“ The Garfield Movie ” earned a chart-topping $14 million in ticket sales while “Furiosa” settled into second place, according to studio estimates on Sunday.

“Garfield” fell only 42% in its second weekend in North America. It also topped the global box office adding $27 million from international territories, bringing its running worldwide to $152.2 million. The animated pic featuring the voice of Chris Pratt will essentially have the market to itself until “Inside Out 2” arrives on June 14.

“Furiosa,” meanwhile, fell 59% from its first weekend, adding $10.8 million from 3,864 locations in the U.S. and Canada. That puts its running domestic total at $49.7 million and its global sum at $114.4 million against a $168 million production budget.

There were several new releases that opened on over 1,000 screens this weekend: Sony/Crunchyroll’s anime “Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battle”; IFC’s horror “In a Violent Nature”; Roadside Attractions’ Diane Keaton-Alfre Woodard-Kathy Bates comedy “Summer Camp”; And Bleecker Street’s father-son drama “Ezra.” None managed to crack the top five, however.

Disney also released the well-reviewed “ Young Woman and the Sea,” starring Daisy Ridley as the first woman to swim the English Channel, but did not report its ticket sales. Likewise, Richard Linklater’s “ Hit Man ” is currently playing in select theaters around the country before it comes to streaming next week, but Netflix does not release box office numbers.

Third place went to Paramount’s “ IF,” with $10.8 million in its third weekend. John Krasinski’s imaginary friends fantasy starring Ryan Reynolds and Cailey Fleming has now made over $80.4 million domestically. Disney/20th Century Studios’ “ Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes ” landed in fourth place in its fourth weekend with $8.8 million. It has now made $140 million domestically and $337.1 million globally.

And the Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt action-comedy “ The Fall Guy, ” which is currently available to purchase at home, rounded out the top five with $4.2 million, bringing its domestic total to $80.3 million. Globally, the Universal release has made $157.9 million.

“Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battle,” based on the Japanese high school volleyball series, made an estimated $3.5 million from 1,119 locations. The slasher “In a Violent Nature” opened to $2.2 million from 1,426 locations (a massive release for IFC Films and Shudder). And, “Ezra,” about a stand-up comedian (Bobby Cannavale) and his autistic son, earned $1.2 million from 1,320 screens.

The 2024 box office is struggling compared to both last year (down 23.9%) and pre-pandemic standards (down 42.2% from 2019 and 46.4% from 2018), according to data from Comscore. On this weekend last year, “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” opened to $120.7 million while “The Little Mermaid” was still pulling in over $41.4 million in its second weekend. This year has yet to have any film open to over $100 million domestically.

While “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” had yet to storm theaters at this point last year, there had been several substantial hits including “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” ($1.36 billion global total), “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” ($845.5 million) and “Fast X” ($704.7 million).

The top-grossing movie of this year remains “ Dune: Part Two,” which Warner Bros. released in early March and has made over $711 million globally. Its domestic take of $282.1 million represents 10.5% of the overall box office for 2024.

“Dune” filmmaker Denis Villeneuve over the weekend said that he was “disappointed to still be number one” while at the Canadian Screen Awards in Toronto where he was collecting an award.

“I hope soon that there will be other successes at the box office,” Villeneuve said, as reported by Yahoo. “I hope sooner or later that this summer box office will be much better.”

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

1. “The Garfield Movie,” $14 million.

2. “IF,” $10.8 million.

3. “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,” $10.8 million.

4. “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes,” $8.8 million.

5. “The Fall Guy,” $4.2 million.

6. “The Strangers: Chapter 1,” $3.6 million.

7. “Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battle,” $3.5 million.

8. “In a Violent Nature,” $2.1 million.

9. “Ezra,” $1.2 million.

10. “Sight,” $1.1 million.

Stewart, a prominent film scholar and Turner Classic Movies host, has helped steer the Academy Museum through its opening phase, serving as its chief artistic and programming officer from 2020-2022, when she became its leader. During her tenure, she helped make new galleries bilingual and oversaw the opening of many exhibitions, including one on Black Cinema between 1989 and 1971.

Homma has been with the Los Angeles based museum for five years, most recently as its chief audience officer.

The film academy, the organization behind the Oscars, also announced several more promotions in its executive ranks to unite teams within the Academy, including the foundation, the museum and the Oscars. In May, the film academy launched a $500 million fundraising campaign in the leadup to the 100th Oscars in 2028.

