Full Article Text
T he " K a ra te K id " I s B ack !
A n d p r o o f tha t M ichae l B . J o r da n is a g l o ba l b o x o ffice s t a r .
MA Y 12, 2025
S ha
WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE FOR WEEK ENDING MAY 11, 2025
(Courtesy of Sony Pictures)
Below you'll find:
MICHAEL GIL TZ
5/17/25, 3:28 PM The "Karate Kid" Is Back! - Michael Giltz
https://michaelgiltz390212.substack.com/p/the-karate-kid-is-ba ck 1/13
*The top grossing movies worldwide during the last seven d ays
*My analysis of the week’s box office
*A list of box office winners for 2025
*Notes on each film, especially international movies unfamili ar to most
* Boilerplate on how I get my numbers, decide box office winners , etc.
But first, here are some recent stories you might enjoy:
Theater: “Port(al)” Brings The Brooklyn Navy Y ard Back To Life
Cellulloid Junkie –Movie Theaters Outdated? A Historic Box Office Weekend Says
Otherwise
Theater: Floyd Collins Digs Deep
– Michael Giltz
mgiltz@pipeline.com
www.michaelgiltz.com
www.popsurfing.com
(Artwork by Craig Baxter; all rights reserved ©2025)
5/17/25, 3:28 PM The "Karate Kid" Is Back! - Michael Giltz
https://michaelgiltz390212.substack.com/p/the-karate-kid-is-ba ck 2/13
BOX OFFICE FOR THE LAST SEVEN DAYS
1. Thunderbolts* aka The New Avengers–$110m / $272m worldwide total
2. Sinners–$46m / $283m ww total
3. A Minecraft Movie–$37m this week/ $910m ww total
4. The Accountant 2–$26m / $82m ww total
5. Detective Conan: One-Eyed Flashback (Japan)–$14m / $81m ww tot al
6. The Dumpling Queen (Hong Kong)–$13m / $40m ww total
7. Ne Zha 2 (China)–$9m / $2.180b ww total
8. Until Dawn–$9m / $44m ww total
9. A Gilded Game (China)–$9m / $26m ww total
10. Raid 2 (India/Hindi)–$6m / $17m ww
11. Karate Kid: Legends–$6m ww debut (Latin America)
12. Thudarum aka To Be Continued (India/Malayalam)–$4m / $23m ww
13. Yadang: The Snitch (Korea)–$4m / $20m ww total
14. The Open Door (China)–$4m / $13m ww total
15. Clown in a Cornfield–$4m ww debut
Go here to see the complete chart for this week (including 34 films in all) and
every week of 2025.
Bold: movies that have or likely will triple their reported bu dgets.
ANALYSIS
Let’s begin with…Ralph Macchio! More than 30 years after his last box office hit ( My
Cousin Vinny, if you’re wondering), the likable Macchio is starring in a new hit film.S u b s c ribe
T yp e y our e m ai l . . .5/17/25, 3:28 PM The "Karate Kid" Is Back! - Michael Giltz
https://michaelgiltz390212.substack.com/p/the-karate-kid-is-ba ck 3/13
Karate Kid: Legends (co-starring Jackie Chan) opened in Latin America this week,
grossing some $6 million and hitting #11 on my weekly worldwide box office chart.
It opens in North America and most of the world by May 30. That’s why you should
never read too much into where a movie lands on the chart. A movie can open at #1
and flop. (Too expensive, collapsing in week two, etc.) It can open in one country an
just roll along for months. Or it can slow roll across the world over weeks and never
#1 but still be a winner. Movies aren’t in competition with each other, not usua lly. A
that matters is how much they cost to make and how much they gross. Now I don’t
know why Spanish should be such an impediment but I don’t see any critics weigh i
in on Rotten Tomatoes for this movie. I mean, surely it’s been reviewed! I’ve no idea
what the buzz may be, though thanks to the earlier films and the acclaimed tv se rie
the goodwill for this one is high.
Actually at #1 this week is Thunderbolts* (which is now semi-officially called The New
Avengers but that’s confusing so I’m keeping it as Thunderbolts*). The Marvel movie
enjoyed better reviews than the last few Marvel films and held a little bett er. But it’s
only got two more weeks before summer really arrives with Mission: Impossible’ s late
and the live action Lilo & Stitch. Sure, the new Final Destination will be on top next
week but Thunderbolts* will be fine against it. But I need another week before feelin
confident it will get to $500m+. Happily, those odds go up because Disney is
committed to theatrical and will let this one play and play through all of June.
