Jason Statham’s ‘A Working Man’ Dominates Box Office with $15.2 Million, While ‘Snow White’ Faces 66% Drop: What This Means for Future Releases

In a surprising turn of events, Jason Statham’s action-packed thriller, “A Working Man,” dominated the box office, raking in $15.2 million during its opening weekend. Directed by David Ayer, known for “Suicide Squad,” this film managed to outshine Disney’s “Snow White,” which saw a steep drop of over 66% in its second week.

Disney’s much-anticipated live-action remake of the classic tale opened to a lackluster $45 million. This past weekend, it pulled in $14.2 million, landing at No. 2. Starring Rachel Zegler as Snow White and Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen, the film has made $66.8 million domestically and $143.1 million globally. However, with a budget exceeding $250 million—excluding marketing costs—it must maintain strong ticket sales to recover its expenses. Next weekend, it will face stiff competition from the upcoming “A Minecraft Movie.”

“A Working Man” received a mixed reception, earning a “B” grade from CinemaScore exit polls. The film features Statham as a retired military veteran who springs into action when human traffickers kidnap his boss’s daughter. This debut is slightly lower than the pair’s previous film, “The Beekeeper,” which opened at $16 million and ultimately grossed $66 million in the U.S. and $162 million globally.

Meanwhile, three other films hit theaters, but none made a significant impact. Universal and Blumhouse’s horror flick, “The Woman in the Yard,” debuted alongside A24’s surreal film “Death of a Unicorn” and Fathom’s faith-based “The Chosen: Last Supper.” Overall box office sales are currently lagging, about 10.9% behind 2024 and a staggering 39% behind 2019, according to Comscore.

“The Chosen: Last Supper,” which revolves around Jesus and his disciples, surprisingly opened in third place with $11.5 million from 2,235 theaters. Fathom Events is releasing its fifth season in cinemas with two-week screenings.

Occupying the fourth position, “The Woman in the Yard” earned $9.4 million from 2,842 theaters. The film tells the story of a family who encounters a mysterious woman in their yard delivering a cryptic warning. Critics weren’t kind, giving it a “C-” on CinemaScore and a 39% average rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Fortunately, its production costs were kept to $12 million.

Rounding out the top five is A24’s horror-comedy, “Death of a Unicorn,” which brought in $5.8 million from 3,050 theaters. The film stars Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega as a father and daughter who face chaotic consequences after accidentally killing a mythical creature. This weekend’s performance marks an improvement from A24’s previous release, the poorly received “Opus,” which made just $1.8 million.

In limited release, Bleecker Street’s “The Friend” tells the poignant story of a woman (played by Naomi Watts) adopting her friend’s Great Dane after his tragic suicide. The film earned $66,853 from just two screens in New York, averaging an impressive $33,426 per screen. Meanwhile, Sony Pictures Classics released “The Penguin Lessons” across 1,017 theaters, leading to a more modest $1.2 million in earnings.

As the film industry continues to navigate fluctuating audience interest and box office performance, both studios and filmmakers will be watching closely to see how their strategies evolve in a changing landscape.

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