Full Article Text
M O N D AY, M A R C H 1 0 , 2 0 2 5
WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE FOR WEEK
ENDING MARCH 9, 2025
WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE FOR WEEK ENDING MARCH 9,
2025
A film's gross for the last seven days, followed by its total worldwide
gross.
I begin with data from Comscore and then pull from every other source
available.
1. Ne Zha 2 –$116m / $2.096b worldwide total
2. Mickey 17–$44m / $53m ww
3. Captain America: Brave New World–$29m /$371m ww
4. Detective Chinatown 1900– $21m / $498m ww
5. Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy –$14m / $111m ww
6. The Monkey– $14m / $52m ww
7. Paddington in Peru–$12m / $176m ww
8. Chhaava– $10m / $80m ww
9. Mufasa: The Lion King– $7m / $709m ww
10. Dog Man– $7m / $120m ww
11. Last Breath–$7m / $15m ww
12. Anora– $6m / $54m ww
13. I'm Still Here– $5m / $35m ww
14. Legend of the Condor Heroes: The Gallants–$4m / $96m ww
15. The Brutalist– $4m / $45m wwM I C H A E L G I LT Z AT W O R K
Michael Giltz is a freelance writer
based in NYC and can be reached at
mgiltz@pipeline.com
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B L O G A R C H I V E
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▼ March (7)
Worldwide Box Office For The
Week Ending March 23
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16. Night of the Zoopocalypse–$4m ww debut
17. Conclave– $3m / $104m ww
18. National Theatre: Prima Facie– $3m / $4m ww
19. Always Have, Always Will–$3m ww debut
20. Moana 2– $2m / $1,056b ww
21. Sonic The Hedgehog 3 –$2m /$488m ww
22. There's Still Tomorrow– $2m / $52m ww
23. Hotline Beijing–$2m / $9m ww
24. Girls On Wire–$2m ww debut
25. Rule Breakers–$2m ww debut
26. A Complete Unknown–$1m / $121m ww
27. One of Them Days– $1m / $49m ww
28. Companion– $1m / $35m ww
29. Heart Eyes–$1m / $32m ww
30. Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX-Beginning– $1m / $21m
ww
31. Dragon– $1m / $14m ww
32. Becoming Led Zeppelin– $1m / $11m ww
33. The Unbreakable Boy–$1m / $6m ww
34. Exorcism Chronicles: The Beginning–$1m / $3m
35. In The Lost Lands–$1m ww debut
Bold: movies that have or likely will triple their reported
budgets. That's my standard for a movie being a box office hit
from theatrical alone. Many films will be profitable for a
studio even if they don't triple their reported budget, but it's
a good marker to indicate a big hit.
ANALYSIS
Another slow week at the box office. Things won't pick up in North
America until the live action Snow White opens March 21 and
(hopefully) Thunderbolts* on May 2, with hopefully some surprises
from The Accountant 2 with Ben Affleck and Sinners with Michael B.
Jordan and Death of a Unicorn with a unicorn, along the way. You
always need surprise hits while waiting for the Mission: Impossibles
and Avatars of the year.
Many stories reviewed the budget of Mickey 17 from Oscar-winning
director Bong Joon-Ho and star Robert Pattinson more than the actual
movie. Hey, that's my job! But most takes on it are fairly accurate.DOOR JAZZ CLUB
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Bong's biggest box office hit by far is Parasite, which grossed $260m
worldwide, with his best film The Host very profitable at $100m
worldwide on an $11mb cost. His bigger budget movies are more
problematic. Snowpiercer cost $40mb and grossed $87m worldwide.
(No one lost money on this film, I think. It likely over-performed post-
theatrical and even led to a TV series that ran for four seasons. Okja is
even nuttier than his new movie but cost $50mb and Netflix couldn't
be bothered with a theatrical release. Still, given its polarizing nature
and mixed reviews, one doubts it would have triumphed commercially.
But you win an Oscar and pitch a sci-fi movie with Robert Pattinson,
you get the biggest budget of your career. Mickey 17 cost $118mb, or as
I like to call it since I'm not an accountant like Ben Affleck, $120mb.
(The math is easier.) So it needs to vastly outperform Parasite to be a
winner from box office alone. We'll have to wait until its second week to
see if it's holding people's attention (unlikely), but I wouldn't dismiss
this as a project that should never have been made. (Now if they'd
spent $120mb on Okja, I'd agree with you.) On paper, Mickey 17 is not
so crazy. Let's see where it ends up on the worldwide box office. And
with its cynical take on corporations seeing employees as disposable
tools, it's got cult favorite written all over it. Double bill with Office
Space anyone?
