Box Office Update: Superman flies high in week 2, Slashers and Smurfs flop badly

James Gunn’s Superman is on track for a (relatively) modest second-weekend drop, with Deadline forecasting a $57 million sophomore frame. That’s a decline of about 54%, slightly higher than we expected in our predictions based on the film’s strong word-of-mouth online. Still, it’s a much healthier hold than most recent blockbusters: Thunderbolts dropped 56% after a weak opening, and Captain America: Brave New World plunged a steep 68%.

Superman has already soared past $200 million domestically, though international numbers remain under wraps following what many considered a soft overseas debut.

Unfortunately, not all the box office news is good.

Paramount’s heavily promoted Smurfs reboot—billed as a potential family blockbuster—is flopping badly, on track for a dismal $12 million opening. That’s especially brutal considering the film boasts serious star power, including Rihanna voicing Smurfette and contributing to the soundtrack. In a summer where family films like Lilo & Stitch and How to Train Your Dragon overperformed, audiences simply didn’t seem interested in the Smurfs.

Another retro revival, I Know What You Did Last Summer, is headed for a $13 million debut—worse than the original film opened 28 years ago. Yikes. The new entry earned a dismal C+ CinemaScore, aligning with our own Tyler Nichols, who called it a major disappointment.

Horror, in general, is having a rough summer. Bring Her Back, M3GAN 2.0, and 28 Years Later have all underperformed, with genre fatigue potentially setting in.

Meanwhile, Ari Aster’s polarizing Eddington looks likely to open with under $5 million, despite a stacked cast including Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal, Emma Roberts, and Austin Butler.

We’ll be back tomorrow with a full box office breakdown!

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