Skip to main content

Box office hits and misses: ‘King Arthur’ might be the summer’s first major flop

Charlie Hunnam in King Arthur: Legend of the Sword.
Warner Bros.
It was another huge weekend for Marvel Studios sequel Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, but it’s not the big winner that everyone’s talking about as the final box-office numbers begin rolling in. That honor — or lack thereof — goes to the underachieving pretender to the throne, King Arthur: Legend of the Sword.

Intended to be the start of a new franchise for Warner Bros. Pictures, director Guy Ritchie’s King Arthur tallied just $14.7 million in U.S. theaters and $43.8 million worldwide in its opening weekend, falling well short of the sort of debut that’s expected from a movie that cost $175 million to make. The film’s “B+” grade from CinemaScore, which surveys audiences on the film after screenings, and a disappointing 27-percent “Fresh” rating on professional review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes certainly doesn’t help the case for King Arthur, which has now opened in most of the major markets, so it can’t expect much help from overseas crowds.

As for the rest of the weekend’s top ten movies, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 continued its run at becoming one of the biggest sequels in Marvel’s cinematic universe so far, adding another $63 million domestically and bringing its worldwide ticket sales past $630 million. It’s already doing better than Iron Man 2 and Thor: The Dark World from week to week, and doesn’t appear to be losing much steam.

# Title Weekend U.S. Total Worldwide Total
1. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 $63M $246.1M $630.5M
2. Snatched $17.5M $17.5M $20.7M
3. King Arthur: Legend of the Sword $14.7M $14.7M $43.8M
4. The Fate of the Furious $5.3M $215M $1.1B
5. The Boss Baby $4.6M $162.3M $456.4M
6. Beauty and the Beast $3.8M $493.1M $1.2B
7. How to be a Latin Lover $3.7M $26.1M $26.1M
8. Lowriders $2.4M $2.4M $2.4M
9. The Circle $1.7M $18.9M $18.9M
10. Baahubali 2: The Conclusion $1.5M $18.9M $18.9M

Although it didn’t do as well as Trainwreck for star Amy Schumer, this weekend’s Snatched did just about as well as pundits predicted, both critically and commercially. The film, which follows a mother and daughter who are kidnapped while vacationing, earned slightly more negative reviews and significantly less money than Trainwreck in its opening weekend, but it doesn’t face much competition for its intended audience over the next few weeks, so it could end up doing fine.

The only other new release to crack the weekend’s top ten films was director Ricardo de Montreuil’s Lowriders, which had an excellent — if somewhat limited — debut in theaters. The drama, which follows a father and his two sons in East Los Angeles, earned $2.4 million from just 295 theaters. The film has a good cast that includes Academy Award nominee Demián Bichir (The Hateful EightA Better Life), Theo Rossi (Sons of AnarchyLuke Cage), Eva Longoria (Desperate Housewives), and Supergirl star Melissa Benoist.

It’s also worth noting that Alien: Covenant made its international debut in several markets over the weekend, and despite earning $42 million before it even hits U.S. theaters, the Prometheus sequel’s overseas premiere was a mixed bag. The film topped the opening weekend for Prometheus in some markets and fell short of it in others, so it’s anyone’s guess at this point how it will perform when it arrives in U.S. theaters later this week.

The only other new releases of note this upcoming weekend are the young-adult drama Everything, Everything and the family-friendly sequel Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul — although neither are expected to make much of a dent in the top half of the box-office chart.

Rick Marshall
A veteran journalist with more than two decades of experience covering local and national news, arts and entertainment, and…
10 best stop-motion animated movies of all time, ranked
Coraline crawls through a dark tunnel.

Stop-motion animation is one of the most creative and beloved subgenres -- and it only seems to get better with time. The greatest movies in this category showcase the hard work and artistry of the inventive minds behind these stories, which often take a long time to commit to film. Each frame is a painstakingly crafted work of art, all aimed at creating immersive worlds full of unforgettable narratives and characters.

From obscure modern classics like The Wolf House to genre-defining masterpieces like The Nightmare Before Christmas, the best stop-motion animated movies highlight the full potential of the medium to deliver complex stories alongside gorgeous and distinct visuals. The craftmanship on display in these films is a testament to the power of animation and those who boldly push the genre's boundaries to create enchanting realities.
10. James and the Giant Peach (1996)

Read more
The 50 best anime on Hulu right now
Gintama anime key art featuring Gintoki leading the supporting cast of the series.

Even when it's not the primary destination, Hulu is still easily among the best mainstream platforms to stream some of the best anime available. It's an especially great supplement for audiences already fans of the streamer's live-action originals, boasting impressive diversity in its anime offerings across film, TV, and various genres.

For customers who aren't subscribed, the Disney Bundle is more than worth consideration to back up Hulu's anime library. This package deal gives viewers countless hours of content through Disney+, ESPN+, and the base ad-supported Hulu plan. Fans will have access to all the Star Wars, Marvel Studios, National Geographic, and sports content they could hope for on top of Hulu's anime catalog.

Read more
Nuggets vs Mavericks live stream: Can you watch for free?
Nikola Jokic squares up a free throw on the court.

Luka Dončić and the Dallas Mavericks take on Nikola Jokić and the Denver Nuggets today. Playoff seeding implications aside, it's always a must-watch event whenever two of the greatest international players of all-time do battle.

This one is set to start in about one hour, at 3:30 p.m. ET, and will be televised on ABC in the United States. If you don't have cable or you're looking to finally cut the cable cord, there are a bunch of different ways you can watch a live stream of the game online.
The Best Way to Watch the Nuggets vs Mavericks Live Stream

Read more