Marvel’s ‘Eternals’ Stays Atop Box Office With $26.9 Million

(Bloomberg) -- “Eternals,” the newest superhero film from Walt Disney Co.’s Marvel franchise, held on to the top spot in the North American box office, fending off newcomer “Clifford the Big Red Dog.”

• “Eternals” generated $26.9 million in ticket sales in its second North American weekend, Comscore Inc. said Monday. Boxoffice Pro had projected $26.2 million.
• “Clifford the Big Red Dog,” from ViacomCBS Inc.’s Paramount, made $16.6 million in its debut, compared with a forecast of $12.5 million. Its total sales are estimated at $22.2 million since its release on Nov. 10. The movie is also available on the company’s Paramount+ streaming service.

Key Insights

• “Eternals,” which garnered the worst reviews ever for a Marvel Cinematic Universe movie, could have a limited run atop the North American box office. It will be challenged later this week by Sony’s “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” which has a higher score with critics on Rotten Tomatoes.
• While “Eternals” outpaced estimates, it “may have been pressured by competition from streaming releases that include Netflix’s ‘Red Notice’ and Disney’s own ‘Shang-Chi’ on Disney+,” Geetha Ranganathan, an analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, said in a research note.

• With “Top Gun: Maverick” being pushed to 2022, “Clifford the Big Red Dog” is among only a handful of Paramount films to get a theatrical release this year. About half of critics recommended the live-action movie, which is based on a popular children’s book series. The cast includes David Alan Grier, Tony Hale and Horatio Sanz.
• “Belfast,” from Comcast Corp.’s Focus Features, also opened in wide release in the U.S. this weekend. Kenneth Branagh wrote and directed the film about a boy’s childhood during the tumult of the late 1960s. The cast includes Jude Hill, Jamie Dornan and Judi Dench. About 88% of critics recommended the film, according to Rotten Tomatoes.

Get More

• See the schedule for upcoming releases.
• See Boxoffice Pro’s long-range forecast.

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