'Space Jam: A New Legacy' beats 'Black Widow' at box office

The Tune Squad ruled over the box office court this weekend; Space Jam: A New Legacy, which sees LeBron James team up with the animated Looney Tunes crew, dunked on the competition with $31.6 million in ticket sales.

The Warner Bros. sequel to 1996’s Space Jam surpassed forecasts, which projected the film would bring in $20 million in its first three days of release. Critics rebuffed Space Jam: A New Legacy (it holds a bleak 31% average on Rotten Tomatoes), but audiences appeared to embrace the movie, awarding it an “A-” CinemaScore.

Space Jam 2 played in 3,965 cinemas in North America, while being available on HBO Max at no extra charge to subscribers.

“The marketing on this movie really looked fun, and it helped alert audiences everywhere,” said Jeff Goldstein, Warner Bros. president of domestic distribution.

The better-than-expected start for Space Jam 2 pushed last weekend’s champion, Disney and Marvel’s Black Widow, to second place on box office charts. The superhero adventure, starring Scarlett Johansson, brought in $26.3 million in its second weekend, representing a huge 67% decline.

So far, Black Widow has generated $131 million in North America and $264 million globally.

Despite concerns over the Delta variant and its hybrid release on HBO Max, Space Jam: A New Legacy landed the largest debut for a family film during COVID.

Earlier in the pandemic, movies geared toward younger audiences – such as The Croods: A New Age and Tom and Jerry – had been the biggest moneymakers. But summer offerings like The Boss Baby: Family Business, Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway and Spirit Untamed had each fallen flat with family crowds.

Space Jam 2, which arrived 26 years after the original, is the first film in some time to bring moviegoers with kids back to theatres. Males accounted for 53% of sales, while 52% of ticket buyers were under the age of 25.

“This weekend is a positive indication that the family audience is alive, well and, according to Space Jam 2’s enthusiastic audience scores, still thrilled by the big screen,” says David A. Gross, who runs the movie consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research.