Weekend Box Office: September 16-18, 2022
by Emily Nagle
While the past couple of weeks were relatively quiet for movie theaters across the United States, this past weekend saw plenty of new releases across lots of different genres. From creative documentaries to comedic murder mysteries, this weekend offered up something for viewers with lots of different tastes.
Top 5 Highest Grossing Films for September 16-18, 2022
5. Bullet Train ($2.6 million)
4. See How They Run ($3 million)
3. Pearl ($3.1 million)
2. Barbarian ($6.5 million)
1. The Woman King ($19 million)
The best-selling movie for this weekend was new historical epic “The Woman King”, which has been met with positive reviews from critics ever since its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. Starring Viola Davis as General Nanisca, leader of the all-female Agojie warrior tribe in West Africa, “The Woman King” follows her and her team as they protect the kingdom of Dahomey during the 1820s. Audiences particularly praised the film’s casting and action choreography.
Another new arrival in theaters this weekend was A24’s “Pearl”, which became the third highest-grossing film for the weekend. This indie slasher film serves as a prequel for “X”, having been simultaneously shot in secret earlier this year. It tells the origin story of Pearl (Mia Goth), the villain from the film, by taking viewers back in time nearly six decades before the original film. Set in 1918, “Pearl” introduces viewers to the murderer as a 16-year-old, showing how she ended up as the murderous housewife we saw last spring in “X”. It’s been met with generally positive reviews from critics, who loved Goth’s performance as well as its tributes to classic films.
Trailing slightly behind “Pearl” was “See How They Run”. This whodunit starring Sam Rockwell, Saoirse Ronan, and Adrien Brody is set in 1950s London, and tells the story of a film crew who recruit an inspector and a constable to solve who murdered one of the main team members.