For the first time in five years, four different films grossed over $20 million at the box office during a non-holiday weekend. Warner Bros.’ ”Elvis” edged out Paramount’s ”Top Gun: Maverick” for the top spot with $31.2 million, while Universal’s “Jurassic World: Dominion” ($26.6 million for the weekend) and “The Black Phone” ($23.6 million) also hit the mark.
The last time four films achieved that was in July 2017, Christopher Nolan’s “Dunkirk” opened to $50.5 million while “Girls Trip,” “Spider-Man: Homecoming” and “War for the Planet of the Apes” earned over $20 million in weekend holdovers.
For much of the past year, the COVID-era box office has been defined by a status quo where one, maybe two films make up the overwhelming majority of tickets sold on any given weekend.