‘Civil War’ Holds Narrow Box Office Lead Over ‘Abigail’ With $11 Million

A24’s “Civil War” is in a tight race with Universal’s new horror release “Abigail” at the box office, but currently holds the edge with $11 million grossed in its second weekend.

The dystopian thriller is showing a decent hold with a drop of about 56% from its $26 million opening weekend, giving it a 10-day total of $44.2 million. With a production budget of $50 million and foreign presales lowering the break-even point, “Civil War” is shaping up to be a modest box office success.

“Abigail” is right behind “Civil War” with an opening of $10 million from 3,384 locations. Based on the 1936 classic Universal film “Dracula’s Daughter” and directed by the “Scream VI” filmmaking duo Radio Silence, “Abigail” carries a reported budget of $28 million and should be able to pass the break-even point as reception for the film has been generally positive with an 82% Rotten Tomatoes score and a B on CinemaScore, a solid grade for an R-rated horror film.

Lionsgate’s “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare,” is competing against the fourth weekend of “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” for the No. 3 spot on the charts with an estimated opening of around $9 million from 2,845 theaters.

Directed by Guy Ritchie and starring Henry Cavill, the film carries a reported $60 million budget and was co-produced and financed by a consortium of production partners including Black Bear Pictures and Jerry Bruckheimer Films.

Between that cost-sharing and Lionsgate’s other traditional strategies including foreign distribution presales, sources at the studio say that “Ungentlemenly Warfare” will be a profitable title for them, though the movie is set to join recent titles “The Covenant” and “Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre” among recent films directed by Ritchie to open below $10 million. Those that did see the film enjoyed it, giving it an A- on CinemaScore to go with a 72% Rotten Tomatoes critics score.

Completing the top 5 is Sony/Crunchyroll’s “Spy x Family Code: White,” an anime film based on the “Spy X Family” manga series that is set to make just under $5 million from 2,009 theaters. Like most Crunchyroll offerings, the film is unlikely to have staying power beyond this weekend, but is providing a modicum of box office support during a release period light on tentpoles.