Looking for good news? China's animated smash Ne Zha 2 continues to
rewrite the rules on what is possible at the box office. (And James
Cameron must be jealous.) It was the first film to gross $1 billion from
one market alone. And now it's the first film to gross $2 billion from
one market alone. The ball is in your court, Avatar: Fire and Ash!
That's...astonishing.
After the Oscars (remember them?), several films enjoyed a big bounce
at the box office. Best Picture winner (!) Anora grossed another $6m
(its entire budget, by the way) and is now at $54m worldwide. Best
International Film winner–Brazil's worthy I'm Still Here– grossed $5m
and is at $35m worldwide. The Brutalist pulled in another $4m for a
total of $45m worldwide. Conclave grossed $3m to sit at $104m
worldwide. All of them are big box office hits from theatrical alone.
Finally, A Complete Unknown pulled in $1m for a total of $121m
worldwide. Given its budget, this film is not a success from theatrical
alone (it cost a hefty $60mb), but like Gladiator 2, it just feels like a
success to most. Certainly, it will be a financial winner when all is said
and done. (Theatrical is just the beginning of a movie's earnings.) But I
guess we can't count on a spin-off with Monica Barbaro in the Joan
Baez story anytime soon.
Anora and the Italian hit drama There's Still Tomorrow (at #22) are
both hits, but they're not on my list of winners for 2025 because they
made most of their money in 2024.
However, I have added two films to our list of winners below. The
anime film Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX-Beginning is pulled from
the first episodes of the latest season of the same-named TV series.
Given Wikipedia's claim that it's grossed $21m worldwide, it's
undoubtedly a very profitable venture, not just great promo for the
show. (Even Game of Thrones didn't make that much at the box office3/24/25, 2:43 PM POPSURFING.COM: WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE FOR WEEK ENDING MARCH 9 , 2025
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when they sneaked final episodes of season four in theaters.) The other
hit is a screening of a taped stage show: National Theatre: Prima Facie
starring Jodie Comer of Killing Eve. This opened in China (!) and
grossed what I can only describe as an astonishing and unexpected
$3m, giving this a worldwide total of $4m so far. Sometimes the
recordings of operas prove rather pricey (relatively speaking) but even
without a reported budget for this project, I'm calling this a hit. Found
money!
Coming this week? The retired director Steven Soderbergh has his
second release of 2025 with the Black Bag, a stylish, well-reviewed
thriller starring Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett. Proud parents
Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan will be the first in line to see their son
Jack Quaid in the action comedy Novocaine. Finally, The Day The
Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie is an original animated film
starring Porky Pig and Daffy Duck. It was bizarrely orphaned by
Warner Bros./HBO Max and is being released theatrically by others.
Here's hoping it's a big hit so they look as foolish as Universal does for
putting Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy straight to streaming in
North America rather than putting it in theaters. If this flick hits,
maybe we'll get to see that Batgirl movie after all!
2025 HIT FILMS
Here's a list of all the hit films making money in 2025. My rule of
thumb is that films should gross roughly at least three times as much as
their reported budget. Some people now say a movie 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 the backroom deals. Remember, just because a movie
isn't a hit from theatrical alone doesn't mean they're losing money. Far
from it. We can't dive deep into Hollywood accounting. But we can spot
the really big hits that will change careers, launch franchises and
generally pay the bills. A few international films probably made the cut
but since I don't have even a reported budget, I hate to reward them
with hit status. Also, I'll include movies from 2024 if they make the
majority of their money in 2025. Finally, I identify the country for non-
Hollywood movies. And I indicate the language Indian films were made
in to celebrate the country's diverse industry, which is vibrant and
includes much more than the Hindi-language Bollywood Westerners
knew best. Here goes.
Big Budget ($100mb+)
Detective Chinatown 1900 (China) ($125mb est)
Mid-sized budget ($21mb-$99mb)
Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy ($50mb)
Dog Man ($40mb) 3/24/25, 2:43 PM POPSURFING.COM: WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE FOR WEEK ENDING MARCH 9 , 2025
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Ne Zha 2 (China) ($80mb)
Nosferatu ($50mb)
Small Budget ($20mb or less)
Babygirl ($20mb)
Becoming Led Zeppelin (>$2mb)
The Brutalist ($10mb)
Chhaava (Indian/Hindi) ($15mb)
Companion ($10mb)
Conclave ($20mb)
Dragon (Indian/Tamil) ($4mb)
I'm Still Here ($2mb)
Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX-Beginning (pulled from epi of tv
anime series)
National Theatre: Prima Facie ($?mb)
One of Them Days ($14mb)
Presence ($2mb)
NOTES
mb = a film's budget in millions of US dollars; ww = worldwide
1. Ne Zha 2– Reported $80mb. Chinese animated fantasy sequel to
the 2019 smash which cost about $20m and grossed $743m. A spin-off
film Jiang Ziya was hobbled by COVID but grossed $243m. Now we
have the direct sequel Ne Zha 2, which cost $80m and finds our spunky
heroine (based on a famed mythological character around for
centuries) taking on sea monsters. The series is based on Investiture of
the Gods by Xu Zhonglin from the 16th century.