“As the Academy evolves, we are bringing teams together to create a better sense of shared purpose across the organization,” Academy CEO Bill Kramer said in a statement.

Jennifer Davidson was promoted to lead marketing and communications in a newly created role overseeing all arms of the academy and Jenny Galante will serve as the chief revenue officer, leading the Academy100 fundraising campaign.

The organization also said that longtime academy archivist Randy Haberkamp is retiring after 23 years. Matt Severson will succeed him in a new role in which he will oversee the collections and preservation efforts for all 23 million items in the Academy Collection.

“ Furiosa,” the Mad Max prequel starring Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth, claimed the first place spot for the Friday-Saturday-Sunday weekend with $25.6 million, according to studio estimates on Sunday. Warner Bros. is waiting until Monday to release its four-day estimates.

“The Garfield Movie,” animated and family-friendly, was the other big new offering this weekend from Sony’s Columbia Pictures and Alcon Entertainment. It is claiming No. 1 for the four-day holiday weekend with an estimated $31.9 million in ticket sales through Memorial Day. Sony estimates its three-day earnings to be $24.8 million.

Aside from Memorial Day in 2020 when theaters were closed due to COVID-19, these are the lowest earning No. 1 movies in 29 years, since “Casper” earned $22.5 million (not adjusted for inflation) in its first four days in 1995. Big earners are more typical for the holiday weekend, which has had ten movies crack $100 million, led by “Top Gun: Maverick’s” record-setting $160 million launch in 2022. Last year, the live-action “The Little Mermaid” joined the group with a $118 million debut. Audiences even turned out in greater numbers over the pandemic-addled weekend in 2021 for “A Quiet Place Part II,” which made over $57 million.

“This was a rather slow Memorial weekend,” said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore. “A few things didn’t happen that created this situation: We didn’t have a tailwind heading into the summer. We kicked off the summer minus a Marvel movie. In a way, we’ve been playing catch up all year long.”

“Furiosa” was never expected to join the $100 million opener club, which Warner Bros. released on 3,804 screens in the U.S. and Canada. But it was supposed to have a slightly stronger showing in the $40 million range over its first four days. That would have been more in line with its predecessor, “Mad Max: Fury Road,” which opened to $45.4 million in May 2015. “Fury Road,” starring Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy, went on to gross nearly $380 million worldwide.

This new origin story in which Taylor-Joy plays a younger version of Theron’s character had a lot of things going for it, too, including strong reviews out of the just-wrapped Cannes Film Festival (it has an 89% on Rotten Tomatoes) and a splashy international press tour with many buzzy premiere looks from Taylor-Joy. Internationally, it made $33.3 million adding up to a $58.9 million global launch. With a reported $168 million production budget, not accounting for marketing and promotion, “Furiosa” has a long road to profitability.

“The Garfield Movie,” meanwhile, was more modestly budgeted, at a reported $60 million and is being looked at as a solid launch for the franchise. It previously opened internationally and has earned over $66 million to date. Its domestic launch far surpassed the first weekends of previous attempts at Garfield movies.

Chris Pratt voices the lasagna-loving, Monday-hating orange cat in the movie that got scathing reviews from critics (it has a 37% on Rotten Tomatoes). Audiences meanwhile gave both “Furiosa” and “The Garfield Movie” a B+ CinemaScore and 4.5 stars out of 5 on PostTrak.

In its second weekend, John Krasinski’s “IF” fell 53%, adding $16.1 million through Sunday and $20.7 million through Monday, bringing its domestic total to $63.3 million. Worldwide, it has surpassed $100 million. “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes,” now in its third weekend, added $13.4 million through Sunday, bringing its global total to $294.8 million, making it the fourth-highest grossing film of the year.

This all adds up to a summer moviegoing season that will not only fall short of a normal $4 billion stretch but may even struggle to reach $3 billion. Earlier this week, the industry trade The Hollywood Reporter asked “ what happened to the $100 million opener? ” Notably, 2024 has had none yet. The biggest of the year was “Dune: Part Two,” which opened to $82.5 million and went on to earn over $711 million worldwide.

“Moviegoing begets moviegoing,” Derarabedian said. “Every studio is rooting for every other studio to have a big hit.”

The lack of a recent runaway hit just puts more pressure on the upcoming films to make up the slack. Still on the way are a slew of potential blockbusters like Paramount’s “A Quiet Place: Day One” (June 27), Universal’s “Despicable Me 4” (July 3) and “ Twisters ” (July 19) and two heavy-hitters from Disney: “Inside Out 2” (June 14) and “ Deadpool & Wolverine ” (July 26).

