Spiral Leads Opening Weekend at the Box Office

The newest Saw movie, Spiral: From the Book of Saw, is at the top of the box office chart in its opening weekend. The new film starring Chris Rock earned $8.7 million in its first three days, easily enough to top last week’s box office champion, Jason Statham’s Wrath of Man, which earned $3.7 million in its second weekend. Angelina Jolie’s new neo-Western, Those Who Wish Me Dead, is in third place with $2.8 million in its opening weekend in theaters (the film is also streaming on HBO Max). Animated films Demon Slayer and Raya and the Last Dragon round out this week’s top five at the box office.

Critics aren’t loving Spiral: From the Book of Saw. ComicBook.com‘s Patrick Cavanagh gave it a middling review:

“Spiral: From the Book of Saw almost immediately shows off just how much more entertaining and impressive a sequel in the series can be when it focuses on story and character as opposed to unsettling the audience, but it fails to come out from under its own legacy, still culminating in an ‘unexpected’ finale. Longtime fans will surely appreciate the new approach to the concept, yet it offers little to win over those doubtful about how much potential the concept ever had in the first place.”

Keep reading to see this week’s full list of top 10 movies at the box office.

1. Spiral

• Opening Weekend
• Total: $8.7 million

Working in the shadow of his father, Detective Ezekiel “Zeke” Banks and his rookie partner take charge of an investigation into grisly murders that are eerily reminiscent of the city’s gruesome past. Unwittingly entrapped in a deepening mystery, Zeke finds himself at the center of the killer’s morbid game.

Spiral, the ninth film in the Saw series, is directed by Darren Lynn Bousman from a screenplay written by Josh Stolberg and Peter Goldfinger. The movie stars Chris Rock, Max Minghella, Marisol Nichols, and Samuel L. Jackson.

2. Wrath of Man

• Week Two
• Weekend: $3.7 million
• Total: $14.6 million

Mysterious and wild-eyed, a new security guard for a cash truck surprises his co-workers when he unleashes precision skills during a heist. The crew is left wondering who he is and where he came from. Soon, the marksman’s ultimate motive becomes clear as he takes dramatic and irrevocable steps to settle a score.

Wrath of Man is directed by Guy Ritchie, based on the French film Cash Truck. The film stars Jason Statham, Holt McCallany, Jeffrey Donovan, Josh Hartnett, Laz Alonso, Chris Reilly, Raúl Castillo, DeObia Oparei, Eddie Marsan, and Scott Eastwood.

3. Those Who Wish Me Dead

• Opening Weekend
• Total: $3.7 million

Still reeling from the loss of three lives, Hannah is a smoke jumper who’s perched in a watchtower high above the Montana wilderness. She soon encounters Connor, a skittish boy who’s bloodied, traumatized and on the run in the remote forest. As Hannah tries to bring him to safety, she’s unaware of the real dangers to follow: two relentless killers hunting Connor, and a fiery blaze consuming everything in its path.

Those Who Wish Me Dead is directed by Taylor Sheridan. Michael Koryta, Charles Leavitt, and Sherida wrote the screenplay, inspired by Koryta’s 2014 novel of the same name. The film stars Angelina Jolie, Finn Little, Nicholas Hoult, Aidan Gillen, Jake Weber, Medina Senghore, and Jon Bernthal.

4. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train

• Week Three
• Weekend: $1.77 million
• Total: $41.9 million

Falling forever into an endless dream… Tanjiro and the group have completed their rehabilitation training at the Butterfly Mansion, and they arrive to their next mission on the Mugen Train, where over 40 people have disappeared in a very short period of time. Tanjiro and Nezuko, along with Zenitsu and Inosuke, join one of the most powerful swordsmen within the Demon Slayer Corps, Flame Hashira Kyojuro Rengoku, to face the demon aboard the Mugen Train on track to despair.

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train is a direct sequel to the first season of the anime series adapting the manga series by Koyoharu Gotouge. The filmwas directed by Haruo Sotozaki.