2. Mickey 17–$120mb for director Bong Joon-ho's slapstick sci-fi
comedy. Once again, a tip of the hat to actor Robert Pattinson for
forging a very interesting career.
3. Captain America: Brave New World–$180mb.
4. Detective Chinatown 1900– $125mb at least? This is the fourth
in a wildly popular buddy comedy mystery series. Think oh, Rush
Hour? 48 Hours? Each film cost more than the one before and grossed
more. Since we're on film #4 and it's a period movie set in San
Francisco, it's safe to assume this cost more than #3, which cost $117m
and grossed $686m worldwide. I mean, $150mb is probably more
realistic, at least, but even at that level it's still a hit. Oh and clues in3/24/25, 2:43 PM POPSURFING.COM: WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE FOR WEEK ENDING MARCH 9 , 2025
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this one indicate the next film in the series will be set in London.
So, Detective Chinatown 1920, here we come .
5. Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy– $50mb and straight to
streaming in the world's biggest market because? Yes, it's only at
$100m. But the film made $24m this week, so even if it drops by 50%
next week and the week after and ends up at $120m, I'm calling it a hit.
The more money it makes, the stupider they look for going straight to
streaming in North America.
6. The Monkey -- $10m reported budget means this adaptation of a
Stephen King short story is a box office winner right out of the gate.
Cheap horror films are money in the bank... but 2025 has so many I
have to assume audiences will become sick and tired of them any
minute now. Not forever, not all of them, but surely the surfeit of
slasher flicks will prove too much of a good thing. Just not yet.
7. Paddington in Peru–$90mb? Sadly, three times is not the charm
artistically or commercially for this once-perfect franchise.
8. Chhaava– $15mb Indian/Hindi language action historical epic.
9. Mufasa: The Lion King– $200mb.
10. Dog Man– A reported $40mb. It's always good to gross your
budget on opening week. Plus, the books are funny, the reviews are
good, the audience response is great and it has the rest of the world to
open in. So get ready for Dog Man 2.
11. Last Breath–$24mb for this Nicolas Cage deep-sea diving drama.
12. Anora– A reported $6mb for Sean Baker's comic drama. I believe
it made a majority of its money in 2024, so that's why it's not among
the box office hits of 2025.
13. I'm Still Here– this Brazilian Oscar contender has no reported
budget, though one Portuguese article says $1.5m, which certainly
sounds reasonable, so I'll call it at $2mb. It's a success even if it cost
three times that.
14. Legend of the Condor Heroes: The Gallants–$70mb per one
Chinese source. A wuxia martial arts period adventure film written and
directed by the legendary Tsui Hark. It's based on part of the novel of
the same name by Jin Yong. According to one report it's the highest
grossing wuxia film at the Chinese box office. That would mean it made
more than Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and every local box office
hit. Mostly Hark would be competing with himself. His budgets bounce
up and down, from the massive $200mb for both The Battle at Lake
Changjin 1 and 2 (which he co-directed), and $60mb for some
Detective Dee movies and down to $20mb or $30mb for various other
flicks. One vague Chinese source says it cost $70mb. If they make a
sequel, I'll then consider this one a hit! When they make more, surely a
movie must be a winner.
15. The Brutalist– $10mb; Adrien Brody in this architect-as-hero
period drama. I'm not a fan of the film but I am delighted to see any
passion project this unlikely make money. Truly. 3/24/25, 2:43 PM POPSURFING.COM: WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE FOR WEEK ENDING MARCH 9 , 2025
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16. Night of the Zoopocalypse–Scrappy animated comedy about
animals taking on zombies at the Zoo.
17. Conclave– a reported $20mb for this Vatican thriller means this is
a hit. This is exactly the sort of film that can play and play in theaters.
18. National Theatre: Prima Facie– The acclaimed play starring
Jodie Comer of Killing Eve makes $3m in China. Heck, the fact that
it's shown in China kind of surprises me.
19. Always Have, Always Will–Chinese comic drama in which a young
man finds inspiration from a sick girl who is always tagging along. The
poster echoes "Little Miss Sunshine."
20. Moana 2– $150mb. Is the budget lower since it was intended for
tv, at first? Or higher because they had to rethink everything? Disney
says it cost $150mb, just like the original. You can bet Dwayne Johnson
gets more than his share of coconuts, but that won't matter with a hit
like this.
