Performance check: How did ‘Dungeons & Dragons’ fare against ‘Wick’ at the box office?
Paramount Pictures’ “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves†rolled the dice by challenging Lionsgate’s “John Wick: Chapter 4†at the box office this weekend — and the gamble paid off.
The fantasy film based on the popular role-playing game of the same name dethroned the latest installment in the “Wick†saga at the domestic box office this weekend, conjuring up $38.5 million, according to studio estimates.
The fourth “Wick†flick came in second, hunting down $28.2 million in its sophomore outing for a North American cumulative of $122.9 million — after breaking the franchise record upon its debut.
‘Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves’ leans on stars Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez and Hugh Grant to do what they do best.
Hollywood’s most recent attempt to adapt “Dungeons & Dragons†for the screen performed at the high end of early box-office projections, which positioned the movie at $30 million to $40 million domestically. Internationally, “Honor Among Thieves†debuted at $33 million for a worldwide haul of $71.5 million.
Co-directed by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves†stars Hugh Grant, Sophia Lillis, Justice Smith, Michelle Rodriguez, Regé-Jean Page and Chris Pine as a ragtag bunch of travelers on an epic adventure inspired by the vast “D&D†universe.
It’s worth noting that previous “Dungeons & Dragons†adaptations have fizzled theatrically: Critics panned New Line Cinema’s 2000 production, which tanked at the box office and spurred a pair of direct-to-video sequels. In the 1980s, a cartoon “D&D†series lasted three seasons.
“Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves†is the latest stab at turning the decades-old D&D franchise into a blockbuster hit. Can it help turn the game-to-movie pipeline into less of a joke?
“Honor Among Thieves†fared well with critics, notching an impressive 91% fresh rating on review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the action comedy an A-minus.
“The film is an unapologetically big, fun, swashbuckling slice of hardcore fantasy and leans into that without any self-deprecation, which is the core lesson for our merry band of misfits,†writes film critic Katie Walsh for the Tribune News Service.
“And yet there is some ineffable quality lacking — perhaps an emulsifying ingredient — that prevents all these elements (the stars, the lore, the creatures) from coming together into something truly magical.â€
The team behind ‘Honor Among Thieves’ explains how the film’s standout chase sequence came together — and captures the game’s imaginative spirit.
Rounding out the top 5 at the domestic box office are Paramount Pictures’ “Scream VI,†which scared up $5.3 million in its fourth weekend for a North American cumulative of $98.2 million; Angel Studios’ “His Only Son,†which launched at $5.3 million; and MGM’s “Creed III,†which grossed $5 million in its fifth weekend for a North American cumulative of $148.6 million, according to estimates from measurement firm Comscore.
Opening in wide release next weekend are IFC Films’ “Paint†and Ciesla Foundation’s “Imagining the Indian.â€
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