As is typical, most of the big Hollywood movies on the chart are making more mon e
internationally than in North America. Thunderbolts*, A Minecraft Movie, Snow White
The Amateur, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and even the low budget Until
Dawn all follow that pattern.
The two current exceptions? Ben Affleck’s The Accountant 2 and Michael B. Jordan’s
Sinners. I’m not quite sure why it’s true with Affleck. ( The Accountant also made mor
money in North America than the rest of the world.) And it’s pretty common in rece5/17/25, 3:28 PM The "Karate Kid" Is Back! - Michael Giltz
https://michaelgiltz390212.substack.com/p/the-karate-kid-is-ba ck 4/13
years for him. But you can find many times–especially on big budget movies–which
aren’t always his jam–where Affleck draws them in worldwide.
Michael B. Jordan is a more complicated case. True, most of his movies made more
North America than overseas and you can definitely chalk that up to prejud ice. But
you can also chalk that up to Hollywood’s century-long assumption that movies wit
Black stars won’t travel. They don’t make them as much. They don’t market t hem as
much. And so the films–and the stars of those films–don’t draw as much attention
when their films do get screened in the rest of the world. Chicken and egg.
But look a little closer. Yes, all three Creed films and Black Panther made more in No
America. But not that much more. (I’m ignoring the 2015 misfire Fantastic Four, whi
made more overseas; that was before Creed made Jordan a bankable star.) Black Pant
made $700m in North America. But it also grossed a massive $635m in the rest of th
world. His breakout role in Creed? It hit $110m in North America and “just” $65m
internationally. But Creed II hit $115m in North America and a nearly identical $98m
elsewhere. Creed III made $156m in NA and $120m internationally.
So Sinners is an outlier for Jordan. It’s grossing three times as much in North Americ
it is elsewhere. Right now, it’s at $215m in North America and $70m internationally
But that doesn’t change the fact that each Creed film grew internationally and Black
Panther was a worldwide smash. Michael B. Jordan is a global star. His movies have
grossed more than $1.2b internationally, so far. (And $1.6b in North America.) And
Sinners ain’t quite done. It’s returning to some IMAX screens this weekend and will
open in South Korea and Hong Kong soon.
Finally, we’ve got another horror flick hit. Clown in a Cornfield cost less than $1mb t
make and grossed $4m worldwide on its opening week. It’s the biggest opening wee
yet for IFC, which is old school when it comes to vertical integration. They make
movies, show them in their theaters, play them on their cable channel, stre am them
their streamer and generally squeeze out every penny they can at every sta ge.5/17/25, 3:28 PM The "Karate Kid" Is Back! - Michael Giltz
https://michaelgiltz390212.substack.com/p/the-karate-kid-is-ba ck 5/13
Opening this week: The latest entry in the Final Destination comic horror franchise
proof there will be no final Final Destination until audiences stop showing up. The
trailer is funny and macabre–as expected–and moviegoers are primed. If 2025 i s the
year of peak horror, fan fatigue hasn’t appeared yet and won’t with this flick. I t’s the
sixth in the series, with the first five grossing an evil $666 million worldwide to d ate
(True!) Also out this week is The Weeknd’s Hurry Up Tomorrow, which he promises w
be a step up from the learning experience of his TV series misfire The Idol; it costar
Jenna Ortega and Barry Keoghan.
2025 HIT FILMS
Here's a list of all the hit films making money at the box office in 2025. This week, I
adding Clown in a Cornfield to the winner’s circle.
