Magic Mike's Last Dance Topped The Box Office, But The Numbers Aren't Exactly Magical

The big game tends to take a lot of attention away from most other things on "Super Bowl" weekend, meaning that it's usually a somewhat quiet weekend at the box office. This year was no exception, though we did wind up with a new champion in the form of "Magic Mike's Last Dance." Indeed, in his last go around as Magic Mike, Channing Tatum got to go out on top, rounding out this somewhat unlikely trilogy on a high (ish) note. The only problem is that the movie took the crown with just $8.2 million per Box Office Mojo. That is quite a bit lower than the openings for both "Magic Mike" ($39.1 million) and "Magic Mike XXL" ($14.5 million). It probably didn't have to be this way though.

Warner Bros. only released the film, directed by Steven Soderbergh, on 1,500 screens, while the original opened on just shy of 3,000 screens, while "XXL" played on 3,355 screens. Why didn't the studio go wider with this one? It's hard to say, though it was originally supposed to be an HBO Max exclusive that pivoted to a theatrical release somewhat late in the game.

"Last Dance" also earned $10.4 million internationally, putting it at $18.6 million worldwide thus far against a somewhat steep $40 million budget. Can it make what it needs to make to be a hit? Strong legs will be necessary, so good word of mouth is a must here. It seems highly unlikely to match the $170 million total of the original, or the $123 million of the prior sequel. In the end, it could be a decent finish, if not anywhere near a great one. A disappointment, to be certain.

Meanwhile, James Cameron once again proved that he is the master of the box office, as "Avatar: The Way of Water" ($6.8 million) and the re-release of "Titanic" ($6.4 million) took the number two and three spots, respectively. This is, mind you, the ninth weekend for "The Way of Water" and more than 25 years (not to mention several re-releases) later for "Titanic" following its original, record-breaking run. The movies are currently the second and third highest-grossing movies of all time, behind only Cameron's own, original "Avatar." What more can be said?

Meanwhile, last weekend's new releases swapped spots, signaling very different fates as things continue to play out. "80 for Brady" took the number four spot with $6 million after debuting at number two last weekend. It dropped 52.8% and currently is just a hair shy of $25 million domestically. Unfortunately for M. Night Shyamalan, "Knock at the Cabin" fell to number five after debuting at number one last weekend, taking in just $5.5 million and virtually tying "Puss in Boots: The Last Wish," which is in its eighth weekend.

Shyamalan's divisive latest effort, which stars Dave Bautista, dropped 61.1% and stands at $23.4 million domestically. With $36.7 million worldwide to its name, the film will need some help to justify its $20 million budget and become profitable. As for this upcoming weekend, we're headed back to certified blockbuster territory as Marvel's "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" will hit theaters and bring moviegoers out en masse.

Top 10 movies at the box office, February 10 – 12, 2023:

1. "Magic Mike's Last Dance" — $8.2 million

2. "Avatar: The Way of Water" — $6.8 million

3. "Titanic" 25th anniversary re-release — $6.4 million

4. "80 for Brady" — $6 million

5. "Knock at the Cabin" — $5.501 million

6. "Puss in Boots: The Last Wish" — $5.5 million

7. "A Man Called Otto" — $2.62 million

8. "Missing" — $2.6 million

9. "M3GAN" — $2.37 million

10. "Plane" — $1.18 million