21. Sonic The Hedgehog 3– $120mb
22. There's Still Tomorrow– Italian drama about woman after WW
II deciding maybe she doesn't want to be in an abusive relationship. A
blockbuster in Italy, this was a box office winner for 2024.
23. Hotline Beijing–No reported budget or info on Chinese film.
24. Girls On Wire–Chinese drama directed by Vivian Qu in which a
single mom kills a drug lord and then must go on the run to avoid
retribution.
25. Rule Breakers–$8mb reported budget for the latest faith-based film
from Angel Studios. This one is about an educator who dares to teach
young women in Afghanistan.
26. A Complete Unknown–$60mb+ for this Bob Dylan biopic? That's a
lot of money for a film about Dylan going electric at Newport. I mean, I
wanted to see it but then I'm a Dylan fanatic. But $180m worldwide
seems highly unlikely to me, if not impossible. (Do other countries give
a toss about this? Is Chalamet a big enough draw for this story? I doubt
it.) I'm glad it was made, but it was made for too much. Like Gladiator
II, this will be seen as a commercial success, but it's not. UPDATE:
Well, it keeps going and going and maybe Chalamet is a worldwide
draw now, thanks to Wonka and the Dune films and he can bring in
people to a serious drama like this. More power to him. It's now at
$120m and grossed an excellent $15m this week. If it gets close to
$150m, I'll happily eat crow and call it a hit. It's already a good example
of a movie that may not be technically profitable from box office alone
but is clearly a financial success story that will be a valuable title in
anyone's library, pulling in plenty via rentals and sales and cable and
streaming and the like. Now where's the sequel where Dylan goes born
again Christian? Or the spin-off telling the story of Joan Baez?
Seriously, that one should be done like, now. 3/24/25, 2:43 PM POPSURFING.COM: WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE FOR WEEK ENDING MARCH 9 , 2025
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27. One of Them Days– $14mb. It's always good to gross your
budget during a film's opening week. So yea for producer Issa Rae and
this comedy starring Keke Palmer and SZA. (What an opening week for
SZA! Her movie opened well and she made my list of The 250 Best
Albums of the 21st Century...So Far.)
28. Companion– A reported $10mb for this sci-fi horror comedy.
Great reviews means this one should have a long run at the box office.
29. Heart Eyes–$18mb for rom/com slash horror film.
30. Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX-Beginning– This film is
pulled from the first episode(s) of the new season of a long-running
anime series. So it should be gravy and just good pr for the new season
launch. But $21m worldwide is an excellent return for episodes pulled
from a TV anime series.
31. Dragon– $4mb for this Indian/Tamil coming of age comedy
drama. A young guy gets too clever with a crooked path to riches,
endangering his job, his relationships and his family's reputation. Can
he reform? Does he want to?
32. Becoming Led Zeppelin –Long-gestating doc broke into the Top
10 on opening weekend, playing on IMAX screens only. In its second
weekend, the film has an excellent hold. This traditional doc (talking
heads, concert footage) has already grossed $6m, which is serious
money for this type of film. There is no reported budget, but given all
that I know, it seems likely the total was $2mb or less, so this is a
winner.
33. The Unbreakable Boy–heartwarming family film about little boy
who has a rare bone disease and autism, but also has a zest for life that
wins over everyone.
34. Exorcism Chronicles: The Beginning–A Korean animated horror
film about a priest partnering with magic-wielding monks to battle a
demon and protect a child. We just don't get animated films like that in
the U.S. Maybe Ralph Bakshi should have moved overseas to get his
projects made?
35. In The Lost Lands–$55mb reported budget for this fantasy film
starring Milla Jovovich and David Bautista based on a short story by
George R.R. Martin. Maybe Martin won't be so harsh on the tv series
House of Dragons after seeing this.
THE CHART AND HOW IT IS COMPILED
This column is a week by week tracking of box office around the
world. It is compiled by pulling from every possible source: ComScore,
Box Office Mojo, Variety, Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, charts for
countries like China and India and South Korea, individual stories in
trade or general interest newspapers, Wikipedia and anyone else
discussing box office.
ComScore Weekly Global Box Office Chart3/24/25, 2:43 PM POPSURFING.COM: WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE FOR WEEK ENDING MARCH 9 , 2025
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WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE FOR WEEK
ENDING MARCH 9, 2025
WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE FOR WEEK ENDING MARCH 9,
2025
A film's gross for the last seven days, followed by its total worldwide
gross.
I begin with data from Comscore and then pull from every other source
available.