“It ain’t over yet,” Dergarabedian said. “There’s a lot of big movies on the way. The summer heat is on for the June and July films to really deliver.”

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

1. “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,” $25.6 million.

2. “The Garfield Movie,” $24.8 million.

3. “IF,” $16.1 million.

4. “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes,” $13.4 million.

5. “The Fall Guy,” $5.9 million.

6. “The Strangers: Chapter 1,” $5.6 million.

7. “Sight,” $2.7 million.”

8. “Challengers,” $1.4 million.

9. “Babes,” $1.1 million.

10. “Back to Black,” $1.1 million.

Zendaya and castmates Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor have been on a globetrotting press tour to get the word out about Italian director Luca Guadagnino’s original film, which opened in 3,477 locations in the U.S. and Canada.

“We’re obviously very, very happy with the number,” said Kevin Wilson, who heads theatrical distribution for Amazon Studios and MGM. “Looking at the audience who showed up, it’s really encouraging. It’s not the easiest audience to get to theaters.”

Women made up 58% of ticket buyers, who also skewed younger overall: 41% were between the ages of 18 and 24.

Ticket sales from large format screens, including IMAX, made up about 40% of the opening weekend grosses. According to PostTrak exit poll reported by Deadline, 55% of audiences said they went to see the film because of Zendaya. In fact, this weekend, Zendaya movies accounted for around 26% of the overall box office with the re-release of “ Dune: Part Two ” in IMAX, which made nearly $2 million.

The 27-year-old actor has been part of some of the most successful franchises of the last few years, including the “Spider-Man” and “Dune” movies. In both cases those were supporting roles in massive brand-name properties, but her eye-catching red carpet looks also often make headlines. “Challengers” would be the first real test of her ability to “open” a film on her own star and MGM and Amazon were not going to risk doing it without her.

The studio had originally planned to release “Challengers” in the fall of 2023, with a picturesque launch at the Venice Film Festival. But when the actors went on strike last July, the studio made the decision to scuttle the festival premiere and move the film to this weekend when they could safely assume the strike would be resolved. Zendaya sported many tennis-themed looks, styled by Law Roach, for her appearances.

“It would be hard to argue that we should have released this movie when she wasn’t able to support,” Wilson said.

He gave special credit to the studio’s publicity and marketing teams for orchestrating a world tour that resulted in several viral fashion moments.

Reviews have been largely positive for the R-rated movie, which teases a steamy and competitive love triangle between the tennis players. It currently has an 88% on Rotten Tomatoes and got a B+ CinemaScore from opening day audiences.

Guadagnino’s last film “ Bones and All,” starring Zendaya’s “Dune” co-star Timothée Chalamet made $15.2 million in its entire run. By mid-week, “Challengers” expected to surpass “Call Me By Your Name” ($18 million) to become Guadagnino’s highest grossing film.

For Amazon MGM Studios, the value also extends beyond the box office driving a “downstream value” for Amazon, including when “Challengers” eventually makes its way to Prime Video.

“I’ve always believed that theatrical is the best way to launch some of these films,” Wilson said. “When this thing gets to Prime Video, it’s obviously going to perform at a level that would be much greater than had it just gone directly to the platform. Theatrical is only a piece of it.”

Second place went to the faith-based film “Unsung Hero,” which made an estimated $7.8 million from 2,832 locations. It’s based on the true story of the Smallbone family, and the rise of their children Rebecca St. James, and sons Joel and David (for KING + COUNTRY) in the country music scene. Joel Smallbone directed, co-wrote and portrays his father David.

The Lionsgate film, which was made for only $6 million, scored a rare A+ CinemaScore and has a 100% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. The critic’s score is a much more tempered 58%. Audiences were overwhelmingly female (69%) and over 25 (91%).

Third place went to “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire,” with $7.2 million in its fifth weekend. In fourth place, A24’s “Civil War” also added $7 million in its third weekend, bringing its domestic total to $56.2 million. And rounding out the top five was the horror movie “Abigail” with $5.3 million.

“April of 2024 provided an opportunity for interesting, innovative and critically acclaimed films to be at the top of the box office,” said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore. “It was a great month for moviegoers looking for something beyond the typical summer blockbusters.”

The box office might not compare to last year when “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” was still dominating, but Dergarabedian said establishing audience goodwill is important as well.

