2/6-2/8: Super Bowl Fever Holds Down Moviegoing, with SEND HELP Winning in its 2nd Weekend
Dick is laser-focused on box office performance, having led major national exhibitors in essential decisions on which films to program and the results they generate. His editorial contributions include the analysis of weekend box office results, and forward-looking previews of the upcoming film slate.
Despite SEND HELP finishing first for the second weekend in a row with a gross of $10M, its success was overshadowed by the media extravaganza that is the Super Bowl. This year, cinemas also had to contend with the start of the 2026 Winter Olympics, with its Opening Ceremony taking place on Friday, followed by the first two days of competition.
Well aware of these distractions, major studios held off opening significant new titles, while a few independent distributors stepped in to pick up the slack. Four new movies came out in wide release, bringing in a combined total box office of $20.8M led by $7.2M from Angel Studios’ rom-com SOLO MIO which took second place. We shudder to think how low the weekend box office would have been without them. The total for all films this weekend was $61.7M. Last year’s Super Bowl weekend was only $54.3M, the second lowest of the year, led by Universal’s DOGMAN in its second weekend with $13.8M.
Three of the four new movies released this weekend will make money, because they had low production budgets. It just goes to show that entertaining, well-made films made on low budgets are likely to succeed, even when they are released in slow times of the year. Of this weekend’s new openers, only DRACULA will wind up as a financial loss, because of its sizeable $52M production budget.
This weekend halts a two-weekend losing streak for 2026, compared to 2025 results. We have previously mentioned that the next substantial upturn in moviegoing would come on Valentine’s Day/Presidents’ Day weekend. When it arrives next Friday, a crop of exciting new movies will include Warner Bros.’ classic romance WUTHERING HEIGHTS, Sony’s animated family movie GOAT and Amazon MGM’s action thriller CRIME 101. Interest in these movies should be the tonic theatres need to perk up after struggling through a couple marginal weeks. The comparison with last year’s Valentine’s Day weekend will be a challenge, since it came with the opening of Disney and Marvel’s CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD which earned $88.8M by itself, and the total for all films came in at $154.1M.
FIRST PLACE
Disney and 20th Century’s SEND HELP was the top performer this weekend, taking in $10.0M and dropping 48% from last week’s opening. This brings its 10-day total to $35.8M domestically and $53.7M worldwide. As of now, this survival horror comedy is the highest-grossing domestic release of the year. Interestingly, it is also the fifth time in the six weekends of 2026 when Disney had the #1 movie in the marketplace. Only Amazon MGM’s MERCY, with its #1 finish on the weekend of January 23-25, kept Disney from having a clean sweep.
Positive word of mouth for SEND HELP should keep it adding to its totals all month, even after WUTHERING HEIGHTS knocks it off its perch at #1 next weekend. One concern about SEND HELP is that only 25% of its gross has come from international markets. Major studios shoot for 50% or more of a movie’s gross to come from overseas markets, contributing greatly to its ability to be profitable. After spending $60M to make the movie, it will need $150M in worldwide ticket sales to be profitable. If 75% of that amount comes from the domestic market, it would have to earn $113M to get to that point, and we do not think this will happen.
SEND HELP vs. MISERY after 10 Days
SECOND PLACE
SOLO MIO, the romantic comedy from Angel Studios, finished in second place with $7.2M in its opening weekend. This is Angel’s first rom-com feature, in an attempt to diversify from producing only faith-based films. This is a bit of a risk for the studio, straying from their core strength. However, the gamble appears to be paying off, with SOLO MIO hitting profitability after only a few days. Angel filmed the movie internationally, spending only $3M on it despite it starring the well-known actor Kevin James. The film is rated PG, which is consistent with the studio’s mantra of offering family entertainment suited to its Angel Guild followers. The members of this fan group have input on every film project Angel undertakes. As of December 2025, there are 2,000,000 Angel Guild members, which is twice the number it had only nine months ago. The Guild is a unique asset for Angel, providing financial resources to fund production and make a commitment to buy tickets in advanced. This eliminates most of the financial risk for Angel’s film projects.
A recent example of Angel using this model is the film DAVID, released last Christmas. This animated faith-based movie cost $61M to produce, a record expenditure for Angel. However, $50M of that amount was provided by Guild members before filming began. This left Angel Studios responsible for only $11M, which the film has been earned back, and then some, with a total worldwide gross of $83M to-date. This translates to a very profitable 7.5 to 1 ratio of worldwide sales to production cost, despite it being the most expensive movie the studio has ever made.
