Tom Holland’s ‘Uncharted’ tops box office charts with $44 million debut

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 21 (U.S.): Sony’s long-running modified video game “Uncharted” raised $44 million over the weekend, enough to lead the domestic box office charts and solidify the power of superstar Tom Holland.

The big-budget action adventure is set as a major test of Holland’s banking ability apart from his huge success as Spider-Man. “Uncharted” received mixed reviews, at best, so it’s safe to assume the 25-year-old British actor was in good health at the ticket sale. Also helpful is Uncharted’s PG-13 rating based on one of the most popular video games.

“Uncharted,” directed by Robin Fleischer, who previously led Tom Hardy’s comic book column “Venom” to box office fame, is expected to earn $52 million over the President’s Day holiday on Monday. It’s a great start in COVID times, but that doesn’t mean the movie has an easy path to profitability. “Uncharted” has a $120 million price tag, so international ticket sales will be a major factor in getting out of the red.

To that end, “Uncharted” decisively landed its release date in China, the world’s largest theater market. Action-packed adventures and visual effects, such as “Uncharted,” tend to play well in China. But lately, watchers in the country have been very selective about allowing Hollywood movies to be shown in movie theaters, and when the Chinese government approves non-domestic productions, this has been a real mixed bag at the box office. So the success of the film in China is not yet clear. Since “Uncharted” won’t open in China until March 14, piracy could be a concern, according to Reuters.

Outside of China, “Uncharted” was a favorite. The film has already grossed nearly $55 million at the international box office and has topped $100 million worldwide.

Gross, director of film consultancy Franchise Entertainment Research: “This is an excellent opening.” “Action adventures based on video games are big movies, and that weekend figure is nearly double the average for the genre. Budgets are high, so Uncharted needs to connect in every market,” he adds. So far, do it.”

“Uncharted” follows globe-trotting treasure hunter Nathan Drake and his wise partner Sully (Mark Wahlberg, who was previously linked to playing Nathan Drake and has since transcended his role) as they embark on a death-defying mission to uncover the greatest unfound treasure. Complicating matters further, brave explorers compete against two villains (played by Antonio Banderas and Tate Gabriel) to locate the legendary riches. Audiences awarded the movie “B +” CinemaScore.

“Uncharted” dominated the box office charts, but it wasn’t the only nationwide new release that exceeded expectations. Channing Tatum’s PG-13 adventure dog “Dog” landed in second place with $15.1 million, a great start for a movie not based on comic book characters or an existing movie franchise.

HF