Next weekend the summer movie season kicks off with the Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt action-comedy “ The Fall Guy.”

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

1. “Challengers,” $15 million.

2. “Unsung Hero,” $7.8 million.

3. “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire,” $7.2 million.

4. “Civil War,” 7 million.

5. “Abigail,” $5.3 million.

6. “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare,” $3.9 million

7. “Kung Fu Panda 4,” $3.6 million.

8. “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire,” $3.3 million.

9. “Dune: Part Two,” $2 million.

10. “Boy Kills World,” $1.7 million.

It’s the biggest R-rated opening of the year to date and a record for A24, the studio behind films like “Everything Everywhere All At Once” and “The Iron Claw.” “Civil War” also unseated “ Godzilla x Kong ” from its perch atop the box office. The titan movie from Warner Bros. had held the No. 1 spot for the past two weekends.

“Civil War,” starring Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura and Cailee Spaeny as front-line journalists in the near future covering a devastating conflict in the U.S. and trying to make their way to Washington, D.C. The story, written by Garland, who is also the mind behind “Ex Machina” and “Annihilation,” imagines a U.S. in which California and Texas have united against a president who has disbanded the FBI and given himself a third term.

Though entirely fictional, “Civil War” has been inspiring debates since the first trailer that have extended beyond the musings of film critics and traditional reviews. This weekend, The New York Times ran two opinion pieces related to the movie, one by Stephen Marche and another by Michelle Goldberg. There were also pieces on CNN and Politico.

Going into the weekend, projections pegged the film to debut in the $15 to $24 million range. The studio said “Civil War” overperformed in markets “from LA to El Paso.” The data analytics company EntTelligence reported that the film has attracted over 1.7 million patrons this weekend and that the top three markets were Los Angeles, New York and Dallas.

“The title alone is enough to spark a conversation in a year where the political discourse is top of mind,” said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore. “And they couldn’t have picked a better date. This movie is perfectly timed in a month that is very quiet.”

The film opened on 3,838 screens in the U.S. and Canada, including IMAX. It’s the most expensive movie that the studio has ever made, with a production budget of $50 million, which does not account for millions spent on marketing and promotion.

IMAX showings of “Civil War,” which was playing on 400 of the large format screens, accounted for $4.2 million, or 16.5% of the domestic total.

Reviews have been largely positive. It’s currently at 83% on Rotten Tomatoes, with a 77% audience score. Its CinemaScore was a B-, which has sometimes indicated that word of mouth might not be strong going forward. But that might not be the case with “Civil War,” which doesn’t have a tremendous amount of competition over the next few weeks until “The Fall Guy” opens on May 3.

“You have to take all the metrics together, including the competitive landscape,” Dergarabedian said.

But it is a notable win for the studio, which doesn’t always open films nationwide out of the gates. Before “Civil War,” A24’s biggest debut was the Ari Aster horror “Hereditary,” which opened to $13.6 million in 2018.

“This isn’t destined to be a $200 million global blockbuster. But it’s a very high-profile win for A24,” Dergarabedian said. “They’re a studio that pushes the envelope. They’re a brand associated with a certain level of quality and filmmaking expertise, pushing boundaries and taking risks. It’s well-earned over the years.”

Second place went to “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire,” which earned $15.5 million in its third weekend to bring its running domestic total to nearly $158 million. Another “Empire” movie, Sony’s “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire,” took third place in its fourth weekend with $5.8 million. It’s now at $160 million worldwide.

Rounding out the top five was Universal and DreamWorks’ “Kung Fu Panda 4,” in fourth with $5.5 million in weekend six, and “Dune: Part Two” with $4.3 million in its seventh weekend. “Dune 2” has now earned $272 million domestically.

This weekend also saw the box office year-to-date comparisons take a big hit. Last year, “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” brought in over $92 million in its second weekend in theaters. On the same weekend in 2023, the top 10 accounted for over $142 million, compared to this year’s $68.4 million. The year to date is back down to 16% after seeing some recovery with the success of “Dune: Part Two.”

“The box office has been a seesaw,” Dergarabedian said. “But we all knew this was going to be a rough month for comps because of ‘Mario.’”

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

1. “Civil War,” $25.7 million.

2. “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire,” $15.5 million.

3. “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire,” $5.8 million.

4. “Kung Fu Panda 4,” $5.5 million.

5. “Dune: Part Two,” $4.3 million.

6. “Monkey Man,” $4.1 million.