SOLO MIO widens Angel’s scope into a more traditional genre, the romantic comedy. More movies from Angel provides a substantial benefit to theatres, who are always hungry for more content and an established and loyal fan base.
SOLO MIO stars Kevin James, who started his career in show business as a stand-up comedian. He became one of the most popular sitcom actors for his role as affable delivery driver Doug Heffernan in The King of Queens (1998–2007). The show’s long run cemented James as a household name, having a relatable character with strong physical comedy instincts and sharp timing. He has been successful in his film career with a starring role in PAUL BLART: MALL COP, which turned into a surprise hit in 2009 when it grossed $146.3M domestically and $183.0M worldwide. He also had major roles in HITCH (2005) and HERE COMES THE BOOM (2012). More recently, he has diversified his image with supporting and dramatic turns in films like BECKY (2020), demonstrating a willingness to move beyond his familiar comedic persona. In SOLO MIO, he stars as Matt Taylor, a well-meaning but heartbroken groom who’s left at the altar only hours before his destination wedding in Rome is to take place. With the honeymoon already paid for and non-refundable, Matt decides – somewhat defiantly – to go on the trip alone. What begins as an awkward, lonely vacation turns into a transformational experience, as he befriends other travelers, stumbles through Italian culture, and confronts his fears about love and self-worth. Along the way, an unexpected romantic connection and a series of comic misadventures help him realize that closing the door to one future can open up the possibility for a better, more authentic one.
Critics like the film giving it an 81% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, while the general public has been more positive with a 95% audience score. Here are a few of the critics’ thoughts. Variety says, “Some like their rom-coms aching or itching with desire. Others are content to celebrate the affectionate spark. This PG Valentine from Angel Studios is very much the latter. And there’s nothing wrong with that.” The Travers Take weighs in by saying, “See this romcom for the soft side of Kevin James as a jilted groom in Roma and Italian scenery that’s gorgeous in any language. That’s the only way to come out ahead.” A V Mom thought, “Who knew Paul Blart had it in him?” The Film Verdict holds a somewhat lesser opinion, saying, “Refuses to burrow beneath the surface: Obvious jokes, facile insights, and emotional band-aids are all that’s on the menu.” With the film only needing $7.5M to be profitable, it has already grossed $7.2M in its first three days. For a comparable film, we chose CHEF (2014). We believe that it matches SOLO MIO in its warm, crowd-pleasing energy, using food as self-expression, using it to rebuild one’s life through a relaxed, feel-good story.
SOLO MIO vs. CHEF
THIRD PLACE
Markiplier’s IRON LUNG fell to third place this weekend with a still-healthy gross of $6.0M, a decline of 67% from its surprisingly strong opening. In 10 days, this unique horror film has earned of $31.0M in the domestic market. The story was conceived by YouTube sensation Markiplier (Mark Fischbach), and is thought by most to be the biggest theatrical surprise of the year. Made on a production cost of only $3M and marketed guerilla-style for virtually no cost, the film is certain to be one of the most profitable films of the year. Its ratio of worldwide gross to production cost stands currently at 10.3 to 1.
Markiplier is the driving force behind the entire project, having written, produced, directed, starred in and marketed the film. One wonders if other YouTube content providers will step forward to leverage their online popularity to create their own films. Before the digital revolution in filmmaking, this approach would not have been possible. Now, anyone with an iPhone can become a content provider, and while not everyone is as talented as Markiplier, one cannot help but believe that there are more mavericks out there. While influencer movies will not be enough to support the needs of theatres on their own, there is more than enough space at the local cineplex to give these creators the opportunity to showcase their work and give their followers a reason to visit the theatre.
IRON LUNG vs. DAS BOOT after 10 Days
FOURTH PLACE
Bleecker Street’s concert film, STRAY KIDS: THE DOMINATE EXPERIENCE, finished in fourth place by taking in $5.6M in its opening weekend. Stray Kids is a South Korean K-pop group formed by JYP Entertainment in 2017, known for having an aggressive energy, genre-blending sound, and a high degree of creative control. Unlike many idol groups, Stray Kids are self-produced, led musically by the in-house team of 3RACHA (Bang Chan, Changbin, and Han), who write and compose most of their own material. Their music fuses hip-hop and industrial pop, often emphasizing themes of identity, rebellion, mental health, and self-confidence.
