X-Men: Dark Phoenix Opens to $33 Million at Box Office, Lowest Opening In Franchise’s History

It seems like the X-Men movies franchise be going out on a low note at the box office. Dark Phoenix will open with $33 million, the lowest opening ever for the X-Men movies. That lands the film in second place, trailing behind fellow opening sequel The Secret Life of Pets 2, which earned $48 million.

Dark Phoenix, the X-Men movies’ second attempt to do justice to the most popular X-Men comic book story of all time, is being met with mixed review. The film has been received poorly by critics. ComicBook.com’s own Brandon Davis gave it a mixed review, saying “In the end, Dark Phoenix is not the conclusion fans of the X-Men franchise might have been hoping for and it doesn’t make much of an effort to tie every narrative thread into a nice bow as the franchise is probably coming to an end here. It’s a bit behind its time. Still, the movie is fun and safe movie for fans of the characters to watch in a theater with a bass-heavy sound system, and leaves the key characters well enough to remember them fondly.”

Aladdin movies into third place in its third weekend. The film will earn another $24.5 million, bringing its box office total to $232 million. Aladdin is a live-action remake of the 1992 Disney Animation classic. The film is directed by Guy Ritchie and stars Will Smith as Genie, Mena Massoud as Aladdin, Naomi Scott as Princess Jasmine, and Marwan Kenzari as Jafar.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters drops to fourth place from first in its second weekend, earning $15.54 million to bring its total up to $78.6 million. The film is the sequel to 2014’s Godzilla. The new movie sees Godzilla going up against some of his classic rivals, including Mothra and King Ghidorah. The film also sets up the coming classic movie monster showdown coming in the sequel, Godzilla vs. Kong.

Keep reading to see the top 10 at the box office this weekend. What did you see at the movies this week? Let us know in the comments.

1. The Secret Life of Pets 2

Opening Weekend
Friday: $16.3 million
Weekend: $48 million

Max the terrier must cope with some major life changes when his owner gets married and has a baby. When the family takes a trip to the countryside, nervous Max has numerous run-ins with canine-intolerant cows, hostile foxes and a scary turkey. Luckily for Max, he soon catches a break when he meets Rooster, a gruff farm dog who tries to cure the lovable pooch of his neuroses.

The Secret Lives of Pets 2 is directed by Chris Renaud, co-directed by Jonathan del Val, and written by Brian Lynch. The film’s voice cast includes Patton Oswalt, Eric Stonestreet, Kevin Hart, Jenny Slate, Ellie Kemper, Tiffany Haddish, Lake Bell, Nick Kroll, Dana Carvey, Hannibal Buress, Bobby Moynihan, and Harrison Ford.

2. Dark Phoenix

Opening Weekend
Friday: $14 million
Weekend: $33 million

This is the story of one of the X-Men’s most beloved characters, Jean Grey, as she evolves into the iconic Dark Phoenix. During a life-threatening rescue mission in space, Jean is hit by a cosmic force that transforms her into one of the most powerful mutants of all. Wrestling with this increasingly unstable power as well as her own personal demons, Jean spirals out of control, tearing the X-Men family apart and threatening to destroy the very fabric of our planet. The film is the most intense and emotional X-Men movie ever made. It is the culmination of 20 years of X-Men movies, as the family of mutants that we’ve come to know and love must face their most devastating enemy yet — one of their own.

Dark Phoenix is written and directed by Simon Kinberg and stars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, Sophie Turner, Tye Sheridan, Alexandra Shipp, and Jessica Chastain.

3. Aladdin

Week Three
Friday: $6.7 million
Weekend: $24.5 million
Total: $232.38 million

A thrilling and vibrant live-action adaptation of Disney’s 1992 classic, Aladdin is the exciting tale of the charming street rat Aladdin, the courageous and self-determined Princess Jasmine and the Genie who may be the key to their future.

Aladdin is directed by Guy Ritchie, written by John August and Ritchie based on Disney’s animated feature of the same name. The film stars Will Smith; Mena Massoud; Naomi Scott; Marwan Kenzari; Navid Negahban; Nasim Pedrad; Billy Magnussen; and Numan Acar.

