Weekend Box Office: The Running Man Easily Beaten by Now You See Me 3

The weekend box office numbers are in, and they’re a reminder that in this game of cinematic smoke and mirrors, not every big swing connects—while some old tricks still pull crowds like nothing’s changed. Lionsgate’s Now You See Me: Now You Don’t—that cheeky third chapter in the illusionist-heist saga—conjured a domestic debut of $21.3 million, edging out Paramount’s glossy The Running Man remake at $17 million. It’s the kind of flip that leaves you chuckling at the irony: Edgar Wright’s high-octane dystopian chase, packed with Glen Powell’s easy charm, couldn’t outrun a band of wisecracking magicians led by Jesse Eisenberg and Woody Harrelson. Abroad, the gap widens dramatically, with the caper flick raking in $54.2 million internationally, including a whopping $19.2 million from China alone. The Running Man, meanwhile, limped to $11 million overseas. Box office report like this one? They don’t just tally dollars—they whisper about what’s captivating audiences right now, when theaters need every spell they can cast.

I caught wind of these figures mid-afternoon, scrolling through Exhibitor Relations’ updates while nursing a coffee in a dimly lit L.A. spot that smells faintly of old film reels. Powell’s ascent has been meteoric—Top Gun: Maverick still echoes in every cockpit quip he delivers—but this? A $17 million bow for a film that screamed “event movie” from its first trailer drop. We pegged it low earlier in the week, no higher than $20 million, and here we are, undershooting even that. It’s not the outright crater of Sydney Sweeney’s Christy last frame, mind you—that one vanished like a bad dream—but it’s a thud that echoes. Wright, the maestro behind Baby Driver‘s kinetic pulse and Scott Pilgrim‘s pixelated frenzy, poured evident love into this Stephen King adaptation redux. Yet, audiences stayed away. Domestic and international alike. Powell’s grin, so magnetic in rom-coms or aerial dogfights, couldn’t sell tickets to a crowd craving… what, exactly? Escape without the sweat?

Contrast that with Now You See Me: Now You Don’t. Opening above whispers of doubt—Lionsgate greenlit this when many called it a fool’s errand—the film tapped into something primal: the joy of the con well-played. $21.3 million stateside isn’t fireworks, not when the 2016 sequel bowed at $22.3 million (unadjusted, sure, but still). But globally? $75.5 million opening weekend, No. 1 in 40 markets. China handed over $21.7 million via Leomus, per Maoyan— a market where anime and effects-heavy spectacles rule, but live-action capers? Rare bird. CIS pulled $6.4 million through Pasatiempo (yes, Lionsgate’s still threading that Russian needle via output deals), Latin America chipped in $5.5 million regionally, Korea $3.9 million via Lotte, France $3.5 million through SND, and the UK $3.2 million from Lionsgate UK. It’s the franchise’s global footprint flexing—proof that when the Four Horsemen ride again, wallets follow. And word from early screenings? The film’s a lark. Fun, twisty, unpretentious. In a year where blockbusters keep fumbling their patter, that’s rarer than a clean card trick.

Then there’s the holdovers, painting a portrait of franchise fatigue laced with quiet resilience. Predator: Badlands, last week’s champ from 20th Century and Disney, plummeted 68% to $13 million—its sharpest drop yet, leaving domestic cume at $66 million. International added $16.1 million, pushing global to $136.3 million, third-highest in the series (sans Russia). China held steady midweek at $12.7 million to lead offshore, followed by UK ($5.6 million), Mexico ($4 million), France ($3.7 million), and Japan ($3.3 million). A profit’s in sight, sure, but legs? Limp. The future of Dan Trachtenberg’s sci-fi slasher on IMAX screens feels wobbly—will it hunt again, or fade into direct-to-streaming underbrush?

Lower down, the Colleen Hoover adaptation Regretting You keeps date-nighters hooked, dipping just 40% to $4 million for a $44.9 million total. Steady as a slow-burn romance, it’s the rare YA lit-to-screen that doesn’t evaporate post-hype. The Black Phone 2 edged Nuremberg for fifth: $2.65 million versus $2.6 million, cume at $74.6 million—enough to lock a trilogy greenlight from the horror hive mind. Scott Derrickson’s eerie sequel’s got that Ethan’s House grip, pulling families (and fright fans) back despite the chill. Russell Crowe’s Nuremberg, a 33% soft drop to $2.6 million and $8.6 million total, punches above for an awards contender—think The Imitation Game vibes, but with more courtroom growl. Neon’s Keeper, Osgood Perkins’ latest haunt, tanked at $2.5 million flat— a sting for the director whose Longlegs and The Monkey clawed profits from indie shadows. Sarah’s Oil mirrored Nuremberg at $2.3 million and $8.6 million, while Bugonia and Chainsaw Man: The Movie deadlocked ninth at $1.6 million each— the former’s Yorgos Lanthimos riff holding quirky cult steam, the latter’s anime edge slicing to $41.2 million domestic.

