Space Jam 2 Opens to $31 Million at the Box Office

Name: Space Jam: A New Legacy
Released: 2021-07-16T04:00:00+00:00
Cast: LeBron James, Don Cheadle, Sonequa Martin-Green, Cedric Joe, Zendaya

Jamie Lovett

07/18/2021 12:55 pm EDT

Space Jam: A New Legacy topped the box office in its opening weekend. The long-awaited sequel earned $13.1 million on its opening day on its way to an opening weekend total of more than $31 million. That's enough to top Marvel Studios' latest movie, Black Widow, bringing in $26 million in its second frame. That's approximately a 68% drop from its pandemic record-setting opening weekend and may be due to the film being available to stream on Disney+. Its total will climb to $131.3 million at the domestic box office.

Space Jam: A New Legacy has been derided by critics. However, ComicBook.com's Aaron Perine had enjoyed the film.

"A lot of people wondered why this movie was necessary," Perine writes in his review. "The original Space Jam is viewed as a classic for a lot of older fans, but it's important to remember that the same sort of critiques were leveled at Michael Jordan's entry when it premiered in the mid-'90s. Younger viewers are going to have a blast seeing some of their favorite cartoons on-screen while older members of the audience might find themselves drifting back toward their own youths, back when an airbrushed Taz shirt was the height of cool. When I walked out of my screening, a seven-year-old turned to his father and firmly said, 'That was a good movie!' And, honestly, that might be the best recommendation you can give a family film like this."

Space Jam: A New Legacy is just one film opening this weekend. The second Escape Room movie opens in third place. The Anthony Bourdain documentary Roadrunner opens in eighth place. Nicolas Cage's Pig opens in 10th place.

What do you think of Space Jam: A New Legacy topping the box office? Let us know in the comments. Space Jam: A New Legacy is playing in theaters and streaming now on HBO Max. Keep reading to see this week's full list.

1. Space Jam: A New Legacy

(Photo: Warner Bros.)

Opening Weekend
Total: $31.65 million

Superstar LeBron James and his young son, Dom, get trapped in digital space by a rogue AI. To get home safely, LeBron teams up with Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and the rest of the Looney Tunes gang for a high-stakes basketball game against the AI's digitized champions of the court -- a powered-up roster called the Goon Squad.

Space Jam: A New Legacy is directed by Michael D. Lee. The film stars LeBron James, Don Cheadle, Khris Davis, Sonequa Martin-Green, and Cedric Joe, with the voices of Jeff Bergman, Eric Bauza, and Zendaya.

2. Black Widow

(Photo: Marvel Studios)

Week Two
Weekend: $26.25 million
Total: $132 million

Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow, confronts the darker parts of her ledger when a dangerous conspiracy with ties to her past arises. Pursued by a force that will stop at nothing to bring her down, Natasha must deal with her history as a spy, and the broken relationships left in her wake long before she became an Avenger.

Black Widow is directed by Cate Shortland, based on a screenplay by Eric Pearson. The film stars Scarlett Johansson, Florence Pugh, David Harbour, O-T Fagbenle, Olga Kurylenko, William Hurt, Ray Winstone, and Rachel Weisz.

3. Escape Room: Tournament of Champions

(Photo: Sony Pictures)

Opening Weekend
Total: $8.8 million

Six people unwittingly find themselves locked in another series of escape rooms, slowly uncovering what they have in common to survive -- and discovering they've all played the game before.

Escape Room: Tournament of Champions is directed by Adam Robitel. The film stars Taylor Russell, Logan Miller, Indya Moore, Holland Roden, Thomas Cocquerel, and Carlito Olivero.

4. F9

(Photo: Universal Pictures)

Week Four
Weekend: $7.6 million
Total: $154.8 million

Dom Toretto is living the quiet life off the grid with Letty and his son, but they know that danger always lurks just over the peaceful horizon. This time, that threat forces Dom to confront the sins of his past to save those he loves most. His crew soon comes together to stop a world-shattering plot by the most skilled assassin and high-performance driver they've ever encountered -- Dom's forsaken brother.

