'Bob Marley' Squashes 'Madame Web,' Netflix Wins Streaming War, 'Road House' Causes A Ruckus and More (02-15-24)

Why hide that 'Joker 2' is a musical, and why not wait until 'Bad Boys 4' to see to what extent Will Smith has been 'canceled' his Oscar-night Chris Rock slap?

Have superhero/franchise flicks become a trap for promising filmmakers? 

Bob Marley: One Love just set a new box office record, earning $14 million on its opening day. That’s a milestone for a non-Friday Valentine’s Day opening day. It’s also the third-biggest opening day for a music biopic, behind Bohemian Rhapsody ($18.8 million in 2018 on its way to a $55 million debut) and Straight Outta Compton ($24.1 million on its way to $60 million in 2015). Sure, after The Color Purple, which opened with $18 million on Christmas Day and then stalled out below $60 million domestic total, I am not yet ready to pop the champagne on this $70 million drama.  

With an A from Cinemascore, hope springs eternal. Even legs like Rent (the famously frontloaded Thanksgiving 2005 release that earned $17 million over a Wed-Sun launch following a $4.75 million Wednesday) get this one to $53 million by Monday. That’s probably not going to happen, but even legs like The Color Purple get One Love past $30 million over the long weekend debut. Whether or not it drops dead after a boffo opening day, it’s a show of force for Paramount’s marketing team.