45% from its sophomore outing. “The Rise of Gru” is currently the fifth-highest-grossing film of 2022. It should extend its domestic take past $260 million by the weekend. Paramount’s “Top Gun: Maverick” scores yet another impressive position at the box office. The Tom Cruise sequel looks set to drop 24% in its eighth weekend, adding $11.7 million to its domestic tally. With $609 million in domestic ticket sales to its name, “Maverick” is now closing in on the top 10 of all time at the North American box office. The film could potentially surpass Disney’s “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” ($620 million gross) and Marvel’s “The Avengers” ($623 million gross) in the near future. “Elvis” should round out the top five at the box office. The Warner Bros. release added $2.3 million on Friday, down just 32% from the previous week. The Baz Luhrmann-directed biopic surpassed $100 million domestically this week — an impressive result for a drama aimed squarely at a larger audience. Focus Features’ “Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris” also hit theaters this weekend with a semi-wide release. The feature adaptation of Paul Gallico’s 1958 novel appears to have earned a modest $1.74 million from 980 theaters in its opening, which works out to about $1,776 per location. The Lesley Manville vehicle looks set to land at number ten in the domestic charts.
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