7. “The First Omen,” $3.8 million.

8. “The Long Game,” $1.4 million.

9. “Shrek 2,” $1.4 million.

10. “SUGA – Agust D Tour ‘D-DAY’ The Movie,” $990,881.

Coppola died Friday at home in Rutherford, California, her family announced in a statement.

Eleanor, who grew in Orange County, California, met Francis while working as an assistant art director on his directorial debut, the Roger Corman-produced 1963 horror film “Dementia 13.” (She had studied design at UCLA.) Within months of dating, Eleanor became pregnant and the couple were wed in Las Vegas in February 1963.

Their first-born, Gian-Carlo, quickly became a regular presence in his father’s films, as did their subsequent children, Roman (born in 1965) and Sofia (born in 1971). After acting in their father’s films and growing up on sets, all would go into the movies.

“I don’t know what the family has given except I hope they’ve set an example of a family encouraging each other in their creative process whatever it may be,” Eleanor told The Associated Press in 2017. “It happens in our family that everyone chose to sort of follow in the family business. We weren’t asking them to or expecting them to, but they did. At one point Sofia said, ‘The nut does not fall far from the tree.’”

Gian-Carlo, who’s seen in the background of many of his father’s films and had begun doing second-unit photography, died at the age of 22 in a 1986 boating accident. He was killed while riding in a boat piloted by Griffin O’Neal, son of Ryan O’Neal, who was found guilty of negligence.

Roman directed several movies of his own and regularly collaborates with Wes Anderson. He’s president of his father’s San Francisco-based film company, American Zoetrope.

Sofia became one of the most acclaimed filmmakers of her generation as the writer-director of films including “Lost in Translation” and the 2023 release “Priscilla.” Sofia dedicated that film to her mother.

In joining the family business, the Coppola children weren’t just following in their father’s footsteps but their mother’s, too. Beginning on 1979’s “Apocalypse Now,” Eleanor frequently documented the behind-the-scenes life of Francis’ films. The Philippines-set shoot of “Apocalypse Now” lasted 238 days. A typhoon destroyed sets. Martin Sheen had a heart attack. A member of the construction crew died.

Eleanor documented much of the chaos in what would become one of the most famous making-of films about moviemaking, 1991’s “Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse.”

“I was just trying to keep myself occupied with something to do because we were out there for so long,” Eleanor told CNN in 1991. “They wanted five minutes for a TV promotional or something and I thought sooner of later I could get five minutes of film and then it went on to 15 minutes.”

“I just kept shooting but I had no idea … the evolution of myself that I saw with my camera,” continued Eleanor, who ended up shooting 60 hours worth of footage. “So, it was a surprise for both of us and a life changing experience.”

Eleanor also published “Notes: On the Making of ‘Apocalypse Now’” in 1979. While the film focused on the film set tumult, the book charted some of Eleanor’s inner turmoil, including the challenges of being married to a larger-than-life figure. She wrote of being a “woman isolated from my friends, my affairs and my projects” during their year in Manilla. She also frankly discusses Francis having an extramarital affair.

“There is part of me that has been waiting for Francis to leave me, or die, so that I can get my life the way I want it,” wrote Eleanor. “I wonder if I have the guts to get it the way I want it with him in it.”

They remained together, though, throughout her life. And Eleanor continued to seek out creative outlets for herself. She documented several more of her husband’s films, as well as Roman’s “CQ” and Sofia’s “Marie Antoinette.” She wrote a memoir in 2008, “Notes on a Life.”

In 2016, at the age of 80, Eleanor made her narrative debut in “Paris Can Wait,” a romantic comedy starring Diane Lane. She followed that up with “Love Is Love Is Love” in 2020. Eleanor had initially set out only to write the screenplay to “Paris Can Wait.”

“One morning at the breakfast table my husband said, ‘Well you should direct it.’ I was totally startled,” Eleanor told The AP. “But I said ‘Well, I never wrote a script before and I’ve never directed, why not?’ I was kind of saying ‘why not’ to everything.”

The franchise featuring the voice of Jack Black is responsible for over $1.9 billion at the box office since it launched in 2008 and spawned several animated series, shorts, video games and a holiday special. The fourth installment, playing in 4,067 locations in North America, has already made $107.7 million domestically.

There were several new movies arriving in over 1,000 theaters (or expanding) this weekend, including Lionsgate’s Mark Wahlberg dog movie “ Arthur the King,” Focus Features’ comedic satire “The American Society of Magical Negroes” and A24’s Kristen Stewart-led bodybuilding thriller “ Love Lies Bleeding.”