Big Budget ($100mb+)
Detective Chinatown 1900 (China) ($125mb est)
A Minecraft Movie ($150mb)
Mid-sized budget ($21mb-$99mb)
Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy (UK) ($50mb)
Detective Conan: One-Eyed Flashback (Japan) (anime franchise)
Dog Man ($40mb)
Legend of the Condor Heroes: The Gallants (China) ($30mb)
Ne Zha 2 (China) ($80mb)
Nosferatu ($50mb)
Sinners ($90mb-$100mb)5/17/25, 3:28 PM The "Karate Kid" Is Back! - Michael Giltz
https://michaelgiltz390212.substack.com/p/the-karate-kid-is-ba ck 6/13
Small Budget ($20mb or less)
Attack On Titan The Movie: The Last Attack (Japan) (no reported budget)
Babygirl ($20mb)
Becoming Led Zeppelin (>$2mb)
Big World (China) (no reported budget)
Boonie Bears: Future Reborn (China) ($40mb)
The Brutalist ($10mb)
Chhaava (India/Hindu) ($15mb)
The Chosen: Last Supper Part 1, 2 and 3 (TV series episodes; no reported budget)
Clown in a Cornfield (>$1mb)
Companion ($10mb)
Conclave ($20mb)
Dragon (India/Tamil) ($4mb)
Drop ($11mb)
The Dumpling Queen (No reported budget)
I'm Still Here (Brazil) ($2mb)
The King of Kings (Korea) ($15mb)
Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX-Beginning (Japan) (epi from tv anime series)5/17/25, 3:28 PM The "Karate Kid" Is Back! - Michael Giltz
https://michaelgiltz390212.substack.com/p/the-karate-kid-is-ba ck 7/13
The Monkey ($11mb)
National Theatre: Prima Facie (no reported budget)
One of Them Days ($14mb)
Pink Floyd at Pompeii–MCMLXXII (no reported budget)
Presence ($2mb)
Six: The Musical Live! (UK) (no reported budget)
Thudarum aka To Be Continued (India/Malayalam)
Until Dawn ($15mb)
NOTES
mb = a film's budget in millions of US dollars; ww = worldwide
1. Thunderbolts* aka The New Avengers–$180mb for Marvel’s found family hug-f
2. Sinners–$100mb for director Ryan Coogler and star Michael B. Jordan tackling
vamps back in the day. Fantastic reviews and great audience response immed ia
turn this stylish roll of the dice into a major hit.
3. A Minecraft Movie–$150mb. When you double your rather big budget on open
weekend and you’ve wildly exceed expectations, you’ve got a hit on your hands.
People trot out meaningless comparisons, like “second-largest opening f or a
movie based on a video game,” as if audiences ever think that way. It’s a big fat
What more needs to be said, except, “Maybe Minecraft 2 could actually be good?
Just a thought.
4. The Accountant 2–$80mb
5. Detective Conan: One-Eyed Flashback– No reported budget but this is the 28th
animated Japanese film in the Case Closed/Detective Conan series (based on a5/17/25, 3:28 PM The "Karate Kid" Is Back! - Michael Giltz
https://michaelgiltz390212.substack.com/p/the-karate-kid-is-ba ck 8/13
manga, natch). A movie comes out like clockwork every April, with $100m fairly
guaranteed. So Detective Conan is a winning franchise. Case closed.
6. The Dumpling Queen– No reported budget but given the topic and setting, like
not expensive to make. Chinese biopic about single mother Zang Jianhe, who b
one of Hong Kong’s most successful food companies. Directed by Andrew Lau
Wei-keung, the cinematographer for City on Fire (a favorite of Quentin Tarantin
and director or co-director of the Young and Dangerous and Infernal Affairs movie
This film is what you call a change of pace.
7. Ne Xha 2– Reported $80mb. A Chinese animated fantasy sequel to the 2019 sma
which cost about $20m and grossed $743m. A spin-off film Jiang Ziya was hobbl
by COVID but grossed $243m. Now we have the direct sequel Ne Zha 2, which c
$80m and finds our spunky heroine (based on a famed mythological character)
taking on sea monsters. The franchise is based on Investiture of the Gods by Xu
Zhonglin from the 16th century. The highest grossing animated film of all time
continues to make money around the world. While the vast majority of its gross
came from China alone, it’s paving the way for more Chinese animated movies
draw crowds outside that country in the future.
8. Until Dawn– A reported $15mb for this horror film means it’s a winner. That’s
kind of surprising but audiences apparently can’t get enough of horror film s.
9. A Gilded Game (China)–Andy Lau stars in a new Chinese drama set in the high
stakes world of the financial markets.
10. Raid 2 (India/Hindi)–Indian Hindi action drama about bad-ass tax collectors wh
bust white collar criminals. The original cost $5m and grossed $18m.
11. Karate Kid: Legends–No reported budget for this film reboot/extension of t he
Karate Kid franchise, teaming up Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan, presu mably
with some kid who is tired of being bullied but needs to learn some life lessons
before learning how to kick ass…I mean, defend himself.5/17/25, 3:28 PM The "Karate Kid" Is Back! - Michael Giltz
https://michaelgiltz390212.substack.com/p/the-karate-kid-is-ba ck 9/13
12. Thudarum aka To Be Continued (India/Malayalam)– $3mb budget for this crim
thriller about a taxi cab driver out for revenge.
