The box office has officially entered the January doldrums. The weekend’s only new wide opener, the outer space thriller “I.S.S.,” failed to make impact, eyeing a dull opening after drawing $1.2 million from 2,520 theaters across its opening day and previews.
Directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite, “I.S.S.” stars Ariana DeBose and Chris Messina as astronauts aboard the International Space Station. Geopolitical tensions on the ship are provoked as conflict escalates on the Earth below. Bleeker Street acquired the film in a deal last August.
Reviews have been mostly negative and early audiences are just as unimpressed, with “I.S.S.” landing a “C-” grade through research firm Cinema Score and 62% on Rotten Tomatoes. Rivals project the film will reach only $3.3 million in its debut.
Paramount’s “Mean Girls” continues its reign as queen bee of the box office, earning $3.2 million on Friday from 3,826 theaters. The movie musical is expected to add another $11 million over the weekend, bringing its domestic total to more than $49 million.
In second place, Amazon MGM’s “The Beekeeper” combed together $2.4 million on Friday from 3,330 locations, down 64% from the previous week. The David Ayer-directed action movie is projecting a three-day estimate of $8.4 million.
Warner Bros.’ “Wonka” is looking at an estimated $6.7 million in its sixth weekend of release, holding onto third place on domestic charts. The fantasy musical, starring Timothée Chalamet as the beloved chocolatier, will exceed $187.4 million through Sunday.
Sony’s “Anyone but You” landed in fourth place, earning $1.7 million on Friday from 2,928 locations. The rom-com, starring Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney, is projecting a weekend total of $5.4 million, bringing its domestic tally to $64.2 million through Sunday.
Rounding out the top five is Universal’s “Migration” with $1.1 million on Friday, down just 4% from last week. The Illumination animated adventure is expected to glide to a three-day total of $5.3 million, bringing its domestic total to north of $94 million.
Also opening this weekend in limited release, Ava DuVernay’s “Origin“ brought in $380,000 on Friday across 130 screens, per rivals.