But the charts still belonged to the franchises, including “ Dune: Part Two,” which came in a very close second in its third weekend, with $29.1 million. That’s down only 37% from last weekend. It’s now made $205.3 million domestically. The first film, which was released simultaneously in theaters and on streaming, capped out at around $435 million globally, while “Part Two” is already at almost $500 million worldwide.

“ Arthur the King ” did the best of the newcomers, landing in third place with $7.5 million from 3,003 locations. The studio went into the weekend expecting something in the $8 million to $10 million range. Its low production cost and international presales should yield profits. Directed by Simon Cellan Jones and written by Michael Brandt, the movie is based on the true story of an adventure racer who befriends a stray dog on a perilous 435-mile trek in the Dominican Republic. Simu Liu plays one of Wahlberg’s teammates. With an A CinemaScore, the studio is hoping positive word of mouth will boost sales in the coming weeks.

“ Love Lies Bleeding ” opened in 1,362 locations to $2.5 million. Written and directed by Rose Glass (” Saint Maud ″), it’s a pulpy ’80s-set Western thriller about an isolated gym manager (Stewart) and a bodybuilder (Katy O’Brian) passing through town.

“The American Society of Magical Negroes” opened in 1,147 theaters and made an estimated $1.3 million. According to exit data, 52% of the opening weekend audience was Black. The movie, written and directed by Kobi Libii, is a satire about a secret society of Black people dedicated to making white lives easier. Justice Smith and David Alan Grier star.

In the first weekend following the Oscars, “ Poor Things ” added $2.3 million globally, bumping its total to $112.6 million.

Next weekend, “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” will arrive in theaters, armed with proton packs and brand name recognition.

“When there’s not a newcomer dominating the marketplace, it makes for a rather slow weekend,” said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore. “Now we’re just waiting for ‘Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’ and ‘Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.’ That combo should take us out of the month of March on a high note.”

He added: “We’re going to have to have a lot of patience until we get to May and ‘The Fall Guy’ and the summer movie season. But there’s some great movies on the way.”

Estimated ticket sales are for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

1. “Kung Fu Panda 4,” $30 million.

2. “Dune: Part Two,” $29.1 million

3. “Arthur the King,” $7.5 million.

4. “Imaginary,” $5.6 million.

5. “Cabrini, ”$2.8 million.

6. “Love Lies Bleeding,” $2.5 million.

7. “Bob Marley: One Love,” $2.3 million.

8. “One Life,” $1.7 million

9. “The American Society of Magical Negroes,” $1.3 million

10. “Ordinary Angels,” $1 million.

The nominees are some of the best the Oscars have seen, including some true blockbusters like “Oppenheimer” and “Barbie.” Ryan Gosling is singing “I’m Just Ken” during the show. There will be a live orchestra in the theater. And the ever-reliable Jimmy Kimmel is back to host the proceedings for the fourth time.

“We’re really excited about this year,” said Molly McNearney, who is executive producing the show for the fourth time. “It’s a phenomenal year of movies. And we have great movies that the home audience is familiar with, which makes our jobs easier.”

The producers were hired earlier than usual, meaning they’ve had more time to plan and study past Oscars broadcasts to try to home in on what works and what doesn’t. One thing they’ve learned is that if the room is laughing, the audience at home is usually laughing too.

McNearney, who is married to Kimmel, said that they’re focusing on jokes over big, highly produced comedy bits. Kimmel will do his 10-minute monologue to kick off the show and will be sprinkled throughout.

“I think an evening that just makes people feel good is a win,” McNearney said. “Our job as producers is to keep that feeling good moving quickly because it is a long show and we want to make sure people are staying throughout.”

Another thing that works: When the speeches are good and people feel invested in the winners. Last year there were a lot of great comeback and underdog stories, from Brendan Fraser to Ke Huy Quan, which helped. This is not something the producers have any control over, but they are optimistic about the nominees and setting up scenarios with presenters who have a genuine connection either with each other or people in the audience.

Our picks for Oscars 2024: What will win, what should win in a year of movie riches

“We want everybody to feel included, that they are part of our story,” said executive producer and showrunner Raj Kapoor. “I hope that we have put another kind of modern take on it that really focuses on storytelling and connection and that the audience in the theater and at home will just feel immersed in the experience all throughout the evening.”