1. Ne Zha 2 –$116m / $2.096b worldwide total
2. Mickey 17–$44m / $53m ww
3. Captain America: Brave New World–$29m /$371m ww
4. Detective Chinatown 1900– $21m / $498m ww
5. Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy –$14m / $111m ww
6. The Monkey– $14m / $52m ww
7. Paddington in Peru–$12m / $176m ww
8. Chhaava– $10m / $80m ww
9. Mufasa: The Lion King– $7m / $709m ww
10. Dog Man– $7m / $120m ww
11. Last Breath–$7m / $15m ww
12. Anora– $6m / $54m ww
13. I'm Still Here– $5m / $35m ww
14. Legend of the Condor Heroes: The Gallants–$4m / $96m ww
15. The Brutalist– $4m / $45m wwM I C H A E L G I LT Z AT W O R K
Michael Giltz is a freelance writer
based in NYC and can be reached at
mgiltz@pipeline.com
FAV O R I T E L I N K S
Americablog
Five O'Clock Lightning baseball blog
Deep Pop -- Lori Lakin's Blog
The Back Page -- Jason Page on ESPN
Radio
Cine-Blog -- George Robinson's Blog
Documents On Art & Cinema - Daryl
Chin's Blog
Brucie G's Wondrous Blog Of
Adventure and Mystery -- Bruce
Greenspan's Blog
B L O G A R C H I V E
▼ 2025 (38)
▼ March (7)
Worldwide Box Office For The
Week Ending March 23
MUSIC: SEAN MASON
QUARTET AT THE SIDEMore Create Blog Sign In
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16. Night of the Zoopocalypse–$4m ww debut
17. Conclave– $3m / $104m ww
18. National Theatre: Prima Facie– $3m / $4m ww
19. Always Have, Always Will–$3m ww debut
20. Moana 2– $2m / $1,056b ww
21. Sonic The Hedgehog 3 –$2m /$488m ww
22. There's Still Tomorrow– $2m / $52m ww
23. Hotline Beijing–$2m / $9m ww
24. Girls On Wire–$2m ww debut
25. Rule Breakers–$2m ww debut
26. A Complete Unknown–$1m / $121m ww
27. One of Them Days– $1m / $49m ww
28. Companion– $1m / $35m ww
29. Heart Eyes–$1m / $32m ww
30. Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX-Beginning– $1m / $21m
ww
31. Dragon– $1m / $14m ww
32. Becoming Led Zeppelin– $1m / $11m ww
33. The Unbreakable Boy–$1m / $6m ww
34. Exorcism Chronicles: The Beginning–$1m / $3m
35. In The Lost Lands–$1m ww debut
Bold: movies that have or likely will triple their reported
budgets. That's my standard for a movie being a box office hit
from theatrical alone. Many films will be profitable for a
studio even if they don't triple their reported budget, but it's
a good marker to indicate a big hit.
ANALYSIS
Another slow week at the box office. Things won't pick up in North
America until the live action Snow White opens March 21 and
(hopefully) Thunderbolts* on May 2, with hopefully some surprises
from The Accountant 2 with Ben Affleck and Sinners with Michael B.
Jordan and Death of a Unicorn with a unicorn, along the way. You
always need surprise hits while waiting for the Mission: Impossibles
and Avatars of the year.
Many stories reviewed the budget of Mickey 17 from Oscar-winning
director Bong Joon-Ho and star Robert Pattinson more than the actual
movie. Hey, that's my job! But most takes on it are fairly accurate.DOOR JAZZ CLUB
THE MOVIES, BOOKS,
THEATER, CONCERTS,
ALBUMS I'VE ...
THEATER: "A STREETCAR
NAMED DESIRE" LACKS
DRIVE
WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE
FOR WEEK ENDING
MARCH 9, 2025
WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE
FOR WEEK ENDING
MARCH 2, 2025
MY OSCAR BALLOT: Who I
Pick to Win at the 97th Ann...
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► 2005 (5)3/24/25, 2:43 PM POPSURFING.COM: WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE FOR WEEK ENDING MARCH 9 , 2025
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Bong's biggest box office hit by far is Parasite, which grossed $260m
worldwide, with his best film The Host very profitable at $100m
worldwide on an $11mb cost. His bigger budget movies are more
problematic. Snowpiercer cost $40mb and grossed $87m worldwide.
(No one lost money on this film, I think. It likely over-performed post-
theatrical and even led to a TV series that ran for four seasons. Okja is
even nuttier than his new movie but cost $50mb and Netflix couldn't
be bothered with a theatrical release. Still, given its polarizing nature
and mixed reviews, one doubts it would have triumphed commercially.
But you win an Oscar and pitch a sci-fi movie with Robert Pattinson,
you get the biggest budget of your career. Mickey 17 cost $118mb, or as
I like to call it since I'm not an accountant like Ben Affleck, $120mb.
