'Send Help' tops North American box office; 'Melania' documentary witnesses sharp fall on Super Bowl weekend

Hollywood largely ceded attention to football over a slow box-office weekend, with the survival thriller 'Send Help' repeating as No. 1 in ticket sales and the Melania Trump documentary 'Melania' falling sharply in its second weekend.

Super Bowl weekend is typically one of the lowest attended moviegoing times of the year. It was the second slowest weekend last year and in 2024 it ranked dead last for moviegoing.




Studios instead put their focus on advertising movies for the massive television audience. Among the trailers expected to hit the NFL broadcast Sunday were The Walt Disney Co.'s 'Mandalorian and Grogu', Lionsgate's Michael Jackson biopic, 'Michael' and Universal Pictures' 'The Super Mario Galaxy Movie'.

'Send Help' tops box office

In North American theaters, the Disney.-20th Century Studios release 'Send Help', directed by Sam Raimi, lead all films with USD 10 million in its second weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday. With USD 53.7 million globally thus far, the R-rated survival thriller has proved a solid midbudget success.

Disney meanwhile watched its remarkably long-lasting 'Zootopia 2' cross USD 1.8 billion worldwide in its 11th week of release.

'Melania' witnesses sharp decline

'Melania', from Amazon MGM, added 300 theaters in its second weekend but dropped steeply with to USD 2.4 million in ticket sales, down 67% from its much-discussed debut. The rapid downturn means the Brett Ratner-directed documentary is likely heading toward flop territory given its high price tag. Amazon MGM paid USD 40 million for film rights, plus some USD 35 million to market it.

The North American total for 'Melania' stands at $13.4 million. Amazon MGM has not released international figures, though they're expected to be paltry.

The film's ticket sales - which would be very good for a less expensive documentary - were a talking point throughout the week. Late-night hosts Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel hammered the movie's sales. Kimmel called them a "rigged outcome."

Comedy and K-Pop score big

Elsewhere in theaters, the Italy-set Kevin James romantic comedy 'Solo Mio' debuted with a robust USD 7.2 million, a major win for Angel Studios, best known for its faith-based releases. 'Stray Kids: The Dominate Experience', a K-pop concert film released by Bleecker Street, launched with USD 5.6 million, and an additional USD 13.2 million overseas. The Luc Besson-directed Bram Stoker adaptation 'Dracula' opened with USD 4.5 million, a studio-best debut for the indie distributor Vertical.

One of the most unusual releases in theatres, however, remains the low-budget indie 'Iron Lung'. The YouTube filmmaker Markiplier, whose real name is Mark Fischbach, self-financed and self-distributed the R-rated video game adaptation, along with writing, directing and starring in it. In its second weekend, "Iron Lung" collected USD 6.2 million, bringing its two-week total to USD 31.2 million. It cost USD 3 million to make.

Top 10 movies by domestic box office

With final domestic figures being released Monday, this list factors in the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore:

1. 'Send Help' - USD 10 million.

2. 'Solo Mio' - USD 7.2 million.

3. 'Iron Lung' - USD 6 million.

4. 'Stray Kids: The Dominate Experience' - USD 5.6 million.

5. 'Dracula' - USD 4.5 million.

6. 'Zootopia 2' - USD 4 million.

7. 'Avatar: Fire and Ash' - USD 3.5 million.

8. 'The Strangers: Chapter 3' - USD 3.5 million.

9. 'Shelter - USD 2.4 million.

10. 'Melania' - USD 2.4 million.Get the latest entertainment updates from the Times of India, along with the latest Hindi movies, upcoming Hindi movies in 2026 , and Telugu movies.”