Overview of the US business for the week of Monday, April 26

The debut of two new  action films propelled the 3-day Domestic box office to $54.2M, the highest total for any weekend since the onset of the pandemic. Warner Bros.' much-anticipated Mortal Kombat led all films with $22.5M.  The R-Rated action fantasy played at 3,073 locations, which made it the widest distribution in North America for any film in more than a year.  FUNimation's Japanese anime feature Demon Slayer the Movie: Mugen Train came in a close second place with $19.5M in ticket sales.  It played at only 1,600 locations, which resulted in a smashing per-theatre-average of $12,188.  WB's Godzilla Vs. Kong came in third place for its fourth week in theatres, returning $4.2M for the weekend and a cume of $86.6M.

Our Popcorn Previews Boxoffice Buzz video shines a spotlight on the opening weekend returns for Mortal Kombat.  We also continue our celebration of animated family films from the past 20 years by offering Part III of our four-part series, which kicks off with the Pixar classic Cars from 2006, starring the voice of Owen Wilson as a hot-shot race car named Lightning McQueen.

Our Industry News roundup begins with the latest update from the U.S. Small Business Administration on details for opening day on Monday when theatres will be allowed to submit applications for the Shuttered Venue Operators Grants. Exhibitors are eagerly awaiting the chance to apply for this funding, especially because the SBA has said that it will evaluate applications on a first-come-first-serve basis.  We also provide an update on the Q1 financial results and subscriber counts for HBO Max and Netflix, both vying for position at the top tier of consumer streaming services.

In the Hollywood Report, Martin Grove considers the shakeout at the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, after long-time president Phil Berk was ousted after making public statements denigrating the Black Lives Matter social justice movement.

Our Studio Release Calendar provides the schedule for film releases through mid-July. We conclude with a list of the most recent studio release changes, MPAA film ratings announcements and six new trailers released last week.