Tom Holland does it again: ‘Uncharted’ tops US box-office in 1st weekend

Los Angeles, Feb. 20 (IANS): Hollywood star Tom Holland has taken his game a notch higher this time with his latest release ‘Uncharted’, which has earned USD 45 million over the four-day Presidents’ Day weekend — a tally that would notch it as the biggest theatrical opening of 2022 so far.

Sony Pictures’ ‘Uncharted’ earned USD 15.4 million on Friday from 4,275 locations, setting itself up for a Number 1 debut.

The Tom Holland vehicle marks the box-office’s biggest opening since the star’s last film, ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’, which dominated the holiday season to become the third highest-grossing domestic film release in history, reports variety.com.

After anchoring a Marvel trilogy, ‘Uncharted’ is seen as a test of Holland’s box office appeal outside of spandex. The film marks his first starring role in a non-Marvel theatrical blockbuster, apart from last spring’s ‘Chaos Walking’, which sat on Lionsgate’s shelf for years and hardly made any noise in the middle of a pandemic.

A USD 45 million four-day gross would be a more-than-healthy indicator of Holland’s bankability, though ‘Uncharted’ will still rely on overseas grosses to recoup its USD 120 million production budget.

Directed by ‘Zombieland’ duology helmer Ruben Fleischer, ‘Uncharted’ stars Holland as treasure hunter Nathan Drake.

The rest of the cast includes Mark Wahlberg, Sophia Ali and Antonio Banderas. They get up to some antics on their adventure. The film has been met with largely negative reviews from critics, turning in a 39 per cent score on the critical aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences have been more receptive; the film scored a “B+” CinemaScore rating, indicating general approval from ticket buyers.

Channing Tatum’s ‘Dog’ took in USD 5.044 million on Friday from 3,677 locations, putting it on the path to a second place opening at the box office. With a production budget of USD 15 million, that’s a very solid start for the buddy comedy.

‘Dog’ represents Tatum’s first time anchoring a wide release since 2017’s ensemble comedy ‘Logan Lucky’. After some years away from the spotlight, the actor’s box office appeal has endured. That should be good news for Paramount’s ‘The Lost City’, which stars Tatum and Sandra Bullock and releases in March.

‘Dog’ comes from Metro Goldwyn Mayer in association with FilmNation Entertainment and serves as the feature directorial debut for Tatum and his longtime producing partner Reid Carolin. The movie follows retired Army Ranger Briggs (Tatum) and Lulu (a dog) on a road trip to a military funeral. They get up to some antics on their adventure.

What’s ranking behind “Dog” at the box office? Even more Tom Holland. Sony’s ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ should secure third in its umpteenth weekend, with Sony projecting a USD 9.1 million gross over the holiday weekend.

‘Death on the Nile’ took in USD 1.7 million on Friday, representing a 65 per cent drop from its opening day last week. The film should expand its domestic gross past USD 26 million over the holiday weekend — a pretty meagre sum considering the film’s reported USD 90 million production budget.

‘Jackass Forever’ with a projected USD 6.15 million gross for the holiday weekend. The slapstick docu comedy will be pushing a USD 50 million domestic cume by Tuesday, which far outweighs its modest USD 10 million production budget.