In what was a grim Friday for newbies, Funimation’s My Hero Academia: World Hero Movies was the top new release last night. The anime feature earned $2.88 million in 1,600 theaters to set the stage for an $8 million opening weekend. That’s obviously below the $21 million debut of Demon Slayer The Movie earlier this year, but it’ll already surpass the $5.8 million cume of My Hero Academia: Two Heroes in 2018. These domestic releases are the very definition of low-risk, low(er) reward, although that these films seem to be performing better than the majority of pandemic-era “not a tentpole” theatrical releases is disconcerting to say the least. My daughter has “outgrown” this property, so I can’t speak to its quality.
Edgar Wright and Krysty Wilson-Cairns’ Last Night In Soho earned just $1.92 million on Friday, setting the stage for a $4.3 million opening weekend. This time-hopping horror fantasy starring Thomasin McKenzie and Anya Taylor-Joy was always going to be a tougher sell than Baby Driver, although its domestic failure highlights that non-ensemble star power is essentially/currently dead at a theatrical level (The Queen’s Gambit fans certainly didn’t show up) and that there’s a $5 million ceiling (The Last Duel, Malignant, Last Night in Soho, etc.) on non-event flicks. The whole “theaters only play the IMAX-friendly stuff while everything else is streaming or VOD” future is may have been kicked into hyperdrive by the pandemic.
Searchlight’s Antlers earned $1.35 million on Friday for a $3.91 million domestic debut. The long-delayed (mostly by Covid) Keri Russell-starring and Scott Cooper-directed horror flick certainly didn’t benefit from the “produced by Guillermo del Toro” pitch, although I’m guessing his star-studded (Bradley Cooper/Cate Blanchett/Rooney Mara/Toni Collette/Willem Dafoe/etc.) Nightmare Alley is a brighter bet come December. The reviews and buzz were mixed, so that this opened somewhat close the much-more-blogged-about Last Night in Soho and The French Dispatch almost counts as a win. Ironically, had Paramount PGRE -2.5% opened Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin theatrically this weekend instead of on Paramount+, it might have won the weekend or at least topped the other new releases.
The French Dispatch expanded to 788 theaters and earned $800,000 on Friday for a likely $2.69 million wide-release debut. That’s a $3,997 per-theater average, which is almost “good” under the circumstances, but last weekend’s $26k per-theater-average (in 52 theaters) was clearly a matter of getting one week of good news before it went wide to mostly empty auditoriums. The Wes Anderson flick has earned mostly decent reviews, although the all-star ensemble (Timothée Chalamet, Jeffrey Wright, Benicio del Toro, etc.) didn’t move the needle all that much. This is a less commercial flick than Moonrise Kingdom or Royal Tenenbaums, but it’s still the kind of result that bodes ill for “not a franchise flick” movies in 2022 and beyond.
Sony released Ghostbusters back into theaters this weekend. The 1984 comedy will earn $225,000 over the weekend, which to less than the $555,000 it earned in its Fri-Sun July 4th weekend reissue in 2020. That was enough to put the Ivan Reitman-directed fantasy in the top spot for the domestic box office. Thank heaven for small favors, in that $225,000 is only enough for 13th place in late 2021. Tracking is looking decent for Ghostbusters: Afterlife, with a likely performance ironically on par with Ghostbusters: Answer the Call ($126 million from a $46 million debut in summer 2016). If the Jason Reitman-helmed legacy sequel cost closer to Venom ($90 million) than Paul Feig’s Answer the Call ($144 million), that will be fine.
‘My Hero Academia: World Heroes’ Mission’: What Is the Movie’s Runtime?
My Hero Academia Movie fans are eagerly anticipating the anime’s sixth season, and they have a new movie to enjoy while they wait. My Hero Academia: World Heroes’ Mission hits U.S. theaters on Oct. 29, and the film promises to ramp up the action following My Hero Academia Season 5. Although it won’t directly tie into the popular anime series, World Heroes’ Mission tells a full story that touches on the original show’s major themes. How long is the new movie?
Those wondering what the new My Hero Academia movie is about might be surprised to learn it sees Deku and his friends going undercover — primarily because he’s wanted for murder. The trailer and synopsis don’t dive deeper into that premise. However, it’s probably safe to assume the film’s villain is responsible.
According to Crunchyroll, the Big Bad in My Hero Academia: World Heroes’ Mission has a vendetta against Quirks. And he’s got an entire organization aiding in his efforts to eradicate them:
“When a sinister organization threatens to wipe out all superhuman powers, the fate of the world is on the line. With two hours until the collapse of civilization, Deku, Bakugo, and Todoroki manage to work as a team, but there’s still one problem. Deku’s on the run for murder.”
It sounds like the heroes will have their hands full, meaning it could take a while to stop the villain’s plot. So, what kind of runtime should moviegoers expect from the third My Hero film?
The new My Hero Academia movie may have a lot going on, but its runtime is about average for an anime release. According to Fandango, it clocks in at one hour and 44 minutes. Heroes Rising was about as long, while Two Heroes is the shortest of the three films, boasting a one-hour and 35-minute length.
There’s no post-credits scene for World Heroes’ Mission, so those wondering if they should stick around don’t necessarily need to — though it’s always interesting to see who’s involved in a film’s creation.
As of this writing, the new My Hero Academia film is playing exclusively in movie theaters. It should move to streaming platforms sometime after its theatrical run. Both Two Heroes and Heroes Rising eventually debuted on Funimation. World Heroes’ Mission is likely to follow a similar release pattern. That means a Blu-ray and DVD are probably on the horizon as well.
For now, fans will need to head out to theaters to see the latest addition to the anime’s movie lineup. On the bright side, those who can’t make it don’t need to see it to understand My Hero Academia Season 6 — though hopefully, it’ll be available on VOD before the new episodes arrive.