LeBron James launched Space Jam: A New Legacy Friday and it is exceeding expectations at the box office. The Hollywood Reporter says it grossed $13.2 million on Friday. Meanwhile, Disney’s Black Widow plummeted 80% to $8 million on Friday. Furthermore, the Marvel comic book film is expected to make $26 million compared to Space Jam’s $32 million on the weekend.
Space Jam: A New Legacy is resonating with audiences, rating an ‘A-‘ on CinemaScore. Reviewers on Rotten Tomatoes are not as kind to the Warner Bros. film. Collectively, the basketball film rates 31%, based on 128 reviews from critics. Meanwhile, audiences rated it 83%.
Kimber Myers from Crooked Marquee, says Space Jam: A New Legacy is “a Warner Bros. Studio Store in movie form – and equally as bankrupt -Space Jam: A New Legacy doesn’t so much celebrate the historic brand’s legacy as it exploits it.”
Meanwhile, Victor Shiff of ThatShelf.com says “Space Jam: A New Legacy is a tribute to all the kids who dare to colour outside the lines.”
The LeBron James film was the #2 in all Google searches Friday. Google reports over 2 million Space Jam related searches on the day. Top U.S. metro areas seeking info on the film include three in Texas: Laredo, San Antonio and Houston. LeBron’s native Cleveland-Akron, Ohio was third. Finally, Los Angeles was #4 in the top five metros.
Both ‘Black Widow’ and Space Jam: A New Legacy are available to stream from Disney+ and HBO Max respectively. However, the Marvel film requires an additional $29.99 purchase via Disney+ Premier Access. Disney celebrated their film bringing in “at least $60 million” via Disney+ last weekend. Those strong results reverberated around Hollywood.
Escape Room: Tournament of Champions is projected to be #3 at the box office this weekend. The Sony film made $3.8 million on Friday. Horror-thrillers have proved durable in the pandemic era box office. Per Google, the PG-13 film is drawing strong interest in the past day from: Lima, Ohio; Memphis, Tennessee; Lake Charles, Louisiana and Columbia, South Carolina.