The movie was designed as an immersive concert experience, not a traditional tour documentary. Prioritizing scale, sound, and spectacle, it was filmed during the DominATE World Tour, which kicked off on August 16, 2023, in Fukuoka, Japan. The filming captured performances at multiple international stops on the tour, wrapping up in Seoul, South Korea, on October 29, 2023. It proved to be a challenge for the filmmakers to show the crowd interacting with the performers on stage while filming at large stadiums with as many as 50,000 screaming fans. Drone-mounted cameras were to capture shots from above the stadium, right down onto the stage. These shots were interspersed with fixed cameras focused on the Stray Kids. The audio was mixed to provide an excellent experience for moviegoers seeing it in IMAX, Dolby, and standard theatres.
Critics have not weighed in with enough reviews to warrant a score on Rotten Tomatoes, but the audience score stands at a perfect 100% for now. The movie’s production cost is estimated to have been $2M, making it profitable right away after this weekend’s take. For a comparison film, we are using another K-POP sensation, the BTS film BTS: YET TO COME IN CINEMAS from 2023. Not only are they both K-POP concert films, but both films opened over Super Bowl weekends.
STRAY KIDS: THE DOMINATE EXPERIENCE vs. BTS: YET TO COME IN CINEMAS
FIFTH PLACE
DRACULA, the gothic horror film released by Vertical Entertainment, finished in fifth place with $4.5M in its opening weekend. This is a French production led by Luc Besson Productions. This film returns to the original story from Bram Stoker’s novel, after decades of modernized or revisionist adaptations. Early drafts were reportedly far more experimental, but the final script leaned into classic Gothic horror over reinvention. It opens in the 15th century when a Wallachian prince witnesses the brutal murder of his beloved wife Elisabeta. In grief, he renounces God and becomes cursed with eternal life as Dracula, wandering through the centuries. Hundreds of years later, he searches for the reincarnation of his lost love and confronts a priest who is determined to end his immortal reign.
Luc Besson wrote, directed, and produced the film. He is a French filmmaker known for highly stylized genre films that blend action, fantasy, and strong visual design. One of his best-known films outside France is THE FIFTH ELEMENT (1997), a sci-fi adventure starring Bruce Willis and Milla Jovovich, known for its unique visual world. The action thriller LUCY (2014) starring Scarlett Johansson was also noticed internationally. DRACULA’s cast is led by Caleb Landry Jones in the title role, best known for his breakout performance in GET OUT (2017). Christoph Waltz plays the Priest, a man of the cloth who is determined to track down and destroy Dracula. Waltz is best known for his Academy Award-winning role in Tarantino’s INGLORIOUS BASTARDS (2009).
Critics are somewhat negative towards the film, with a 56% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but the audience score is significantly better at 79%. Here are some comments from reviewers. The Wall Street Journal says, “Jones is not a star and falls short of generating the level of creepy charisma Gary Oldman displayed in the 1992 film. Meant to be all-powerful and spellbinding, he comes across as merely eccentric.” The San Francisco Chronicle concludes, “It’s a train wreck, but certainly a watchable one that almost plays like fan fiction.” The Austin Chronicle suggest that you, “Call it what it is: Luc Besson’s Francis Ford Coppola’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula, a copy of a copy.” On a more positive note, The Associated Press says, “It’s fun to watch Jones and Waltz sink their teeth – well, for Jones, his fangs – into a story that’s old as time, but can always use another fairly watchable remake.”
Every effort was made to make this film as true to the Bram Stoker version as possible. Money was spent on locations and costume design for its solid cast and Academy Award-nominated director in Besson (LE FEMME NAKITA (1990). This was a serious attempt to bring a classic remake to theatres. With a production cost of $52M, the film will have to get to $130M in worldwide ticket sales to make money. The film has already been released internationally, where it has earned $29.2M. With a global total of $33.7M to-date, it’s clear that this film will not be profitable on theatrical ticket sales. This begs the question why it was released in the U.S. on Super Bowl weekend? The film deserved better to kick off its theatrical run on one of the lowest-grossing weekends of the year. Horror has performed well in the post-pandemic era, and one only needs to look at the positive response for our comparable film NOSFERATU. That film had a $50M production cost and was released on Christmas Day in 2024. It went on to earn $95.6M domestically and $181.8M worldwide. DRACULA seemed destined to fail with its early February release date, while NOSEFERATU flourished at one of the best times of the year. This is a head-scratcher because Vertical must have been well-aware of the challenges they would be up against in early February.
DRACULA vs. NOSFERATU
Where Are We as of 2/5/2026
After the first five weeks of 2026, the current year’s domestic box office stands at 111% compared with 2025, 125% compared with 2024, and 105% compared with 2023.
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