Demon Slayer, Mortal Kombat Rule The Box Office In The US

The latest box office numbers for the United States have arrived, and Demon Slayer and Mortal Kombat finished in the top two positions, in that order. Right up front it bears mentioning that the pandemic continues to impact the box office and its results, so these numbers and analysis should be viewed in part through that lens.

Demon Slayer made $6.4 million to land at the No. 1 position, bringing its total to $32.2 million in the US. Mortal Kombat, meanwhile, added $6.2 million to boost its total to $34 million after just 10 days.

The films each crashed week-over-week, with Demon Slayer dropping by 73% and Mortal Kombat tumbling by 70% in terms of their weekend box office hauls in the US.

Deadline, which supplied all the numbers, said this may be attributable to how the movies had a "limited wide appeal," so their results might have been overly front-loaded.

No major tentpole movie was released in the US this past weekend, and that meant the overall moviegoing audience was depleted, Deadline said. Other factors were at play this weekend as well.

"Couple that with great weather across the nation, and President Biden's new order that vaccinated folks can go outside without a mask. People decided to do other outdoor activities rather than head to the movies, per distribution sources," the site said.

For Mortal Kombat specifically, Deadline said the fact that it's also currently streaming on HBO Max is a "leg-killer."

"Why see the movie a second time in the theater when you can see it at home for free?" Deadline wondered.

Mortal Kombat's 73% decline for its second weekend at the US box office is the most precipitous second-week fall for any Warner Bros. movie during the pandemic. Every 2021 Warner Bros. film--including The Matrix 4 and Dune--will be available in cinemas and on HBO Max. This is said to be a one-off decision that won't be carried forward in 2022.

April 30-May 2 US Box Office Results:

1. Demon Slayer -- $6.4 million / Total: $32.2 million
2. Mortal Kombat -- $6.2 million / Total: $34 million
3. Godzilla vs. Kong -- $2.74 million / Total $90.3 million
4. Separation -- $1.8 million / Total $1.8 million
5. Raya and the Last Dragon -- $1.33 million / Total: $41.5 million
6. Nobody -- $1.26 million / Total $23.3 million
7. The Unholy -- $1.06 million / Total: $13.1 million
8. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World -- $720,000 / Total: $32.4 million
9. Tom & Jerry -- $515,000 / Total: $44.2 million
10. Together Together -- $313,000 / Total $1.02 million