(The math is easier.) So it needs to vastly outperform Parasite to be a
winner from box office alone. We'll have to wait until its second week to
see if it's holding people's attention (unlikely), but I wouldn't dismiss
this as a project that should never have been made. (Now if they'd
spent $120mb on Okja, I'd agree with you.) On paper, Mickey 17 is not
so crazy. Let's see where it ends up on the worldwide box office. And
with its cynical take on corporations seeing employees as disposable
tools, it's got cult favorite written all over it. Double bill with Office
Space anyone?
Looking for good news? China's animated smash Ne Zha 2 continues to
rewrite the rules on what is possible at the box office. (And James
Cameron must be jealous.) It was the first film to gross $1 billion from
one market alone. And now it's the first film to gross $2 billion from
one market alone. The ball is in your court, Avatar: Fire and Ash!
That's...astonishing.
After the Oscars (remember them?), several films enjoyed a big bounce
at the box office. Best Picture winner (!) Anora grossed another $6m
(its entire budget, by the way) and is now at $54m worldwide. Best
International Film winner–Brazil's worthy I'm Still Here– grossed $5m
and is at $35m worldwide. The Brutalist pulled in another $4m for a
total of $45m worldwide. Conclave grossed $3m to sit at $104m
worldwide. All of them are big box office hits from theatrical alone.
Finally, A Complete Unknown pulled in $1m for a total of $121m
worldwide. Given its budget, this film is not a success from theatrical
alone (it cost a hefty $60mb), but like Gladiator 2, it just feels like a
success to most. Certainly, it will be a financial winner when all is said
and done. (Theatrical is just the beginning of a movie's earnings.) But I
guess we can't count on a spin-off with Monica Barbaro in the Joan
Baez story anytime soon.
Anora and the Italian hit drama There's Still Tomorrow (at #22) are
both hits, but they're not on my list of winners for 2025 because they
made most of their money in 2024.
However, I have added two films to our list of winners below. The
anime film Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX-Beginning is pulled from
the first episodes of the latest season of the same-named TV series.
Given Wikipedia's claim that it's grossed $21m worldwide, it's
undoubtedly a very profitable venture, not just great promo for the
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when they sneaked final episodes of season four in theaters.) The other
hit is a screening of a taped stage show: National Theatre: Prima Facie
starring Jodie Comer of Killing Eve. This opened in China (!) and
grossed what I can only describe as an astonishing and unexpected
$3m, giving this a worldwide total of $4m so far. Sometimes the
recordings of operas prove rather pricey (relatively speaking) but even
without a reported budget for this project, I'm calling this a hit. Found
money!
Coming this week? The retired director Steven Soderbergh has his
second release of 2025 with the Black Bag, a stylish, well-reviewed
thriller starring Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett. Proud parents
Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan will be the first in line to see their son
Jack Quaid in the action comedy Novocaine. Finally, The Day The
Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie is an original animated film
starring Porky Pig and Daffy Duck. It was bizarrely orphaned by
Warner Bros./HBO Max and is being released theatrically by others.
Here's hoping it's a big hit so they look as foolish as Universal does for
putting Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy straight to streaming in
North America rather than putting it in theaters. If this flick hits,
maybe we'll get to see that Batgirl movie after all!
2025 HIT FILMS
Here's a list of all the hit films making money in 2025. My rule of
thumb is that films should gross roughly at least three times as much as
their reported budget. Some people now say a movie 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 the backroom deals. Remember, just because a movie
isn't a hit from theatrical alone doesn't mean they're losing money. Far
from it. We can't dive deep into Hollywood accounting. But we can spot
the really big hits that will change careers, launch franchises and
generally pay the bills. A few international films probably made the cut
but since I don't have even a reported budget, I hate to reward them
with hit status. Also, I'll include movies from 2024 if they make the
majority of their money in 2025. Finally, I identify the country for non-
Hollywood movies. And I indicate the language Indian films were made
in to celebrate the country's diverse industry, which is vibrant and
includes much more than the Hindi-language Bollywood Westerners
knew best. Here goes.