13. Yadang: The Snitch (Korea)–No reported budget for this action crime drama ab
a drug informant playing both sides against each other, perhaps with the he lp o
crooked cop!
14. The Open Door (China)–No reported budget. Based on a trailer with no subtit le
it’s a broad comedy about a regular guy for some reason dragged into being a d
for a major star. Sausages seem to be a recurring gag.
15. Clown in a Cornfield– Less than $1mb for this horror flick from IFC.
THE CHART AND HOW IT IS COMPILED
This column is a week by week tracking of box office around the world. I compile it
pulling from every possible source: ComScore, Box Office Mojo, Variety, Hollywood
Reporter, Deadline, charts for countries like China and India and Sou th Korea,
individual stories in trade or general interest newspapers, Wikiped ia and anyone els
trustworthy that is discussing box office.
ComScore Weekly Global Box Office Chart
The weekly charts contain the total gross for every movie in theaters around t he wo
during the last seven days. Most charts compare the three day grosses (Fri-Sun ) of
current releases (ignoring all the money they made from Monday to Thursda y) to th
four day grosses of new releases (since most new releases "preview" on Thursday in
North America). Sometimes movies open on a Wednesday in North America, which
means they "preview" on Tuesday. So why not just add up all the money a movie ma
in the last seven days, whether it opened on a Tuesday or a Thursday or three week s
earlier?
Plus, I look at worldwide box office, not just North America. Hits appear all over th
world, some of them having a big impact in other territories and some flourishing o5/17/25, 3:28 PM The "Karate Kid" Is Back! - Michael Giltz
https://michaelgiltz390212.substack.com/p/the-karate-kid-is-ba ck 10/13
at home. But they all mint new stars and directors who often go on to helm bigger
movies in Hollywood and elsewhere. Plus any studio tentpole film depends on the
international market, where they often gross most of their money. So focusing only o
North America and ignoring the rest of the world is just as foolish as, say, ig noring
North American grosses and insisting you only want to know what a movie made in
Oklahoma.
How do I arrive at the total gross for a movie over the last seven days? I take the tot
worldwide box office we have for a movie, subtract from it the previous week's tota
worldwide box office...and that's how much it made during the past seven days. QE
Naturally, some territories and movies fall through the cracks, but I am as u p to dat
I can be, given my dependence on other outlets for the basic info. Also, I ke ep an
ongoing list of box office week by week for 2025 here . It includes more complete
charts, info on hits from smaller territories (grosses for many countries la g behind b
week) and updated box office info when more accurate numbers become available.
Which movies make the list for The Hit Films of 2025? My rule of thumb is that
movies should gross roughly three times as much as their reported budget (or
acquisition price) to be called a hit from theatrical alone. Some people now say a mo
need only make 2 1/2 times as much as their budget, but I'm sticking with the
traditional formula. Of course, we don't really know a movie's budget or the cost of
advertising or any backroom deals. Remember, just because a movie isn't a hit fr om
theatrical alone doesn't mean it’s losing money. Far from it. Many movies are
profitable despite not being a hit from theatrical alone. No, we can't dive de ep into
Hollywood accounting here. But we can spot the really big hits that will change
careers, launch franchises and generally pay the bills. It's harder to ge t a reported
budget on international films so I tend to avoid calling them a hit unless I have som
info that convinces me they're a winner. Also, I include movies from a previous year
they make the majority of their money in this calendar year. Finally, I iden tify the
country for non-Hollywood movies to celebrate the worldwide movie biz. I indicate
the language Indian films were made in to celebrate that country's diverse industry,5/17/25, 3:28 PM The "Karate Kid" Is Back! - Michael Giltz
https://michaelgiltz390212.substack.com/p/the-karate-kid-is-ba ck 11/13
which is vibrant and includes more than the Hindi-language Bollywood film s
Westerners knew best.
– Michael Giltz
mgiltz@pipeline.com
www.michaelgiltz.com
www.popsurfing.com
--30--
S u b s c ribe t o M ichae l G iltz
D ile tt a nt e , pr o g re ss iv e , pr o f e ss ion a l a m a te ur
B y su b s c ribi n g , I ag ree to S u b st ack 's T e rms o f U s e , a n d
ack nowl edge its In form a tion C oll ec tion N ot ice a n d P riv ac y P ol ic y .
