Disney took home the ring at this year’s Super Bowl box office, with 20th Century’s acclaimed Send Help staying atop the domestic chart in its second outing with $10 million despite a crowded pack of new indie films — not to mention the NFL championship game itself and bitterly cold weather on the East Coast.
Directed by Sam Raimi, the darkly comic horror-thriller Send Help stars Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien as co-workers stranded on a desert island. The $40 million movie has grossed $35.8 million in its first 10 days domestically and $17.9 million at the foreign box office for a global haul of $53.7 million against a modest net budget of $40 million before marketing.
That’s not all the the studio had to celebrate. The Oscar-nominated Zootopia 2 is now the fifth top-grossing Hollywood title of all time at the international box office after passing up Avengers: Infinity War ($1.374 billion), while Avatar: Fire & Ash has moved up to No. 11 on the same list after edging out Inside Out 2 ($1.046 billion). Zootopia 2 was already No. 8 on the list of the top global releases of all time, not adjusted for inflation.
Angel Studios‘ feel-good rom-com, starring Kevin James, Solo Mio opened in second place with $7.2 million, while indie sensation Iron Lung gained yardage in its sophomore outing despite falling a steep 67 percent.
From Mark Fischbach (aka Markiplier) of YouTube gaming fame, the film came in third with $6 million for a 10-day cume of $31 million. That’s a huge win for a self-distributed title that reportedly cost $3 million to make. His calling card when figuring out how to book cinemas? Millions of YouTube fans he could deliver to fill seats. The film, helmed by Fischbach in his directorial debut, is based on the submarine simulation horror game of the same name that was developed and published by David Szymanski, who helped with the film’s screenplay and makes a cameo.
Stray Kids: The dominATE Experience, the latest K-pop concert pic to take to the big screen, launched in fourth place with an estimated $5.7 million. Distributed by by Bleecker Street and Crosswalk domestically, the Live Nation-produced film combines footage from the boy band’s Los Angeles show at SoFi Stadium and behind-the-scenes material. Overseas, where Universal International is handling the film, Stray Kids grossed $5.6 million for an early total of $18.8 million again a modest budget.
Vertical’s Luc Besson-directed Dracula rounded out the top five in launching to $4.5 million, the best showing to date for the newbie distributor.
Zootopia 2 earned $4 million domestically for a sixth-place finish and pushing its global total to $1.8 billion. Avatar 3, sporting a global haul of $1.4 billion to date, is in a tie for seventh-place with Lionsgate’s The Strangers: Chapter 3, which is likewise reporting a weekend gross of $3.4 million in its debut. Monday actuals will determine the correct order.
Jason Statham’s troubled action pic Shelter edged out First Lady Melania Trump’s documentary, Melania, with an estimated $2.45 for a sluggish 10-day domestic total just south of $10 million. The picture is somewhat better when accounting for Shelter‘s run overseas, where its early total is $6.6 million for a global cume of $16.8. (So far, Melania isn’t releasing grosses for the more than 20 countries where it is playing.)
Just as it started off ahead of expectations in the U.S., Melania fell more than expected it is sophomore outing, tumbling 67 percent to $2.37 million for a domestic tally of $13.4 million. That’s the same drop as Iron Lung, an indication that both are fan-fronted properties — both endured the biggest drops of any release in the top 10 — and may have trouble crossing over. (That’s of no concern to Iron Lung, considering its budget.)
Team Melania has not held back in billing the pic, directed by Brett Ratner, as the most expensive documentary in history. In early 2025, Amazon MGM Studios beat out other studios in paying $40 million for global rights to the film, both theatrical and streaming (the pact also includes additional material that will be seen on Amazon’s Prime Video). (The first lady has said more than once how important a theatrical release was to her.) On top of that, there was $35 million spent on a global campaign.
Amazon MGM says Melania is both a win theatrically and tipped to draw huge viewership on the Prime Video streaming service (one insider suggest the streaming value far outweighed theatrical when deciding whether to make the deal).
“Together, theatrical and streaming represent two distinct value creating moments that amplify the film’s overall impact. Audience response is already validating this approach, with exit data showing strong intent to rewatch on Prime Video and meaningful interest in the forthcoming docuseries,” says Kevin Wilson, Amazon MGM’s head of domestic distribution says. “That interest is further amplified by the theatrical marketing halo we consistently see drive increased awareness and viewership once films launch on Prime Video, reinforcing long-term value across the movie’s entire lifecycle.”
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