Really, we should be talking about Dune: Part II.
Back in the early days of 2023, as we were penciling in the year’s big films, Nov. 17 was Dune day. Given that the first Dune movie (released in 2021) earned more than $400 million and won six Oscars, we kinda figured the sequel would be a big deal.
But then the actors’ union of SAG-AFTRA went on strike—and after nearly four months, it remains on strike. Sure, that means that plenty of movies aren’t getting made. But it also means that movies already made are being shelved—waiting for the day that actors can once again hang out on late-night television shows to promote their films.
So, no Dune: Part II. And instead, we got one of the weakest box-office weekends of the year.
The beneficiary of it all? Five Nights at Freddy’s, which cruised to another weekend title. It earned an estimated $19.4 million in North America, pushing its domestic haul to $113.6 million. That makes the curiously sweet PG-13 fright flick the biggest horror film of the year. And given that 2023 has seen plenty of successful horror films, that’s saying something.
Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour continues to claim its share of the spotlight, though. Now in its fourth weekend of work, The Eras Tour collected another $13.5 million to finish second. Swift’s concert flick has now earned $166 million in North America—which, according to my reading, would make The Eras Tour the year’s 13th biggest film. Given that Swift’s favorite number is 13, she may decide to pull the film from theaters and call it a day before it earns any more money.
Or not.
Killers of the Flower Moon continues its own drive to box-office significance, earning $7 million and a third-place finish. Martin Scorsese’s historical epic has now collected $52.3 million. That kept Priscilla—a biopic about Priscilla Presley and the weekend’s most significant newcomer—down in fourth place with $5.1 million.
Radical—a Spanish-language dramedy about an inspirational teacher in Mexico—finished fifth, collecting $2.7 million.
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