D is c us s ion ab out thi s postS u b s c ribe
T yp e y our e m ai l . . .
W rite a c omm e nt . . .C omm e nts R e st ack s5/17/25, 3:28 PM The "Karate Kid" Is Back! - Michael Giltz
https://michaelgiltz390212.substack.com/p/the-karate-kid-is-ba ck 12/13
© 2025 M ichae l G iltz ∙ P riv ac y ∙ T e rms ∙ C oll ec tion not ice
S u b st ack i s the h om e for g rea t c ultur e5/17/25, 3:28 PM The "Karate Kid" Is Back! - Michael Giltz
https://michaelgiltz390212.substack.com/p/the-karate-kid-is-ba ck 13/13
A n d p r o o f tha t M ichae l B . J o r da n is a g l o ba l b o x o ffice s t a r .
MA Y 12, 2025
S ha
WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE FOR WEEK ENDING MAY 11, 2025
(Courtesy of Sony Pictures)
Below you'll find:
MICHAEL GIL TZ
5/17/25, 3:28 PM The "Karate Kid" Is Back! - Michael Giltz
https://michaelgiltz390212.substack.com/p/the-karate-kid-is-ba ck 1/13
*The top grossing movies worldwide during the last seven d ays
*My analysis of the week’s box office
*A list of box office winners for 2025
*Notes on each film, especially international movies unfamili ar to most
* Boilerplate on how I get my numbers, decide box office winners , etc.
But first, here are some recent stories you might enjoy:
Theater: “Port(al)” Brings The Brooklyn Navy Y ard Back To Life
Cellulloid Junkie –Movie Theaters Outdated? A Historic Box Office Weekend Says
Otherwise
Theater: Floyd Collins Digs Deep
– Michael Giltz
mgiltz@pipeline.com
www.michaelgiltz.com
www.popsurfing.com
(Artwork by Craig Baxter; all rights reserved ©2025)
5/17/25, 3:28 PM The "Karate Kid" Is Back! - Michael Giltz
https://michaelgiltz390212.substack.com/p/the-karate-kid-is-ba ck 2/13
BOX OFFICE FOR THE LAST SEVEN DAYS
1. Thunderbolts* aka The New Avengers–$110m / $272m worldwide total
2. Sinners–$46m / $283m ww total
3. A Minecraft Movie–$37m this week/ $910m ww total
4. The Accountant 2–$26m / $82m ww total
5. Detective Conan: One-Eyed Flashback (Japan)–$14m / $81m ww tot al
6. The Dumpling Queen (Hong Kong)–$13m / $40m ww total
7. Ne Zha 2 (China)–$9m / $2.180b ww total
8. Until Dawn–$9m / $44m ww total
9. A Gilded Game (China)–$9m / $26m ww total
10. Raid 2 (India/Hindi)–$6m / $17m ww
11. Karate Kid: Legends–$6m ww debut (Latin America)
12. Thudarum aka To Be Continued (India/Malayalam)–$4m / $23m ww
13. Yadang: The Snitch (Korea)–$4m / $20m ww total
14. The Open Door (China)–$4m / $13m ww total
15. Clown in a Cornfield–$4m ww debut
Go here to see the complete chart for this week (including 34 films in all) and
every week of 2025.
Bold: movies that have or likely will triple their reported bu dgets.
ANALYSIS
Let’s begin with…Ralph Macchio! More than 30 years after his last box office hit ( My
Cousin Vinny, if you’re wondering), the likable Macchio is starring in a new hit film.S u b s c ribe
T yp e y our e m ai l . . .5/17/25, 3:28 PM The "Karate Kid" Is Back! - Michael Giltz
https://michaelgiltz390212.substack.com/p/the-karate-kid-is-ba ck 3/13
Karate Kid: Legends (co-starring Jackie Chan) opened in Latin America this week,
grossing some $6 million and hitting #11 on my weekly worldwide box office chart.
It opens in North America and most of the world by May 30. That’s why you should
never read too much into where a movie lands on the chart. A movie can open at #1
and flop. (Too expensive, collapsing in week two, etc.) It can open in one country an
just roll along for months. Or it can slow roll across the world over weeks and never
#1 but still be a winner. Movies aren’t in competition with each other, not usua lly. A
that matters is how much they cost to make and how much they gross. Now I don’t
know why Spanish should be such an impediment but I don’t see any critics weigh i
in on Rotten Tomatoes for this movie. I mean, surely it’s been reviewed! I’ve no idea
what the buzz may be, though thanks to the earlier films and the acclaimed tv se rie
the goodwill for this one is high.
