Disney’s Live-Action Film Struggles in Second Weekend as Jason Statham Thriller Surprises
David Ayer’s blue-collar action drama A Working Man has stunned Hollywood with an unexpected $15.2 million domestic opening from 3,262 theaters, overtaking Snow White, which collected $14.2 million from 4,200 locations. The surprising upset reflects a growing trend of middle-America-driven box office successes.
‘Snow White’ Continues to Struggle
Disney’s Snow White suffered a steep 66% decline in its second weekend, bringing its total domestic gross to a muted $66.8 million and global earnings to $143.1 million. The live-action adaptation has been plagued by negative word-of-mouth and controversy surrounding its lead star, Rachel Zegler.
Despite the poor performance, Disney remains hopeful, citing upcoming spring breaks as a potential boost. However, with production and marketing costs reaching approximately $370 million, Snow White is now officially in “bomb” territory.
A Win for Amazon MGM Studios
The unexpected success of A Working Man marks a symbolic victory for Amazon MGM Studios, which recently saw the ouster of studio head Jennifer Salke. The company is in a transformative phase, aiming to establish itself as a major Hollywood powerhouse following its acquisition of the James Bond franchise.
Directed by David Ayer and co-written with Sylvester Stallone, A Working Man is an adaptation of Chuck Dixon’s novel Levon’s Trade. The film stars Jason Statham, Jason Flemyng, Merab Ninidze, Maximilian Osinski, Cokey Falkow, Michael Peña, and David Harbour. Statham portrays a former black ops veteran who must rescue his boss’ daughter from human traffickers, uncovering a deep web of corruption in the process.
Other Box Office Performances
Beyond the A Working Man and Snow White showdown, several other films made notable debuts:
- The Chosen: The Last Supper (Part One) opened with a solid $11.5 million from 2,234 theaters, landing in third place.
- Universal and Blumhouse’s horror-thriller The Woman in the Yard secured fourth place with a respectable $9.5 million from 3,050 theaters. Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, the film stars Danielle Deadwyler.
- A24’s Death of a Unicorn, featuring Jenna Ortega and Paul Rudd, closed out the top five with a modest $5.6 million from 2,842 cinemas.
CinemaCon and the Future of the Box Office
As Hollywood executives and theater owners prepare to gather in Las Vegas for CinemaCon, concerns over the domestic box office slump remain pressing. Revenue is down 11% year-over-year, largely due to lingering effects of the pandemic and industry strikes. These issues are expected to dominate discussions at the event.
With A Working Man exceeding expectations and Snow White underperforming, the box office landscape continues to shift, reflecting changing audience preferences and the evolving nature of theatrical releases.