Kapoor noted that the live performances of the Oscar-nominated original songs should be a real highlight of the show too, from the Osage singers to Gosling. They’ve also re-designed the stage so that an orchestra of 42 musicians can be in the Dolby Theatre and seen on camera. And Kapoor teased that the In Memoriam sequence is something they’ve put a lot of time and thought into and that it is poised to tug at audience heartstrings.

“There’s going to be entertainment and lots of surprises and a few cameos and things that haven’t been announced yet. We’re just really excited for everybody to come watch with us,” Katy Mullan said. “The Oscars is one of those last giant tentpole pop culture moments that everybody looks forward to and gathers around that TV set. It’s co-viewing at its best. And we’re in this moment where there’s more interest around these big live moments than there has been in years.”

Their main concern at the moment is that the global audience remembers that the broadcast begins an hour earlier than normal, at 7 p.m. EDT. It’s also the first day of daylight saving time.

“I think people are going to bed earlier and people are very excited, hopefully, that it’s starting at 7,” Mullan said. “It won’t be so late for everyone hanging on for the best picture announcement.”

The 96th Oscars will be broadcast live on ABC from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on March 10 with the pre-show beginning at 6:30 p.m. EDT.

Internationally, it earned $97 million, bringing its global debut to $178.5 million.

“Denis made a really extraordinary and special film and its been really exciting to see people respond,” said Mary Parent, a producer on both “Dune” films and chairman of worldwide production at Legendary. “It was made for the big screen and it feels like it’s being received as a cinematic event.”

It’s the first major hit of 2024, and one that was sorely needed by exhibitors. Although there have been holdovers from December that have continued to earn, like Warner Bros.’ “ Wonka ” (also starring Chalamet) and Sony’s romantic comedy “Anyone But You,” the box office is in a bit of a drought. In the first two months of 2024, no films have crossed $100 million domestically. The highest earning movies have been “The Beekeeper,” “Bob Marley: One Love” and “Mean Girls.”

“Dune 2″ rode a wave of great reviews (94% on Rotten Tomatoes) into a marketplace that was essentially free of competition. Warner Bros. released it in 4,071 locations in the U.S. and Canada, where audiences across the board gave it the highest PostTrak marks and an A CinemaScore. According to exit data, men accounted for 59% of opening weekend ticket buyers and 64% were over the age of 25. The sequel was primarily financed by Legendary and its production budget, previously reported to be in the $122 million range, is closer to $190 million.

“It really captured the marketplace,” said Jeff Goldstein, Warner Bros. president of domestic distribution. “It’s a cultural moment globally.”

Premium large format screens like IMAX and 70mm accounted for 48% of the opening weekend business. It marked a March record for IMAX, which made up $18.5 million of the overall take. Villeneuve filmed the movie using IMAX cameras. Unlike “ Oppenheimer,” it was shot on digital, but with the extra time with the strike delay they were able to make film prints as well and the film format is proving a popular draw for audiences.

“Our most iconic film locations are virtually sold out for weeks,” said IMAX CEO Rich Gelfond.

The $81.5 million debut is also a record for its director Villeneuve, and stars Chalamet, Austin Butler and Rebecca Ferguson.

Originally planned for an October 2023 release, Warner Bros. bumped the movie to March amid the Hollywood strikes that would have prevented its starry cast from doing the promotional circuit. The global promo tour has been on hyperdrive for about a month, driving conversations with buzzy interviews, the viral sandworm-inspired popcorn bucket and eye-popping fashion moments from the stylish young cast – peaking with Zendaya’s silver cyborg showstopper (vintage Mugler) in London. They’ve made stops in Mexico City, South Korea, Abu Dhabi and New York City.

“We worked very hard to be ready for that (original) date but we very much felt that, especially with this incredible cast, that it was worth waiting for,” Parent said.

Goldstein added that there was “a lot of debate” over whether or not to release it during the strikes but they knew that they needed the cast to “fully realize the movie.”

“You don’t make movie stars any place other than theaters,” Goldstein said. “Cinemas, on the big screen with the big sound and that shared experience makes a big star, or show the talent of a big star anyway.”

The first “ Dune ” opened under complicated conditions in October 2021. It was one of the last films of Warner Bros.’ divisive plan to simultaneously debut its major movies in theaters and on its streaming platform. And yet it still earned over $40 million in its first weekend and went on to gross over $400 million worldwide.

“Denis Villeneuve is up there with Christopher Nolan as a filmmaker whose name alone inspires people to go to the movie theater,” said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore.

