“Spider-Man: No Way Home,” starring Tom Holland as the webslinger, topped the box office during its re-release last weekend.
“Spider-Man: No Way Home” topped the box office when the 2021 Marvel film was re-released during a Labor Day weekend when countless people went to theaters because of $3 tickets.
Saturday was National Cinema Day, and all movies, even IMAX films such as a re-release of the 1975 classic “Jaws,” cost $3 everywhere. That was enough to fill lobbies in theaters, which make their money on concessions.
The combination of $3 movies and the re-release or continuation of popular films gave a boost, at least for one day, to a movie theater industry that is competing with the growing number of first-run films streaming online.
Starring Tom Holland as Spider-Man (as well as Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield as Spider-Man from their respective universes), “Spider-Man: No Way Home” grossed $6 million for Friday through Sunday, and by noon Monday, the gross increased by another $1.6 million.
Also soaring was “Top Gun: Maverick,” placing No. 2 for Friday through Sunday with $5.5 million.
“Bullet Train,” whose cast included Bryan Tyree Henry, left, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson, was No. 4 in the box office.
“DC League of Super-Pets,” the animated adventure of Krypto and his friends, flew high as well, in third place. It grossed $5.45 million.
“Bullet Train,” the action comedy starring Brad Pitt, stayed on track in fourth place, grossing $5.4 million.
The horror thriller “The Invitation” scared up fifth place with $4.71 million.
“DC League of Super-Pets,” starring the voices of Dwayne Johnson as Krypto and Kevin Hart as Ace, placed No. 3 in the box office.
“Beast,” a movie about a man and his two teenage daughters being hunted by a lion, landed in sixth place with $3.64 million.
“Minions: The Rise of Gru” was the No. 7 movie with $3.13 million.’
Marvel’s “Thor: Love and Thunder,” starring Chris Hemsworth and Montecito actress Natalie Portman, placed eighth with $2.45 million.
In ninth place was the anime movie “Dragon Ball Super: Superhero” with $2.41 million.
And placing 10th was the re-release of “Jaws.” The film grossed $2.3 million.
What’s more, “Jaws,” filmed before the age of computer-generated images and featuring a mechanical shark, has stood the test of time. Here’s a short review, 47 years after the fact.
Sure, a computer-generated shark would have looked more realistic than the mechanical shark, which had frequent breakdowns during filming. But “Jaws” still manages to make people jump in their seats, thanks to effective, old-school effects, and the actors’ reactions to the mechanical shark.
In addition, actors Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss and Robert Shaw portrayed their characters with total sincerity.
And much credit has to go to director Steven Spielberg, who didn’t miss a beat in building the Alfred Hitchcock-like suspense. Fans of “Jaws” never know what the giant shark will do or when it will do it.
That’s why “Jaws,” released in 1975, can still be in the top 10 at the box office in 2022.
email: dmason@newspress.com
