Retiring Guy's Digest: USA box office for the 4th weekend of March 2017-2024

USA box office on the third weekend of March 2024 is down 10% compared to last year when "John Wick: Chapter 4" was the top-grossing movie. "Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire" was the top-grossing movie for the second weekend in a row.

And it's down 48% compared to the 2017 peak when "Beauty and the Beast" was the top draw.

Source: Box Office Mojo

Variety, 3/24/2024

“Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” ruled over the domestic box office and arrived on the higher end of expectations.
The latest installment in Sony’s supernatural comedy series has collected $45.2 million in its debut in 4,345 North American theaters. Earlier in the weekend, “Frozen Empire” looked like it would top out with $42 million but estimates were revised up after a bigger-than-expected Sunday. At the international box office, the film ignited to a tepid $16.4 million from 25 markets for a global start of $61 million. Still, those domestic ticket sales are just barely ahead of its 2021 predecessor, “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” which earned $44 million to start while the box office was deep in pandemic recovery mode. It’s a sign that the 30-year-old franchise hasn’t expanded its constituency beyond the original (and aging) core fans of the business of busting ghosts.
Plus, “Frozen Empire” carries a bigger budget than the last one, costing $100 million to produce and many millions more to market. It’ll need to far outgross “Afterlife” ($204 million globally against a $75 million budget) to justify its price tag since cinema operators get to keep roughly 50% of revenues. Sony expects the movie to benefit from spring break, but “Frozen Empire” will face steep competition next weekend from “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.”
Critics and audiences were mixed on the sequel, which landed a 43% on Rotten Tomatoes and a “B+” CinemaScore

Variety 3/23/2024

“Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” kicked off with $16 million in North American ticket sales across Friday and preview screenings in 4,345 theaters. That nearly matches the $16.6 million that its predecessor “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” earned on its opening day in November 2021. Sony’s sci-fi comedy sequel will easily top domestic charts, though its work isn’t done yet considering its $100 million production budget.

More box office posts:

2024

3rd weekend in March. (3/17)

2nd weekend of March. (3/10)

1st weekend of March. (3/3)

4th weekend of February. (2/25)

3rd weekend of February. (2/18)

2nd weekend of February. (2/11)

1st weekend of February. (2/4)

4th weekend of January. (1/28)

3rd weekend of January. (1/21)

2nd weekend of January. (1/15)