This weekend, he added, “moves the needle in a big way.”

Going into the weekend the box office was down about 20% from the same point last year (when “Avatar: The Way of Water,” a 2022 release, was lifting everything). The closest equivalent this year is “Wonka,” still a hit, but not as big as “Avatar 2.” After the “Dune” weekend, the deficit will be closer to 13%.

“It shows how important one movie can be to the overall health of the industry,” Dergarabedian said. “But this is not a one-hit wonder for March. It’s a momentum business. Now we’re going to get the wind back in the sails as we head further into March, April and the summer movie season.”

Warner Bros. is one of those studios that will be back in short order with another big film, in “Godzilla x Kong” at the end of March, followed by “Furiosa” in May, the “Beetlejuice” sequel in September and the “Joker” sequel in October.

“This is our year,” Goldstein said. “Exhibitors are fighting for their lives but we can be clever and collaborative with them to keep our business relevant to audiences.”

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

1. “Dune: Part Two,” $81.5 million.

2. “Bob Marley: One Love,” $7.4 million.

3. “Ordinary Angels,” $3.9 million.

4. “Madame Web,” $3.2 million.

5. “The Chosen: Season 4, Episodes 7-8,” $3.2 million.

6. “Migration, $2.5 million.

7. “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba – To the Hashi,” $2.1 million.

8. “Wonka,” $1.7 million.

9. “Argylle,” $1.4 million.

10. “The Beekeeper,” $1.1 million.

Matthew Vaugn’s “ Argylle ” got first place with only $6.5 million, which brings its running domestic total to $28.8 million in two weekends. The $200 million production is Apple’s first major theatrical flop. Universal Pictures oversaw the North American release for the streamer, where it is playing in 3,605 locations. Globally, it’s earned $60.1 million to date.

Focus Features released “Lisa Frankenstein” in 3,144 locations. A 1980s-set teenage riff on Mary Shelly’s classic tale, “Lisa Frankenstein” was the directorial debut of Robin Williams’ daughter Zelda Williams. Reviews overall were mixed to negative with a 49% on Rotten Tomatoes. AP’s Mark Kennedy wrote in his review that it was “a real monster — stitched together from previous movies, painfully incoherent and deeply, deeply dumb.”

Audiences were mostly female (61%) and under the age of 35 (71%), according to exit data. But while the opening weekend was low, the production budget was also relatively modest at a reported $13 million.

The movie is set in the same universe as “Jennifer’s Body,” which was written by Cody and directed by Karyn Kusama. That film underwhelmed on its release in 2009 with critics and audiences but has gained appreciation and a cult cache in the past 15 years.

“The Beekeeper” landed in third place in its fifth weekend with an additional $3.5 million. The faith-based “The Chosen” series, showing its fourth season’s first three episodes, placed fourth with $3.2 million while “Wonka” rounded out the top five with $3.1 million.

Overall, it’s likely to be the slowest weekend of the year to date with around $40 million industry-wide down nearly 25% from last year. The big football game isn’t entirely to blame either — in the years prior to the pandemic, the same weekend was able to generate over $75 million. In 2009, the Liam Neeson movie “Taken” went head-to-head with the Super Bowl and made $24.7 million. And in 2015, “American Sniper” brought in $30.7 million.

But this year is different. Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore, attributes this to a number of factors, including the unique attention on this year’s game which, he said, “has become the center of attention for the world of entertainment.”

“There was only one new movie and there’s been so little momentum in this movie marketplace,” he said. “It should come as no surprise that, at least in the modern era, this is the lowest grossing Super Bowl weekend that we’ve seen.”

Dergarabedian added: “I don’t think anyone wanted to take a chance releasing a big wide release this weekend.”

This week brings two bigger movies to theaters, “Bob Marley: One Love” and “Madame Web,” but things aren’t likely to pick up significantly until “ Dune: Part Two ” opens on March 1.

“This is the natural ebb and flow of things for theaters,” Dergarabedian said. “The box office will recover.”

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

1. “Argylle,” $6.5 million.

2. “Lisa Frankenstein,” $3.8 million.

3. “The Beekeeper,” $3.5 million.

4. “The Chosen,” $3.2 million.

5. “Wonka,” $3.1 million

6. “Migration,” $3 million.

7. “Anyone But You,” $2.7 million.

8. “Mean Girls,” $1.9 million.

9. “American Fiction,” $1.3 million.

10. “Poor Things,” $1.1 million.