Super Bowl weekend box office: Magic Mike’s Last Dance emerges as a winner

North American moviegoing tends to come to a halt on Super Bowl Sunday and studios react strategically, often releasing films that are more “female-targeted.” Star Channing Tatum has also had several films perform well in the Super Bowl/Valentine’s Day corridor, including The Vow, Dear John and Dog.

“This is not known as a spike for theaters. But there are people who want to go to theaters, even on Super Bowl weekend,” said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore. “And this is perfect counterprogramming.”

Magic Mike’s Last Dance, which brought Steven Soderbergh back to the director’s chair, was given a modest theatrical release in only 1,500 theaters. The film starring Tatum as the lovable male stripper and introducing a wealthy benefactor played by Salma Hayek, was made to go straight to HBO Max. But like the House Party reboot from several weeks ago, Warner Bros. pivoted and decided to go theatrical first with both in a company effort to refocus on the theatrical experience and give fresh fare to exhibitors.

The Magic Mike franchise has been a profitable one. In 2012, the first film opened to some $39.1 million from just under 4,000 theaters, on its way to earning $167.3 million globally (against a $7 million production budget). The second, XXL, was made for slightly more ($14 million) and took in slightly less ($122.5 million) in 2015. The success of the films also spawned a Las Vegas stage show that has since expanded to Miami and London – in the lead up to the release of Last Dance, ticket sales for Magic Mike Live spiked too.

This latest installment reportedly carried a much bigger production budget, around $40 million, according to entertainment trades.

Avatar: The Way of Water in its ninth weekend added $25.8 million globally, bringing its total earnings to $2.2 billion, holding its spot as the 4th biggest movie release ever but closing in on Titanic.

Titanic was rereleased in 2,464 domestic locations this weekend, with Paramount handling the North American release and The Walt Disney Co. on the international rollout in 51 territories. All told the film earned $22.3 million globally, with $2 million of that from IMAX screens. Titanic has now earned an estimated $2.2 billion globally, maintaining its title as the third biggest movie of all time.

In fourth place was the Super Bowl-themed 80 for Brady, in its second weekend, with $6 million. The Paramount release has made just under $25 million so far. M. Night Shyamalan’s Knock at the Cabin, a Universal release, rounded out the top five with $5.5 million.

“Super Bowl weekend is typically slow for theaters, and this one is no exception, but help is on the way with Ant-Man,” Dergarabedian said. “It’ll start a chain reaction that should carry throughout the whole year.”

The Marvel/Disney film Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania opens in theaters on Feb. 17.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at US and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore, with Wednesday through Sunday in parentheses. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

1. Magic Mike’s Last Dance, $8.2 million.

2. Avatar: The Way of Water, $6.9 million.

3. Titanic, $6.4 million.

4. 80 for Brady, $6 million.

5. Knock at the Cabin, $5.5 million.

6. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, $5.5 million.

7. A Man Called Otto, $2.6 million.

8. Missing, $2.6 million.

9. M3GAN, $2.4 million.

10. Plane, $1.2 million.