Newcomers ‘28 Years Later’ and ‘Elio’ Face Fierce Competition from Box Office Titan ‘Dragon

The current box office landscape reveals a significant competition among newly released films, particularly "28 Years Later" and "Elio," which are poised to challenge the reigning success of "How to Train Your Dragon." The latter is projected to maintain its dominance with an impressive opening weekend gross of $84.6 million. In contrast, both newcomers are vying for second place, with projections indicating that "Elio" may earn between $25 million and $30 million while "28 Years Later" is targeting a slightly higher range of $28 million to $30 million .

The live-action remake of DreamWorks Animation’s celebrated 2010 animated film is confident it will stay atop the chart in its sophomore outing despite the entry of two new summer event pics, Danny Boyle‘s 28 Years Later and Pixar’s Elio, both of which took advantage of the holiday by starting previews early in the day. (How to Train Your Dragon has a huge advantage in playing in Imax cinemas, and is eying bringing in another $35 million domestically this weekend.)

28 Years Later‘s first Friday is also ahead of 2022’s Scream ($13.3M, $30M 3-day) and last year’s Longlegs ($10M Friday/previews, $22.4M 3-day). Right now, 28 Years Later is looking at 2nd place in a weekend still ruled by Universal/DreamWorks Animation’s second weekend of How to Train Your Dragon with $35.2M (-58%) after a second Friday of $10.7M today. Running cume by Sunday at 4,373 theaters is $158.6M.

The new movie centers on 12-year-old Spike (Alfie Williams), who travels beyond the borders of his home on Holy Island—an isolated community connected to the UK mainland solely by a tidal causeway—for the first time for a hunting trip with his father, Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson). It's during this harrowing outing that Spike learns about the existence of Alphas, a strain of infected that have evolved to be much larger and stronger, as well as Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes), a mysterious survivor who Spike believes may be able to cure his sick mother, Isla (Jodie Comer).

"28 Years Later," a zombie thriller with a budget of $60 million, aims to capitalize on its genre appeal and potential audience draw. Meanwhile, Pixar's "Elio," despite its higher production budget of $150 million, faces challenges in capturing audience interest given the fierce competition . While early previews suggest that "28 Years Later" could gross over $5 million compared to "Elio's" estimated preview earnings of approximately $2.5-$3 million, the ultimate success of these films will hinge on their ability to attract viewers amidst such formidable competition.

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Sara H

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