Actually at #1 this week is Thunderbolts* (which is now semi-officially called The New
Avengers but that’s confusing so I’m keeping it as Thunderbolts*). The Marvel movie
enjoyed better reviews than the last few Marvel films and held a little bett er. But it’s
only got two more weeks before summer really arrives with Mission: Impossible’ s late
and the live action Lilo & Stitch. Sure, the new Final Destination will be on top next
week but Thunderbolts* will be fine against it. But I need another week before feelin
confident it will get to $500m+. Happily, those odds go up because Disney is
committed to theatrical and will let this one play and play through all of June.
As is typical, most of the big Hollywood movies on the chart are making more mon e
internationally than in North America. Thunderbolts*, A Minecraft Movie, Snow White
The Amateur, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and even the low budget Until
Dawn all follow that pattern.
The two current exceptions? Ben Affleck’s The Accountant 2 and Michael B. Jordan’s
Sinners. I’m not quite sure why it’s true with Affleck. ( The Accountant also made mor
money in North America than the rest of the world.) And it’s pretty common in rece5/17/25, 3:28 PM The "Karate Kid" Is Back! - Michael Giltz
https://michaelgiltz390212.substack.com/p/the-karate-kid-is-ba ck 4/13
years for him. But you can find many times–especially on big budget movies–which
aren’t always his jam–where Affleck draws them in worldwide.
Michael B. Jordan is a more complicated case. True, most of his movies made more
North America than overseas and you can definitely chalk that up to prejud ice. But
you can also chalk that up to Hollywood’s century-long assumption that movies wit
Black stars won’t travel. They don’t make them as much. They don’t market t hem as
much. And so the films–and the stars of those films–don’t draw as much attention
when their films do get screened in the rest of the world. Chicken and egg.
But look a little closer. Yes, all three Creed films and Black Panther made more in No
America. But not that much more. (I’m ignoring the 2015 misfire Fantastic Four, whi
made more overseas; that was before Creed made Jordan a bankable star.) Black Pant
made $700m in North America. But it also grossed a massive $635m in the rest of th
world. His breakout role in Creed? It hit $110m in North America and “just” $65m
internationally. But Creed II hit $115m in North America and a nearly identical $98m
elsewhere. Creed III made $156m in NA and $120m internationally.
So Sinners is an outlier for Jordan. It’s grossing three times as much in North Americ
it is elsewhere. Right now, it’s at $215m in North America and $70m internationally
But that doesn’t change the fact that each Creed film grew internationally and Black
Panther was a worldwide smash. Michael B. Jordan is a global star. His movies have
grossed more than $1.2b internationally, so far. (And $1.6b in North America.) And
Sinners ain’t quite done. It’s returning to some IMAX screens this weekend and will
open in South Korea and Hong Kong soon.
Finally, we’ve got another horror flick hit. Clown in a Cornfield cost less than $1mb t
make and grossed $4m worldwide on its opening week. It’s the biggest opening wee
yet for IFC, which is old school when it comes to vertical integration. They make
movies, show them in their theaters, play them on their cable channel, stre am them
their streamer and generally squeeze out every penny they can at every sta ge.5/17/25, 3:28 PM The "Karate Kid" Is Back! - Michael Giltz
https://michaelgiltz390212.substack.com/p/the-karate-kid-is-ba ck 5/13
Opening this week: The latest entry in the Final Destination comic horror franchise
proof there will be no final Final Destination until audiences stop showing up. The
trailer is funny and macabre–as expected–and moviegoers are primed. If 2025 i s the
year of peak horror, fan fatigue hasn’t appeared yet and won’t with this flick. I t’s the
sixth in the series, with the first five grossing an evil $666 million worldwide to d ate
(True!) Also out this week is The Weeknd’s Hurry Up Tomorrow, which he promises w
be a step up from the learning experience of his TV series misfire The Idol; it costar
Jenna Ortega and Barry Keoghan.
2025 HIT FILMS
Here's a list of all the hit films making money at the box office in 2025. This week, I
adding Clown in a Cornfield to the winner’s circle.