F9 is directed by Justin Lin, from a screenplay he co-wrote with Daniel Casey. The film stars Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, John Cena, Jordana Brewster, Nathalie Emmanuel, Sung Kang, Michael Rooker, Helen Mirren, Kurt Russell, and Charlize Theron.

5. The Boss Baby: Family Business

(Photo: Universal)

Week Three
Weekend: $4.7 million
Total: $44.6 million

In the sequel to DreamWorks Animation's Oscar-nominated blockbuster comedy, the Templeton brothers - Tim (James Marsden, X-Men franchise) and his Boss Baby little bro Ted (Alec Baldwin) - have become adults and drifted away from each other. Tim is now a married stay-at-home dad. Ted is a hedge fund CEO. But a new boss baby with a cutting-edge approach and a can-do attitude is about to bring them together again... and inspire a new family business.

The Boss Baby: Family Business is directed by Tom McGrath, based on a screenplay by Michael McCullers. The film features the voices of Alec Baldwin, James Marsden, Amy Sedaris, Ariana Greenblatt, Jeff Goldblum, Eva Longoria, Jimmy Kimmel, and Lisa Kudrow.

6. The Forever Purge

(Photo: Blumhouse)

Week Three
Weekend: $4.16 million
Total: $35.9 million

On the run from a drug cartel, a Mexican couple battle vicious thugs who plan to continue the violent tradition of the now-outlawed Purge.

The Forever Purge is directed by Everardo Valerio Gout and written James DeMonaco. The film stars Ana de la Reguera, Tenoch Huerta, Josh Lucas, Cassidy Freeman, Leven Rambin, Alejandro Edda, and Will Patton.

7. A Quiet Place Part II

(Photo: Paramount Pictures)

Week Eight
Weekend: $2.3 million
Total: $155 million

Following the deadly events at home, the Abbott family must now face the terrors of the outside world as they continue their fight for survival in silence. Forced to venture into the unknown, they quickly realize that the creatures that hunt by sound are not the only threats that lurk beyond the sand path.

A Quiet Place Part II is directed by John Krasinski. The film stars Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe, Cillian Murphy, and Djimon Hounsou.

8. Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain

(Photo: Focus Features)

Opening Weekend
Total: $1.9 million

It's not where you go. It's what you leave behind . . . Chef, writer, adventurer, provocateur: Anthony Bourdain lived his life unabashedly. Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain is an intimate, behind-the-scenes look at how an anonymous chef became a world-renowned cultural icon. From Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Morgan Neville (20 Feet From Stardom, Won't You Be My Neighbor?), this unflinching look at Bourdain reverberates with his presence, in his own voice and in the way he indelibly impacted the world around him.

Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain was directed and produced by Morgan Neville. The documentary chronicles the life, career, and impact of celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain.

9. Cruella

(Photo: Disney)

Week Eight
Weekend: $1.1 million
Total: $83.4 million

Estella is a young and clever grifter who's determined to make a name for herself in the fashion world. She soon meets a pair of thieves who appreciate her appetite for mischief, and together they build a life for themselves on the streets of London. However, when Estella befriends fashion legend Baroness von Hellman, she embraces her wicked side to become the raucous and revenge-bent Cruella.

Cruella is directed by Craig Gillespie with a screenplay by Dana Fox and Tony McNamara, from a story by Aline Brosh McKenna, Kelly Marcel, and Steve Zissis.. based on the villain of Dodie Smith's 1956 novel The Hundred and One Dalmatians and Disney's animated film adaptation, 1961's 101 Dalmations. The film stars Emma Stone, Emma Thompson, Joel Fry, Paul Walter Hauser, Emily Beecham, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, and Mark Strong.

10. Pig

(Photo: NEON)

Opening Weekend
Total: $945,000

Living alone in the Oregon wilderness, a truffle hunter returns to Portland to find the person who stole his beloved pig.

Pig is directed by Michael Sarnoski, who co-wrote the script with Vanessa Block. It stars Nicolas Cage, Alex Wolff, and Adam Arkin.

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