For the second consecutive week, the biopic “Bob Marley: One Love” continues to dominate at the box office. ‘One Love’ is at position 1 at the Box Office. This accomplishment comes despite the debut of two new films and Sony’s “Madame Web,” which continues to underperform.
The Paramount film, led by Kingsley Ben-Adir, generated $13.5 million in its second week. This surpassed its production cost of $70 million by grossing nearly $72 million domestically in North America.
Bob Marley’s musical Biopic
The Marley musical biopic, directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green, is an impressive achievement. It centers on the Rastafarian legend’s journey during the creation of his 1977 album “Exodus”. An album that led to his impactful concert in Jamaica.
“Some of his greatest hits are nearly 50 years old, but his music still resonates through this film” .
Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for data firm Comscore
“One Love” outperformed “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba – To the Hashira Training,” the Japanese anime series, which claimed the second spot with $11.5 million. The faith-based Lionsgate film, “Ordinary Angels,” starring Hilary Swank, secured the third position at the box office with an estimated $6.5 million.
“Demon Slayer” achieved a remarkable opening from only 1,949 locations, considerably fewer than “One Love” with 3,597 and 3,020 for “Ordinary Angels.”
Despite a slow week, Dergarabedian anticipates a significant uptick next week with the highly awaited debut of “Dune: Part Two.” Dune is expected to end the reign of “One Love” at the top spot.
In its second week, “Madame Web” struggled to find success, producing only $6 million and accumulating just over $35 million in total. The animated film “Migration” by Universal claimed the fifth spot with $3 million, bringing its domestic total to $120 million.
“Argylle” secured the sixth position with $2.8 million, narrowly surpassing “Wonka,” which earned $2.5 million. Paul King’s musical, starring Timothée Chalamet as a young Willy Wonka, has grossed over $214 million after 11 weeks.
The Ethan Coen-directed “Drive Away Dolls” made its debut at eighth place with $2.4 million, ahead of “The Beekeeper” and “The Chosen” season four. It is a Christian series focusing on Jesus Christ, claiming the ninth and tenth positions with $1.9 million and $1.7 million, respectively.
‘One Love’ at the Box Office
In “One Love,” the writing tends to transform what should be delicate narrative curves into harsh and inelegant edges. Hasty and clichéd flashbacks recount Marley’s challenging childhood. This was marked by his white father’s abandonment. More so, it offers a swift backstory for Marley and Rita’s courtship and the Wailers securing their record deal. The scenes in the recording studio are accompanied by the gooey and honeyed lighting by DP Robert Elswit. It suggests a focus on the recording of Marley’s iconic album, Exodus. However, the rapid renditions of the album’s title track and hits like “Jammin” rely on conventional cinematic songwriting cliches. This portrays tunes composed in a matter of seconds. A scene where Marley catches the Wailers listening to the “Exodus” soundtrack leads to the abrupt declaration of it becoming the album title. Immediately followed by an unexpected European tour.