Big Budget ($100mb+)
Detective Chinatown 1900 (China) ($125mb est)
A Minecraft Movie ($150mb)
Mid-sized budget ($21mb-$99mb)
Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy (UK) ($50mb)
Detective Conan: One-Eyed Flashback (Japan) (anime franchise)
Dog Man ($40mb)
Legend of the Condor Heroes: The Gallants (China) ($30mb)
Ne Zha 2 (China) ($80mb)
Nosferatu ($50mb)
Sinners ($90mb-$100mb)5/17/25, 3:28 PM The "Karate Kid" Is Back! - Michael Giltz
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Small Budget ($20mb or less)
Attack On Titan The Movie: The Last Attack (Japan) (no reported budget)
Babygirl ($20mb)
Becoming Led Zeppelin (>$2mb)
Big World (China) (no reported budget)
Boonie Bears: Future Reborn (China) ($40mb)
The Brutalist ($10mb)
Chhaava (India/Hindu) ($15mb)
The Chosen: Last Supper Part 1, 2 and 3 (TV series episodes; no reported budget)
Clown in a Cornfield (>$1mb)
Companion ($10mb)
Conclave ($20mb)
Dragon (India/Tamil) ($4mb)
Drop ($11mb)
The Dumpling Queen (No reported budget)
I'm Still Here (Brazil) ($2mb)
The King of Kings (Korea) ($15mb)
Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX-Beginning (Japan) (epi from tv anime series)5/17/25, 3:28 PM The "Karate Kid" Is Back! - Michael Giltz
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The Monkey ($11mb)
National Theatre: Prima Facie (no reported budget)
One of Them Days ($14mb)
Pink Floyd at Pompeii–MCMLXXII (no reported budget)
Presence ($2mb)
Six: The Musical Live! (UK) (no reported budget)
Thudarum aka To Be Continued (India/Malayalam)
Until Dawn ($15mb)
NOTES
mb = a film's budget in millions of US dollars; ww = worldwide
1. Thunderbolts* aka The New Avengers–$180mb for Marvel’s found family hug-f
2. Sinners–$100mb for director Ryan Coogler and star Michael B. Jordan tackling
vamps back in the day. Fantastic reviews and great audience response immed ia
turn this stylish roll of the dice into a major hit.
3. A Minecraft Movie–$150mb. When you double your rather big budget on open
weekend and you’ve wildly exceed expectations, you’ve got a hit on your hands.
People trot out meaningless comparisons, like “second-largest opening f or a
movie based on a video game,” as if audiences ever think that way. It’s a big fat
What more needs to be said, except, “Maybe Minecraft 2 could actually be good?
Just a thought.
4. The Accountant 2–$80mb
5. Detective Conan: One-Eyed Flashback– No reported budget but this is the 28th
animated Japanese film in the Case Closed/Detective Conan series (based on a5/17/25, 3:28 PM The "Karate Kid" Is Back! - Michael Giltz
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manga, natch). A movie comes out like clockwork every April, with $100m fairly
guaranteed. So Detective Conan is a winning franchise. Case closed.
6. The Dumpling Queen– No reported budget but given the topic and setting, like
not expensive to make. Chinese biopic about single mother Zang Jianhe, who b
one of Hong Kong’s most successful food companies. Directed by Andrew Lau
Wei-keung, the cinematographer for City on Fire (a favorite of Quentin Tarantin
and director or co-director of the Young and Dangerous and Infernal Affairs movie
This film is what you call a change of pace.
7. Ne Xha 2– Reported $80mb. A Chinese animated fantasy sequel to the 2019 sma
which cost about $20m and grossed $743m. A spin-off film Jiang Ziya was hobbl
by COVID but grossed $243m. Now we have the direct sequel Ne Zha 2, which c
$80m and finds our spunky heroine (based on a famed mythological character)
taking on sea monsters. The franchise is based on Investiture of the Gods by Xu
Zhonglin from the 16th century. The highest grossing animated film of all time
continues to make money around the world. While the vast majority of its gross
came from China alone, it’s paving the way for more Chinese animated movies
draw crowds outside that country in the future.
8. Until Dawn– A reported $15mb for this horror film means it’s a winner. That’s
kind of surprising but audiences apparently can’t get enough of horror film s.
9. A Gilded Game (China)–Andy Lau stars in a new Chinese drama set in the high
stakes world of the financial markets.
10. Raid 2 (India/Hindi)–Indian Hindi action drama about bad-ass tax collectors wh
bust white collar criminals. The original cost $5m and grossed $18m.
