New Releases Can't Touch Smile

'Amsterdam' and 'Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile' don't do much
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Oct 9, 2022 1:45 PM CDT
Creepy Smile Repeats
This image released by Paramount Pictures shows Caitlin Stasey in a scene from "Smile."   (Paramount Pictures via AP)

David O. Russell's star-studded 1930s mystery Amsterdam flopped, and the children's book adaptation Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile debuted softly, allowing the horror thriller Smile to repeat atop the box office in US and Canada theaters, according to studio estimates Sunday. Neither new release caught fire with moviegoers, the AP reports, but the disappointment was more acute for Amsterdam, a poorly reviewed $80 million screwball romp starring Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, and John David Washington. The 20th Century Studios production, cofunded by New Regency and released by the Walt Disney Co., opened with just $6.5 million—a stinging rebuke for the decorated filmmaker of Silver Linings Playbook whose splashy ensemble also includes Chris Rock, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Taylor Swift.

Sony Pictures' Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile, a musical based on Bernard Waber's children's book featuring Shawn Mendes as the voice of a computer-generated reptile, collected $11.5 million in ticket sales. But that was a modest result, especially for the first major family movie to land in theaters since summer. The film, which cost $50 million to make, could benefit from children being out of school for Monday's Columbus Day and little kid-movie competition this month. Paramount Pictures' Smile drew $17.6 million at the box office—an impressive second week for the modest-budget horror flick. Horror films usually fall steeply in their second week of release, but Smile dropped just 22%. To keep the momentum, Paramount on Sunday announced a weeklong series of promotions, including discounted tickets and an NFT giveaway for some ticket-buyers on Thursday.

Below are estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at US and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

  1. Smile, $17.6 million.
  2. Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile, $11.5 million.
  3. Amsterdam, $6.5 million.
  4. The Woman King, $5.3 million.
  5. Don't Worry Darling, $3.5 million.
  6. Avatar, $2.6 million.
  7. Barbarian, $2.2 million.
  8. Bros, $2.2 million.
  9. Ponniyin Selvan Part One, $910,000.
  10. Terrifier 2, $825,000.
(More box office stories.)

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