4. Godzilla: King of the Monsters

Week Two
Friday: $4.2 million
Weekend: $15.54 million
Total: $78.6 million

Members of the crypto-zoological agency Monarch face off against a battery of god-sized monsters, including the mighty Godzilla, who collides with Mothra, Rodan, and his ultimate nemesis, the three-headed King Ghidorah. When these ancient super-species-thought to be mere myths-rise again, they all vie for supremacy, leaving humanity’s very existence hanging in the balance.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters is directed by Michael Dougherty from a script written by Dougherty, Zach Shields, and Max Borenstein. The film stars Kyle Chandler, Vera Farmiga, Millie Bobby Brown, Bradley Whitford, Sally Hawkins, Charles Dance, Thomas Middleditch, Aisha Hinds, O’Shea Jackson Jr., David Strathairn, Ken Watanabe, and Zhang Ziyi.

5. Rocketman

Week Two
Friday: $3.9 million
Weekend: $14 million
Total: $50.49 million

An epic musical fantasy about the uncensored human story of Sir Elton John’s breakthrough years.

Rocketman is directed by Dexter Fletcher, written by Lee Hall, and stars Taron Egerton, Jamie Bell, Richard Madden, and Bryce Dallas Howard.

6. John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum

Week Four
Friday: $2 million
Weekend: $7.4 million
Total: $138.66 million

After gunning down a member of the High Table — the shadowy international assassin’s guild — legendary hit man John Wick finds himself stripped of the organization’s protective services. Now stuck with a $14 million bounty on his head, Wick must fight his way through the streets of New York as he becomes the target of the world’s most ruthless killers.

John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum is directed by Chad Stahelski from a screenplay written by Derek Kolstad, Shay Hatten, Chris Collins, and Marc Abrams, based on a story by Kolstad. The film stars Keanu Reeves, Halle Berry, Laurence Fishburne, Mark Dacascos, Asia Kate Dillon, Lance Reddick, Anjelica Huston, and Ian McShane.

7. Ma

Week Two
Friday: $2.2 million
Weekend: $7.82 million
Total: $32.76 million

A lonely middle-aged woman befriends some teenagers and decides to let them party in the basement of her home. But there are some house rules: One of the kids has to stay sober, don’t curse, and never go upstairs. They must also refer to her as Ma. But as Ma’s hospitality starts to curdle into obsession, what began as a teenage dream turns into a terrorizing nightmare, and Ma’s place goes from the best place in town to the worst place on Earth.

Ma is directed by Tate Taylor, from a screenplay by Taylor and Scotty Landes. The film stars Octavia Spencer, Juliette Lewis, Diana Silvers, Luke Evans, McKaley Miller, Missi Pyle, Corey Fogelmanis, Marjay Ross, Gianni Paolo, and Dante Brown.

8. Avengers: Endgame

Week Seven
Friday: $1.4 million
Weekend: $4.8 million
Total: $824.36 million

Adrift in space with no food or water, Tony Stark sends a message to Pepper Potts as his oxygen supply starts to dwindle. Meanwhile, the remaining Avengers — Thor, Black Widow, Captain America and Bruce Banner — must figure out a way to bring back their vanquished allies for an epic showdown with Thanos — the evil demigod who decimated the planet and the universe.

Avengers: Endgame is directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely and stars Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Don Cheadle, Paul Rudd, Brie Larson, Karen Gillan, Danai Gurira, Bradley Cooper, and Josh Brolin.

9. Pokemon: Detective Pikachu

Week Five
Friday: $887,000
Weekend: $2.98 million
Total: $137.4 million

Ace detective Harry Goodman goes mysteriously missing, prompting his 21-year-old son, Tim, to find out what happened. Aiding in the investigation is Harry’s former Pokémon partner, wise-cracking, adorable super-sleuth Detective Pikachu. Finding that they are uniquely equipped to work together, as Tim is the only human who can talk with Pikachu, they join forces to unravel the tangled mystery.

Pokemon: Detective Pikachu features the voice of Ryan Reynolds in the title role. It also stars Justice Smith, Kathryn Newton, Suki Waterhouse, Omar Chaparro, Chris Geere, Ken Watanabe and Bill Nighy.

10. Booksmart

Week Three
Friday: $451,000
Weekend: $1.57 million
Total: $17.81 million

Academic overachievers Amy and Molly thought keeping their noses to the grindstone gave them a leg up on their high school peers. But on the eve of graduation, the best friends suddenly realize that they may have missed out on the special moments of their teenage years. Determined to make up for lost time, the girls decide to cram four years of not-to-be missed fun into one night — a chaotic adventure that no amount of book smarts could prepare them for.

Booksmart is directed by Olivia Wilde from a screenplay by Emily Halpern and Sarah Haskins, Susanna Fogel, and Katie Silberman. The film stars Kaitlyn Dever, Beanie Feldstein, Jessica Williams, Will Forte, Lisa Kudrow, and Jason Sudeikis.