11. Karate Kid: Legends–No reported budget for this film reboot/extension of t he
Karate Kid franchise, teaming up Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan, presu mably
with some kid who is tired of being bullied but needs to learn some life lessons
before learning how to kick ass…I mean, defend himself.5/17/25, 3:28 PM The "Karate Kid" Is Back! - Michael Giltz
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12. Thudarum aka To Be Continued (India/Malayalam)– $3mb budget for this crim
thriller about a taxi cab driver out for revenge.
13. Yadang: The Snitch (Korea)–No reported budget for this action crime drama ab
a drug informant playing both sides against each other, perhaps with the he lp o
crooked cop!
14. The Open Door (China)–No reported budget. Based on a trailer with no subtit le
it’s a broad comedy about a regular guy for some reason dragged into being a d
for a major star. Sausages seem to be a recurring gag.
15. Clown in a Cornfield– Less than $1mb for this horror flick from IFC.
THE CHART AND HOW IT IS COMPILED
This column is a week by week tracking of box office around the world. I compile it
pulling from every possible source: ComScore, Box Office Mojo, Variety, Hollywood
Reporter, Deadline, charts for countries like China and India and Sou th Korea,
individual stories in trade or general interest newspapers, Wikiped ia and anyone els
trustworthy that is discussing box office.
ComScore Weekly Global Box Office Chart
The weekly charts contain the total gross for every movie in theaters around t he wo
during the last seven days. Most charts compare the three day grosses (Fri-Sun ) of
current releases (ignoring all the money they made from Monday to Thursda y) to th
four day grosses of new releases (since most new releases "preview" on Thursday in
North America). Sometimes movies open on a Wednesday in North America, which
means they "preview" on Tuesday. So why not just add up all the money a movie ma
in the last seven days, whether it opened on a Tuesday or a Thursday or three week s
earlier?
Plus, I look at worldwide box office, not just North America. Hits appear all over th
world, some of them having a big impact in other territories and some flourishing o5/17/25, 3:28 PM The "Karate Kid" Is Back! - Michael Giltz
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at home. But they all mint new stars and directors who often go on to helm bigger
movies in Hollywood and elsewhere. Plus any studio tentpole film depends on the
international market, where they often gross most of their money. So focusing only o
North America and ignoring the rest of the world is just as foolish as, say, ig noring
North American grosses and insisting you only want to know what a movie made in
Oklahoma.
How do I arrive at the total gross for a movie over the last seven days? I take the tot
worldwide box office we have for a movie, subtract from it the previous week's tota
worldwide box office...and that's how much it made during the past seven days. QE
Naturally, some territories and movies fall through the cracks, but I am as u p to dat
I can be, given my dependence on other outlets for the basic info. Also, I ke ep an
ongoing list of box office week by week for 2025 here . It includes more complete
charts, info on hits from smaller territories (grosses for many countries la g behind b
week) and updated box office info when more accurate numbers become available.
Which movies make the list for The Hit Films of 2025? My rule of thumb is that
movies should gross roughly three times as much as their reported budget (or
acquisition price) to be called a hit from theatrical alone. Some people now say a mo
need only make 2 1/2 times as much as their budget, but I'm sticking with the
traditional formula. Of course, we don't really know a movie's budget or the cost of
advertising or any backroom deals. Remember, just because a movie isn't a hit fr om
theatrical alone doesn't mean it’s losing money. Far from it. Many movies are
profitable despite not being a hit from theatrical alone. No, we can't dive de ep into
Hollywood accounting here. But we can spot the really big hits that will change
careers, launch franchises and generally pay the bills. It's harder to ge t a reported
budget on international films so I tend to avoid calling them a hit unless I have som
info that convinces me they're a winner. Also, I include movies from a previous year
they make the majority of their money in this calendar year. Finally, I iden tify the
country for non-Hollywood movies to celebrate the worldwide movie biz. I indicate
the language Indian films were made in to celebrate that country's diverse industry,5/17/25, 3:28 PM The "Karate Kid" Is Back! - Michael Giltz
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which is vibrant and includes more than the Hindi-language Bollywood film s
Westerners knew best.
– Michael Giltz
mgiltz@pipeline.com
www.michaelgiltz.com
www.popsurfing.com
--30--
S u b s c ribe t o M ichae l G iltz
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ack nowl edge its In form a tion C oll ec tion N ot ice a n d P riv ac y P ol ic y .
D is c us s ion ab out thi s postS u b s c ribe
T yp e y our e m ai l . . .
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