The Invitation Tops Weakest Box Office Weekend of the Summer

The new horror movie The Invitation is leading what looks to be the worst box office weekend of Summer 2022. The Invitation will earn somewhere in the $6 million to $7 million range at the box office, which will top out at $54 million grossed across all films total this weekend. This is likely the start of a dry period for box offices as most major studios have shot their summer blockbuster shots already. Things likely won’t pick up again until mid-October, when Halloween Ends releases on October 14th and Black Adam opens the following weekend, October 21st. This comes following news that Regal Cinemas’ parent company is filing for bankruptcy.

The Invitation is likely benefiting from this slow period. The film earned only a C from CinemaScore. It has a 29% score on Rotten Tomatoes with a critical consensus that reads, “Despite a very likable lead and a refreshingly light touch, The Invitation is ultimately too predictable to thrill as either a romance or a horror story.”  It also has an audience score of only 53%.

Also opening this weekend is the ambitious romantic fantasy Three Thousand Years of Longing by Mad Max director George Miller. The film is expected to open with $2.9 million for the weekend. The complete list of top 10 films at the box office this weekend follows.

[Correction: An earlier version of this story cited the wrong Rotten Tomatoes entry for The Invitation. We regret this error, which has since been corrected.]

1. The Invitation

• Opening Weekend
• Total: $6 million

After the death of her mother and having no other known relatives, Evie takes a DNA test and discovers a long-lost cousin she never knew she had. Invited by her newfound family to a lavish wedding in the English countryside, Evie’s at first seduced by the sexy aristocratic host. However, she’s soon thrust into a nightmare of survival as she uncovers twisted secrets about her family history and the unsettling intentions behind their sinful generosity.

Jessica M. Thompson directed The Invitation from a screenplay she co-wrote with Blair Butler, inspired by Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula. The film stars Nathalie Emmanuel and Thomas Doherty.

2. Bullet Train

• Week Four
• Weekend: $5.5 million
• Total: $78.1 million
  

Ladybug is an unlucky assassin who’s determined to do his job peacefully after one too many gigs has gone off the rails. Fate, however, may have other plans as his latest mission puts him on a collision course with lethal adversaries from around the globe — all with connected yet conflicting objectives — on the world’s fastest train.

David Leitch directed Bullet Train from a screenplay by Zak Olkewicz, based on the novel by Kōtarō Isaka. The movie stars Brad Pitt, Joey King, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Brian Tyree Henry, Andrew Koji, Hiroyuki Sanada, Michael Shannon, Benito A Martínez Ocasio, and Sandra Bullock.

3. Top Gun: Maverick

• Week 14
• Weekend: $4.9 million
• Total: $691.7 million
  

After more than 30 years of service as one of the Navy’s top aviators, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell is where he belongs, pushing the envelope as a courageous test pilot and dodging the advancement in rank that would ground him. Training a detachment of graduates for a special assignment, Maverick must confront the ghosts of his past and his deepest fears, culminating in a mission that demands the ultimate sacrifice from those who choose to fly it.

Joseph Kosinski directs Top Gun: Maverick from a screenplay written by Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer, and Christopher McQuarrie. The film stars Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Glen Powell, Lewis Pullman, Ed Harris, and Val Kilmer.

4. Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero

• Week Two
• Weekend: $4.83 million
• Total: $31 million

The Red Ribbon Army was once destroyed by Son Goku. Individuals who carry on its spirit have created the ultimate androids — Gamma 1 and Gamma 2. However, these two androids call themselves superheroes and start attacking Piccolo and Gohan.

Tetsuro Kodama directed Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, from a script written by Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama.

5. Beast

• Week Two
• Weekend: $4.3 million
• Total: $19.5 million

Recently widowed Dr. Nate Daniels and his two teenage daughters travel to a South African game reserve managed by Martin Battles, an old family friend, and wildlife biologist. However, what begins as a journey of healing soon turns into a fearsome fight for survival when a lion, a survivor of bloodthirsty poachers, begins stalking them.

Baltasar Kormákur directed Beast from a screenplay written by Ryan Engle, based on a story by Jaime Primak Sullivan. It stars Idris Elba, Iyana Halley, Leah Sava Jeffries, and Sharlto Copley.

6. DC League of Super-Pets

• Week Five
• Weekend: $4.3 million
• Total: $74.1 million
  

Krypto the Super-Dog and Superman are inseparable best friends, sharing the same superpowers and fighting crime side by side in Metropolis. However, when the Man of Steel and the rest of the Justice League are kidnapped, Krypto must convince a ragtag group of animals to master their own newfound powers for a rescue mission.

Jared Stern directed DC League of Super-Pets and co-wrote the story with John Whittington. The movie’s voices cast includes Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Kate McKinnon, John Krasinski, Vanessa Bayer, Natasha Lyonne, Diego Luna, Thomas Middleditch, Ben Schwartz, and Keanu Reeves.

7. Three Thousand Years of Longing

• Opening Weekend
• Total: $2.9 million

While attending a conference in Istanbul, Dr. Alithea Binnie happens to encounter a djinn who offers her three wishes in exchange for his freedom. This presents two problems: first, she doubts that he’s real, and second, because she’s a scholar of story and mythology, she knows all the cautionary tales of wishes gone wrong. The djinn pleads his case by telling her fantastical stories of his past. Eventually, she’s beguiled and makes a wish that surprises them both.

George Miller directed Three Thousand Years of Longing from a screenplay he co-wrote with Augusta Gore, based on the short story “The Djinn in the Nightingale’s Eye” by A. S. Byatt. The film stars Idris Elba and Tilda Swinton.

8. Minions: The Rise of Gru

• Week Nine
• Weekend: $2.73 million
• Total: $354.77 million
  

In the 1970s, young Gru tries to join a group of supervillains called the Vicious 6 after they oust their leader — the legendary fighter Wild Knuckles. When the interview turns disastrous, Gru and his Minions go on the run with the Vicious 6 hot on their tails. Luckily, he finds an unlikely source for guidance — Wild Knuckles himself — and soon discovers that even bad guys need a little help from their friends.

Kyle Balda directed Minions: The Rise of Gru. The film’s voice cast includes Steve Carell, Pierre Coffin, Taraji P. Henson, Michelle Yeoh, RZA, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Lucy Lawless, Dolph Lundgren, Danny Trejo, Russell Brand, Julie Andrews, and Alan Arkin

9. Thor: Love and Thunder

• Week Six
• Weekend: $2.65 million
• Total: $336.5 million
  

Thor embarks on a journey unlike anything he’s ever faced — a quest for inner peace. However, his retirement gets interrupted by Gorr the God Butcher, a galactic killer who seeks the extinction of the gods. To combat the threat, Thor enlists the help of King Valkyrie, Korg and ex-girlfriend Jane Foster, who — to his surprise — inexplicably wields his magical hammer. Together, they set out on a harrowing cosmic adventure to uncover the mystery of the God Butcher’s vengeance.

Taika Waititi directed Thor: Love and Thunder from a script he co-wrote with Jennifer Kaytin Robinson. The film stars Chris Hemsworth, Christian Bale, Tessa Thompson, Jaimie Alexander, Waititi, Russell Crowe, and Natalie Portman

10. Nope

• Week Six
• Weekend: $2.19 million
• Total: $117.6 million

Two siblings who run a California horse ranch discover something wonderful and sinister in the skies above, while the owner of an adjacent theme park tries to profit from the mysterious, otherworldly phenomenon.

Jordan Peele directed Nope. The film stars Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer, Steven Yeun, Michael Wincott, and Brandon Perea.