Sony’sUnchartedwas released this past Friday and ended its holiday weekend opening with a $51 million domestic box office total. The project’s success has many beneath the Sony Pictures umbrella elated, which CEO and Chairman Tom Rothman highlights in a companywide email sent out Monday, after the film’s incredible box office weekend.
Sony projected thatUnchartedwould end the four-day holiday weekend with an optimistic $30 million total, generating $27 million throughout the weekend’s first three days. Video game adaptations can be a rough avenue to maneuver through for most studios, but centering the franchise aroundSpider-Man: No Way Homestar Tom Holland gave the film a head start compared to most adaptations that came before it.
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Unchartedtook two years to fully come together due to production shutdowns caused by the coronavirus pandemic. However, despite the financial toll, Sony continued to move forward with the film, believing in the project’s ability to attract audiences to theaters to witness the experience, which seems to have paid off. “It is Presidents' Day in America, but we are open in most places around the world today, and we have another global triumph to celebrate,” expressedSony’s Chairman and CEOTom Rothman. “With over $100M in box office worldwide in just one weekend, and a 90% positive audience score on Rotten Tomatoes,Unchartedis a new hit movie franchise for the company.”
“This marks a great victory for every single division of the company, as the film was our first major production entirely shut down by the advent of Covid, yet we persevered to complete a picture the audience loves and marketed and distributed it with strategic verve worldwide, despite the pandemic,” said Rothman. The film’s director, Ruben Fleischer, is hopeful for a sequel, which one can speculate will arrive soon after theopening weekend success ofUncharted. The film’s worldwide total sits at $139 million, making it the third highest-grossing film globally in 2022, behind Chinese comedyToo Cool To Killand Chinese war/dramaWater Gate Bridge.
The excitement forUnchartedis warranted, but it’s ambitious for Rothman to label the film as the company’s new “hit movie franchise” after one weekend in theaters. The box office has been a seesaw so far this year, with certain films floundering during their second theatrical weekend. For instance, the reimaginedScreamfranchise posted a $36 million opening, the highest opening weekend total in 2022 beforeUnchartedtook the crown, but the film fell flat its second weekend, earning roughly $12.4 million.Unchartedmay follow a different path, but Sony should tailor expectations until time proves otherwise. It’s equally important to note that the 40% Rotten Tomatoes rating from critics cannot be ignored, with some feeling that the treasure hunting adventure isn’t new and has been done better by other films in the genre.
Nonetheless, the film beat its holiday opening weekend projections, a fantastic milestone worth celebrating. Rothman later discussed in his companywide email the power of real movies and how the performance ofUnchartedis yet another blow to those who have doubts in the theatrical model. Rothman ended by thanking everyone involved with the film, pointing out the creativity and dedication behind the scenes. It will be interesting to see how Sony’s new “hit movie franchise” continues to perform over the next few weekends, especially withThe Batmanlurking in the shadows.