5. Raya and the Last Dragon

• Week 11
• Weekend: $1.718 million
• Total: $46.1 million

Long ago, in the fantasy world of Kumandra, humans and dragons lived together in harmony. However, when sinister monsters known as the Druun threatened the land, the dragons sacrificed themselves to save humanity. Now, 500 years later, those same monsters have returned, and it’s up to a lone warrior to track down the last dragon and stop the Druun for good.

Raya and the Last Dragon is directed by Don Hall and Carlos López Estrada. The film’s voice cast includes Kelly Marie Tran, Awkwafina, Izaac Wang, Gemma Chan, Daniel Dae Kim, Benedict Wong, Sandra Oh, Thalia Tran, Lucille Soong, and Alan Tudyk.

6. Godzilla vs. Kong

• Week Seven
• Weekend: $1.46 million
• Total: $95 million

Kong and his protectors undertake a perilous journey to find his true home. Along for the ride is Jia, an orphaned girl who has a unique and powerful bond with the mighty beast. However, they soon find themselves in the path of an enraged Godzilla as he cuts a swath of destruction across the globe. The initial confrontation between the two titans — instigated by unseen forces — is only the beginning of the mystery that lies deep within the core of the planet.

Godzilla vs. Kong is directed by Adam Wingard. The film stars Alexander Skarsgård, Millie Bobby Brown, Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Shun Oguri, Eiza González, Julian Dennison, Lance Reddick, Kyle Chandler, and Demián Bichir.

7. Mortal Kombat

• Week Four
• Weekend: $1.32 million
• Total: $39.9 million

Hunted by the fearsome warrior Sub-Zero, MMA fighter Cole Young finds sanctuary at the temple of Lord Raiden. Training with experienced fighters Liu Kang, Kung Lao and the rogue mercenary Kano, Cole prepares to stand with Earth’s greatest champions to take on the enemies from Outworld in a high-stakes battle for the universe.

Mortal Kombat, based on the video game franchise of the same name, is directed by Simon McQuoid. The film stars Lewis Tan, Jessica McNamee, Josh Lawson, Tadanobu Asano, Mehcad Brooks, Ludi Lin, Chin Han, Joe Taslim, and Hiroyuki Sanada. 

8. Finding You

• Opening Weekend
• Total: $954,000

Violinist Finley Sinclair travels to an Irish coastal village to begin her semester studying abroad. At the bed-and-breakfast run by her host family, she encounters Beckett Rush, a handsome actor who’s filming another installment of his medieval movie franchise. As romance sparks between the unlikely pair, Beckett ignites a journey of discovery for Finley — transforming her heart, her music and her outlook on life.

Finding You is directed by Brian Baugh, based on the 2011 YA romance novel There You’ll Find Me by Jenny B. Jones. It stars Rose Reid, Jedidiah Goodacre, and Katherine McNamara.

9. Army of the Dead

• Opening Weekend
• Total: $780,000

After a zombie outbreak in Las Vegas, a group of mercenaries takes the ultimate gamble by venturing into the quarantine zone for the greatest heist ever.

Army of the Dead is directed by Zack Snyder from a screenplay he wrote with Shay Hatten and Joby Harold. The movie stars Dave Bautista, Ella Purnell, Omari Hardwick, Ana de la Reguera, Theo Rossi, Matthias Schweighöfer, Nora Arnezeder, Hiroyuki Sanada, Tig Notaro, Raúl Castillo, Huma Qureshi, and Garret Dillahunt.

10. Profile

• Opening Weekend
• Total: $670,000

An undercover British journalist risks her life by infiltrating militant extremist groups online.

Profile is directed by Timur Bekmambetov, from a screenplay by Bekmambetov, Britt Poulton, and Olga Kharina. The film is based on the book In The Skin of a Jihadist by Anna Erelle. Its cast includes Valene Kane, Shazad Latif, Christine Adams, Amir Rahimzadeh, and Morgan Watkins.