Warner Bros.’ latest horror offering Weapons has stormed to the top of the North American box office, raking in an impressive $42.5 million (KSh 5.48 billion) in its opening weekend, according to industry estimates released Sunday.
The chilling thriller, which follows the mysterious disappearance of an entire school class, stars Emmy winner Julia Garner (Ozark) and Josh Brolin (Avengers: Infinity War). Its strong debut was hailed by analyst David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research as “an outstanding opening for an original horror film,” underscoring the genre’s continued ability to draw audiences even without a franchise label.
In second place was Disney’s Freakier Friday, the much-anticipated sequel to the 2003 body-swap comedy Freaky Friday. Reuniting Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis, the film earned $29 million (KSh 3.74 billion) in its debut a figure that far exceeds the opening weekend of its predecessor 22 years ago. Gross described it as “an excellent opening” and noted it was well above average for a comedy sequel.
Slipping to third place was The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Disney’s reboot of the Marvel superhero team. The Pedro Pascal-led blockbuster pulled in $15.5 million over the weekend, bringing its domestic total to a hefty $230.4 million (KSh 29.7 billion). Also starring Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn, the film pits the heroes against the cosmic menace Galactus in a retro-futuristic setting.
Universal’s animated sequel The Bad Guys 2 landed in fourth place, earning $10.4 million (KSh 1.3 billion). The family-friendly adventure continues the story of a gang of once-notorious animal criminals trying to live reformed lives.
Rounding out the top five was Paramount’s reboot of the classic slapstick series Naked Gun. Starring Liam Neeson as Frank Drebin Jr., son of the original bumbling detective, and co-starring Pamela Anderson, the comedy brought in $8.4 million (KSh 1 billion) in its second weekend.
With Weapons proving that original horror can still deliver box office gold, and Freakier Friday showing nostalgic sequels have crowd appeal, the summer movie season is off to a diverse and promising start — from spine-chilling scares to feel-good laughs.
