Talk about a blast from the past.
Lucasfilm and Disney’s 20th Anniversary rerelease of Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith soared to $3.4 million in Thursday previews ahead of its limited one-week engagement, enough to beat the $2.5 million earned in previews by Ben Affleck’s new action-thriller The Accountant 2 (the $2.5 million includes “tax day” screenings held April 15).
If Revenge of the Sith proves to be a force of nature, the weekend could turn into a three-way race, versus just a contest between Warner Bros.’ Sinners and Amazon MGM Studios’ Accountant 2, both of which are expected to earn $20 million to $25 million.
The rerelease of Star Wars: The Phanom Meance earned $8.7 million on its opening weekend in May 2024, while the rerelease of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi grossed $5.1 million in late April 2023. There were no preview screenings for either of those titles. The big question is how frontloaded Sith is (one rival executive believes the Star Wars pic could indeed approach $20 million).
Many put Ryan Sinners way ahead of those estimates, and are certain it will stay atop the chart with $30 million or more. Graced with virtually perfect audience scores and the best reviews of Ryan Ryan Coogler‘s already acclaimed career, Sinners has transformed into the rare title that becomes a runaway water-cooler sensation.
On Thursday, Sinners bested the competition with a sizeable $6.1 million for an impressive seven-day domestic cume of $77.5 million. The period supernatural vampire pic starring Michael B. Jordan opened to a better-than-expected $48 million over Easter weekend to topple fellow Warners’ event pic A Minecraft Movie after the former ruled the roost for two consecutive weekends.
The first Accountant, released by Warners, opened to $24.7 million in 2016 on its way to grossing $155.5 million globally and becoming the most-rented digital film in 2017, according to Amazon MGM.
Reuniting Affleck and director Gavin O’Connor, Accountant 2 currently sports a fresh 76 percent critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, compared to a rotten 53 percent for the first film. Consumers are far more entranced, judging the by the sequel’s current 93 percent audience RT score.
Affleck produced the sequel via his and Matt Damon’s Artists Equity, alongside Lynette Howell Taylor for 51 Entertainment and Mark Williams for Zero Gravity Management. The film made its world premiere at SXSW last month, winning the audience Award for the Headliners section.
Jon Bernthal, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Daniella Pineda, Allison Robertson and J.K. Simmons co-star in Accountant 2, which sees Affleck’s character compelled to step in and help solve the murder of an old acquaintance with the help of his estranged brother and a U.S. Treasury agent. Together, they uncover a deadly conspiracy, becoming targets of a ruthless network of killers who will stop at nothing to keep their secrets buried.
Both Accountant 2 and Sinners are R-rated and will compete alongside Revenge of the Sith for male attention, although the latter has the advantage of also playing to families.
Screen Gem and Sony’s new horror offering Until Dawn took in $1 million in Thursday previews for a weekend opening in the single-digit range. It is likewise rated R.