Big Budget ($100mb+)
Detective Chinatown 1900 (China) ($125mb est)
Mid-sized budget ($21mb-$99mb)
Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy ($50mb)
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Ne Zha 2 (China) ($80mb)
Nosferatu ($50mb)
Small Budget ($20mb or less)
Babygirl ($20mb)
Becoming Led Zeppelin (>$2mb)
The Brutalist ($10mb)
Chhaava (Indian/Hindi) ($15mb)
Companion ($10mb)
Conclave ($20mb)
Dragon (Indian/Tamil) ($4mb)
I'm Still Here ($2mb)
Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX-Beginning (pulled from epi of tv
anime series)
National Theatre: Prima Facie ($?mb)
One of Them Days ($14mb)
Presence ($2mb)
NOTES
mb = a film's budget in millions of US dollars; ww = worldwide
1. Ne Zha 2– Reported $80mb. Chinese animated fantasy sequel to
the 2019 smash which cost about $20m and grossed $743m. A spin-off
film Jiang Ziya was hobbled by COVID but grossed $243m. Now we
have the direct sequel Ne Zha 2, which cost $80m and finds our spunky
heroine (based on a famed mythological character around for
centuries) taking on sea monsters. The series is based on Investiture of
the Gods by Xu Zhonglin from the 16th century.
2. Mickey 17–$120mb for director Bong Joon-ho's slapstick sci-fi
comedy. Once again, a tip of the hat to actor Robert Pattinson for
forging a very interesting career.
3. Captain America: Brave New World–$180mb.
4. Detective Chinatown 1900– $125mb at least? This is the fourth
in a wildly popular buddy comedy mystery series. Think oh, Rush
Hour? 48 Hours? Each film cost more than the one before and grossed
more. Since we're on film #4 and it's a period movie set in San
Francisco, it's safe to assume this cost more than #3, which cost $117m
and grossed $686m worldwide. I mean, $150mb is probably more
realistic, at least, but even at that level it's still a hit. Oh and clues in3/24/25, 2:43 PM POPSURFING.COM: WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE FOR WEEK ENDING MARCH 9 , 2025
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this one indicate the next film in the series will be set in London.
So, Detective Chinatown 1920, here we come .
5. Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy– $50mb and straight to
streaming in the world's biggest market because? Yes, it's only at
$100m. But the film made $24m this week, so even if it drops by 50%
next week and the week after and ends up at $120m, I'm calling it a hit.
The more money it makes, the stupider they look for going straight to
streaming in North America.
6. The Monkey -- $10m reported budget means this adaptation of a
Stephen King short story is a box office winner right out of the gate.
Cheap horror films are money in the bank... but 2025 has so many I
have to assume audiences will become sick and tired of them any
minute now. Not forever, not all of them, but surely the surfeit of
slasher flicks will prove too much of a good thing. Just not yet.
7. Paddington in Peru–$90mb? Sadly, three times is not the charm
artistically or commercially for this once-perfect franchise.
8. Chhaava– $15mb Indian/Hindi language action historical epic.
9. Mufasa: The Lion King– $200mb.
10. Dog Man– A reported $40mb. It's always good to gross your
budget on opening week. Plus, the books are funny, the reviews are
good, the audience response is great and it has the rest of the world to
open in. So get ready for Dog Man 2.
11. Last Breath–$24mb for this Nicolas Cage deep-sea diving drama.
12. Anora– A reported $6mb for Sean Baker's comic drama. I believe
it made a majority of its money in 2024, so that's why it's not among
the box office hits of 2025.
13. I'm Still Here– this Brazilian Oscar contender has no reported
budget, though one Portuguese article says $1.5m, which certainly
sounds reasonable, so I'll call it at $2mb. It's a success even if it cost
three times that.
14. Legend of the Condor Heroes: The Gallants–$70mb per one
Chinese source. A wuxia martial arts period adventure film written and
directed by the legendary Tsui Hark. It's based on part of the novel of
the same name by Jin Yong. According to one report it's the highest
grossing wuxia film at the Chinese box office. That would mean it made
more than Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and every local box office
hit. Mostly Hark would be competing with himself. His budgets bounce
up and down, from the massive $200mb for both The Battle at Lake
Changjin 1 and 2 (which he co-directed), and $60mb for some
Detective Dee movies and down to $20mb or $30mb for various other
flicks. One vague Chinese source says it cost $70mb. If they make a
sequel, I'll then consider this one a hit! When they make more, surely a
movie must be a winner.
15. The Brutalist– $10mb; Adrien Brody in this architect-as-hero
period drama. I'm not a fan of the film but I am delighted to see any
passion project this unlikely make money. Truly. 3/24/25, 2:43 PM POPSURFING.COM: WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE FOR WEEK ENDING MARCH 9 , 2025
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16. Night of the Zoopocalypse–Scrappy animated comedy about
animals taking on zombies at the Zoo.
17. Conclave– a reported $20mb for this Vatican thriller means this is
a hit. This is exactly the sort of film that can play and play in theaters.
18. National Theatre: Prima Facie– The acclaimed play starring
Jodie Comer of Killing Eve makes $3m in China. Heck, the fact that
it's shown in China kind of surprises me.