Don’t sleep on the international wild card: Aniplex’s Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle finally stormed China, grossing 373 million RMB ($52.5 million) per Maoyan. IMAX alone snagged $12.3 million—24% of the national haul, the biggest Japanese title opener ever there, second only to Ne Zha 2 for animated debuts. Sony’s worldwide cume for the juggernaut now sits at $349.5 million. In a weekend otherwise lean—domestic totals scraping lows not seen since pre-streaming droughts—this anime blaze reminds us: global audiences don’t wait for permission to devour what moves them.

Here’s the weekend box office breakdown, straight from the ledgers:

#	MOVIE TITLE	WKND $	TOTAL $
1	Now You See Me, Now You Don’t	$21.3M	$21.3M
2	The Running Man	$17M	$17M
3	Predator: Badlands	$13M	$66M
4	Regretting You	$4M	$44.9M
5	The Black Phone 2	$2.65M	$74.6M
6	Nuremberg	$2.6M	$8.6M
7	Keeper	$2.5M	$2.5M
8	Sarah’s Oil	$2.3M	$8.6M
9	Bugonia	$1.6M	$15.6M
10	Chainsaw Man: The Movie	$1.6M	$41.2M

What threads through this tapestry? A hunger for the clever over the chaotic. The Running Man‘s remake—Arnie’s 80s relic dusted off for Wright’s wry touch—banked on Powell’s heat, but audiences saw through the bluff. Star power’s fickle; Cruise owns the “open anything” throne, while Powell’s still auditioning for it. Meantime, Now You See Me 3 thrives on communal glee—that rush of outsmarting the screen alongside strangers. It’s caper cinema at its sly best, echoing Ocean’s Eleven but with sleight-of-hand flair, proving Lionsgate’s gamble paid off. Horror holds the fort too: The Black Phone 2 and Chainsaw Man remind us, in sci-fi’s shadow, terror’s the reliable draw—grounded, visceral, less prone to franchise bloat.

Sci-fi purists like me—we live for the what-ifs. Wright’s vision promised a Hot Fuzz-meets-Hunger Games pulse, production whispers of on-set improv keeping the energy electric. But release timing bit back: sandwiched between holdover heavies, it couldn’t conjure the must-see urgency. International rollout staggers on—France, Brazil, Spain next week; Korea December 4; China December 5; Japan January 30—with UK leading at $3.3 million, Germany $1.1 million, Australia $1 million, Mexico $659K, UAE $391K. Will it rebound? Maybe. Or perhaps it’s the genre’s growing pains: dystopias dazzle on page or small screen, but theaters crave the immediate wow—the trick revealed just before the credits.

This box office report underscores a pivot. Post-Barbenheimer highs, weekends like this feel like holding patterns—until Wicked: For Good lands Wednesday. Audiences, it seems, want their magic tangible, their scares intimate. Powell? He’ll climb. But for now, the Horsemen ride high. And honestly? In a world spinning too fast, who wouldn’t bet on a good illusion?

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Box Office Whispers: What This Weekend Really Told Us

Illusions Outrun Dystopias That $21.3 million domestic for Now You See Me: Now You Don’t? It’s less about magic and more about mischief—Eisenberg’s deadpan delivery cutting through the cynicism like a well-sharpened deck. Feels like the crowd’s saying, “Give us grins, not grimaces.”

Powell’s Pedigree, Tested $17 million for The Running Man stings, especially with Wright’s flair. Powell’s got the tools— that rogueish spark—but A-list openers demand more than charm; they need the Cruise-level mythos. Still rooting for the rebound.

Horror’s Quiet Grip From The Black Phone 2‘s $74.6 million cume to Keeper‘s flop sweat, the genre’s bipolar weekend shows its split soul: sequels sustain, originals gamble. Perkins’ tank? A blip—his shadows linger longer than the numbers suggest.

Global Gambles Pay Off China’s $52.5 million for Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle isn’t just anime dominance; it’s a blueprint for cross-cultural hits. IMAX ate 24%—proof effects and emotion cross oceans without subtitles.

Holdovers as Harbingers Predator: Badlands cratering 68%? Sci-fi slasher legs buckling under their own weight. Yet Regretting You‘s steady $44.9 million whispers: in romance’s glow, even Hoover adaptations find footing amid the fall.

Grab your tickets for Wicked: For Good this week—it’s the palate cleanser we didn’t know we needed. What pulled you to theaters lately? Drop a line; let’s unpack the next reel together.

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