In what is shaping up to be a muted weekend at the box office, Sony and Crunchyroll’s “Demon Slayer Kimetsu no Yaiba -To the Hashira Training” earned $1.8 million in Thursday previews, while Lionsgate and Kingdom Story Company’s inspirational drama “Ordinary Angels” picked up a paltry $285,000.
The weekend’s other new release, Focus Features’ comedic thriller “Drive-Away Dolls,” didn’t report preview grosses, which does not augur well for its commercial prospects. Despite the influx of movies, “Bob Marley: One Love” is expected to retain its spot at No. 1 after scoring an impressive $28.6 million over last weekend and $52 million through the Presidents holiday frame. “Bob Marley” should earn between $12 million to $14 million in its sophomore outing.
“To the Hashira Training” is projected to earn roughly $10 million, which would be on par with its predecessor, 2023’s anime adventure “Demon Slayer: To the Swordsmith Village,” which earned $10.1 million in first weekend. It would lag behind 2021’s Demon Slayer: Mugen Train,” which opened to $21 million. It’s still a solid result.
“Ordinary Angels,” which stars Hilary Swank as a small-town hairdresser who forges a bond with a widower and his young daughters, should gross a less-than-heavenly $5 million to $7 million. “Drive Away Dolls” was directed by Ethan Coen, one half of the Oscar-winning filmmaking brothers behind “Fargo” and “No Country for Old Men,” and stars Margaret Qualley, Geraldine Viswanathan and Beanie Feldstein. It is projected to earn a measly $2 million. It’s Coen’s solo directing debut. He wrote the script about two lesbian friends on the run from mobsters with his wife Tricia Cooke.
But all of these movies are really just a throat clearing before March 1 when “Dune: Part Two” opens in theaters, reminding moviegoers of what a true blockbuster looks like.
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