19. Always Have, Always Will–Chinese comic drama in which a young
man finds inspiration from a sick girl who is always tagging along. The
poster echoes "Little Miss Sunshine."
20. Moana 2– $150mb. Is the budget lower since it was intended for
tv, at first? Or higher because they had to rethink everything? Disney
says it cost $150mb, just like the original. You can bet Dwayne Johnson
gets more than his share of coconuts, but that won't matter with a hit
like this.
21. Sonic The Hedgehog 3– $120mb
22. There's Still Tomorrow– Italian drama about woman after WW
II deciding maybe she doesn't want to be in an abusive relationship. A
blockbuster in Italy, this was a box office winner for 2024.
23. Hotline Beijing–No reported budget or info on Chinese film.
24. Girls On Wire–Chinese drama directed by Vivian Qu in which a
single mom kills a drug lord and then must go on the run to avoid
retribution.
25. Rule Breakers–$8mb reported budget for the latest faith-based film
from Angel Studios. This one is about an educator who dares to teach
young women in Afghanistan.
26. A Complete Unknown–$60mb+ for this Bob Dylan biopic? That's a
lot of money for a film about Dylan going electric at Newport. I mean, I
wanted to see it but then I'm a Dylan fanatic. But $180m worldwide
seems highly unlikely to me, if not impossible. (Do other countries give
a toss about this? Is Chalamet a big enough draw for this story? I doubt
it.) I'm glad it was made, but it was made for too much. Like Gladiator
II, this will be seen as a commercial success, but it's not. UPDATE:
Well, it keeps going and going and maybe Chalamet is a worldwide
draw now, thanks to Wonka and the Dune films and he can bring in
people to a serious drama like this. More power to him. It's now at
$120m and grossed an excellent $15m this week. If it gets close to
$150m, I'll happily eat crow and call it a hit. It's already a good example
of a movie that may not be technically profitable from box office alone
but is clearly a financial success story that will be a valuable title in
anyone's library, pulling in plenty via rentals and sales and cable and
streaming and the like. Now where's the sequel where Dylan goes born
again Christian? Or the spin-off telling the story of Joan Baez?
Seriously, that one should be done like, now. 3/24/25, 2:43 PM POPSURFING.COM: WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE FOR WEEK ENDING MARCH 9 , 2025
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27. One of Them Days– $14mb. It's always good to gross your
budget during a film's opening week. So yea for producer Issa Rae and
this comedy starring Keke Palmer and SZA. (What an opening week for
SZA! Her movie opened well and she made my list of The 250 Best
Albums of the 21st Century...So Far.)
28. Companion– A reported $10mb for this sci-fi horror comedy.
Great reviews means this one should have a long run at the box office.
29. Heart Eyes–$18mb for rom/com slash horror film.
30. Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX-Beginning– This film is
pulled from the first episode(s) of the new season of a long-running
anime series. So it should be gravy and just good pr for the new season
launch. But $21m worldwide is an excellent return for episodes pulled
from a TV anime series.
31. Dragon– $4mb for this Indian/Tamil coming of age comedy
drama. A young guy gets too clever with a crooked path to riches,
endangering his job, his relationships and his family's reputation. Can
he reform? Does he want to?
32. Becoming Led Zeppelin –Long-gestating doc broke into the Top
10 on opening weekend, playing on IMAX screens only. In its second
weekend, the film has an excellent hold. This traditional doc (talking
heads, concert footage) has already grossed $6m, which is serious
money for this type of film. There is no reported budget, but given all
that I know, it seems likely the total was $2mb or less, so this is a
winner.
33. The Unbreakable Boy–heartwarming family film about little boy
who has a rare bone disease and autism, but also has a zest for life that
wins over everyone.
34. Exorcism Chronicles: The Beginning–A Korean animated horror
film about a priest partnering with magic-wielding monks to battle a
demon and protect a child. We just don't get animated films like that in
the U.S. Maybe Ralph Bakshi should have moved overseas to get his
projects made?
35. In The Lost Lands–$55mb reported budget for this fantasy film
starring Milla Jovovich and David Bautista based on a short story by
George R.R. Martin. Maybe Martin won't be so harsh on the tv series
House of Dragons after seeing this.
THE CHART AND HOW IT IS COMPILED
This column is a week by week tracking of box office around the
world. It is compiled by pulling from every possible source: ComScore,
Box Office Mojo, Variety, Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, charts for
countries like China and India and South Korea, individual stories in
trade or general interest newspapers, Wikipedia and anyone else
discussing box office.
ComScore Weekly Global Box Office Chart3/24/25, 2:43 PM POPSURFING.COM: WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE FOR WEEK ENDING MARCH 9 , 2025
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