This weekend’s box office finally saw a new title break through, but the bigger picture remains underwhelming. Even with multiple wide releases hitting theatres at once, overall totals stayed muted, continuing a trend that has defined much of the month.

Send Help Survives the Noise

Send Help

Send Help opened to $20.0 million in its first weekend.

That number is strong enough to definitively claim first place at the box office. Marketing for the film never felt aggressive or unavoidable, which capped its upside. Even so, in a marketplace this soft, $20 million is more than enough to dominate. It may not be a breakout hit, but it clearly benefited from limited competition and decent curiosity.

‘Send Help’ Movie Review – Good For Her (And For The Audience)

Iron Lung Makes a Solid First Impression

Iron Lung launched with $17.8 million.

For a darker genre release, this is a respectable debut. Horror continues to prove that it does not need massive numbers to justify its place in the market when they’re often made on low budgets. The opening suggests a strong core interest in unique horror stories.

Third Place Film

Melania debuted with $7 million.

Zootopia 2 Refuses to Leave

Zootopia 2 pulled in $5.8 million in its tenth weekend.

Ten weekends in, and it is still doing dependable business. Family titles continue to be the steadiest performers in uncertain times, and this run has been a textbook example.

Shelter Finds Its Footing

Shelter opened with $5.5 million.

Rounding out the top five, Shelter landed softly but stayed competitive. In a weekend this crowded with new releases and limited audience energy, simply carving out space is an accomplishment. Whether it grows or fades will depend heavily on word of mouth.

Predictions for The Strangers – Chapter 3

The Strangers – Chapter 3 is the major release next weekend. It’s estimated to open to $5 million to $10 million. I anticipate that it’ll land closer to $5 million. The last film made $5.8 million on its opening weekend, and I expect that this will open slightly under that.

As always, we’ll find out next week.

For more Movie news, stay tuned to That Hashtag Show.