We figured this would happen, and early Sunday estimates suggest that movie-going in the United States slowed dramatically over the weekend due to coronavirus concerns, resulting in box office revenue falling to a 20-year low.
Onward remained on top, but suffered the worst second weekend total drop in the 25-year history of Pixar, taking in just $10.5 million - a 74% drop from its $40 million opening. As for the new releases, Lionsgate and Kingdom story's faith-based I Still Believe took second place with $9.5 million, beating Sony's Valiant Comics adaptation Bloodshot ($9.3 million). Blumhouse's The Invisible Man held on to third place with $6 million (10-day domestic total of $64.4 million), while controversial satirical thriller The Hunt placed fourth with $5.3 million.
There is some good news for Paramount, though, as Sonic the Hedgehog broke the $300M mark this weekend. The video game adaptation now sits at $145.8M domestic, $160.7M intl, $306.5M worldwide.
Many theaters in the US and around the world are now either closed or operating at reduced capacity, and more are expected to follow suit in the coming days and weeks. It goes without saying that this is going to hit the marketplace extremely hard.
About The Author:
Mark Cassidy is a writer, photographer, amateur filmmaker, and Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic from Dublin, Ireland.