GOAT Triumphs in Quiet Box Office Weekend Showdown
In a notably subdued weekend for North American cinemas, Sony Pictures Animation's family-friendly film "GOAT" has emerged victorious, narrowly edging out Warner Bros.' R-rated drama "Wuthering Heights" in a closely watched second-weekend battle. According to studio estimates released on Sunday, GOAT garnered $17 million in ticket sales, while Wuthering Heights followed closely with $14.2 million.
A Sluggish Overall Performance
The broader box office landscape remained quiet, with all new releases failing to surpass the $10 million mark. This lacklustre performance affected several high-profile debuts, including the faith-based sequel "I Can Only Imagine 2," Glen Powell's black comedy "How to Make a Killing," and the horror film "Psycho Killer," which currently holds a dismal 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
One notable exception to the weekend's overall gloom was Baz Luhrmann's immersive documentary "EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert," which achieved an impressive $3.3 million from just 325 locations during its limited IMAX release. The film is scheduled to expand to nationwide distribution on February 27.
Second Weekend Holdovers Show Divergent Trajectories
GOAT demonstrated remarkable resilience in its sophomore weekend, experiencing only a modest 38% decline. Studio executives attribute this strong hold to positive word-of-mouth surrounding the Stephen Curry-produced animated feature, which follows the story of a small goat with grand sports ambitions, voiced by Stranger Things star Caleb McLaughlin. The film has now accumulated $58.3 million domestically and $102.3 million globally.
In contrast, Wuthering Heights suffered a steeper 57% drop from its opening weekend, bringing its domestic total to $60 million. The film added $26.3 million internationally, pushing its worldwide earnings to $151.7 million against an $80 million production budget. The United Kingdom remains its strongest international market, contributing $22.5 million alone.
New Releases Struggle to Make an Impact
Third place for the weekend went to Lionsgate and Kingdom Story's "I Can Only Imagine 2," which opened with $8 million—significantly below the $17 million debut of its 2018 predecessor. Despite this, the sequel met expectations and earned a rare A+ CinemaScore from audiences.
Amazon and MGM's heist thriller "Crime 101," starring Chris Hemsworth and Mark Ruffalo, fell 59% in its second weekend to $5.8 million, securing fourth place. The film has now grossed $24.7 million against a reported $90 million budget.
"Send Help" rounded out the top five with $4.5 million, while "How to Make a Killing" landed in sixth place with $3.6 million. Released by A24 in 1,600 North American theaters, the Glen Powell-starring black comedy has been poorly received by critics, earning a "rotten" 47% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
The weekend's biggest disappointment was 20th Century Studios' "Psycho Killer," which opened outside the top ten with a meager $1.6 million from 1,110 theaters. According to PostTrak data, only 31% of ticket buyers would "definitely recommend" the horror-thriller.
Top 10 Domestic Box Office Rankings
Based on estimated ticket sales from Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore:
- "GOAT," $17 million
- "Wuthering Heights," $14.2 million
- "I Can Only Imagine 2," $8 million
- "Crime 101," $5.8 million
- "Send Help," $4.5 million
- "How to Make a Killing," $3.6 million
- "EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert," $3.3 million
- "Solo Mio," $2.6 million
- "Zootopia 2," $2.3 million
- "Avatar: Fire and Ash," $1.8 million
