Inexpensive Horror Film Tops Bullet Train

The Invitation opens to $7M after costing $10M to make
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Aug 28, 2022 2:35 PM CDT
The Invitation Leads Weak Performers
This image released by Sony Pictures shows Brian Tyree Henry in a scene from "Bullet Train."   (Scott Garfield/Sony Pictures via AP)

The horror film The Invitation needed just $7 million to finish at the top of the weakest weekend of the summer at the North American box office, according to studio estimates Sunday. Directed and co-written by Jessica M. Thompson and starring Game of Thrones actor Nathalie Emmanuel, The Invitation tells the story of a young woman who after her mother's death discovers dark secrets at her family home in the English countryside. It debuted on 3,141 screens for Sony and cost just $10 million to make, the AP reports.

Sony also had the No. 2 movie with the Brad Pitt vehicle Bullet Train, which brought in an estimated $5.6 million from 3,513 screens in its fourth week, bringing its domestic total to $78.2 million. Universal’s Beast, starring Idris Elba, finished third with $4.9 million in its second week, after making $11.6 million and ranking second in its first. The weekend overall saw about $52.7 million in North American ticket sales—the slowest in months. A strong summer has meant that the year-to-date box office is still up significantly from a tepid 2021. But a long drought lies ahead until a surge of expected big earners arrives, including Halloween Ends and Black Adam, which will both be released in October.

Below are estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at US and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

  1. The Invitation, $7 million.
  2. Bullet Train, $5.6 million.
  3. Beast, $4.9 million.
  4. Top Gun: Maverick, $4.8 million.
  5. Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, $4.6 million.
  6. DC League of Super-Pets, $4.2 million.
  7. Three Thousand Years of Longing, $2.9 million.
  8. Minions: The Rise of Gru, $2.74 million.
  9. Thor: Love and Thunder, $2.7 million.
  10. Where the Crawdads Sing, $2.3 million
(More box office stories.)

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