Box Office: ‘Springsteen’ Struggles Overseas With $7M Debut as ‘Black Phone 2’ Nears $80M

One of the biggest names in music, Bruce Springsteen, didn’t exactly gain his popularity at the box office.

A musical biopic on the creation of his well-loved 1982 acoustic solo album “Nebraska,” “Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere,” is failing with $7 million at the international box office and $16.1 million worldwide. According to critics, the reason the movie is having trouble is that, in contrast to songs like “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “Rocketman,” which were broad, visually appealing examinations of the Queen and Elton John, “Deliver Me From Nowhere” focuses on a single, less commercialized phase of Springsteen’s vast, ten-year career.

The $55 million movie, which was directed by Scott Cooper and features Jeremy Allen White as the Boss, is being supported by Disney’s 20th Century Studios. The United Kingdom ($1.6 million), Germany ($1 million), and Italy ($800,000) are the top markets in its launch. Twenty percent of foreign countries, including Brazil, Japan, and Korea, have not yet seen the release of “Deliver Me From Nowhere.”

“Springsteen” debuted on worldwide charts after the love drama “Regretting You” from Paramount. Based on the best-selling book by Colleen Hoover, the PG-13 movie made $10 million upon premiere in 43 regions. With $12.8 million, the movie did better in North America, increasing its three-day total to $22.85 million worldwide. After 2024’s unexpected smash, “It Ends With Us,” Hoover’s second page-to-screen adaptation is “Regretting You,” which stars Allison Williams and Mckenna Grace as a mother and daughter dealing with the fallout from a tragic event. The author’s other writings, “Verity” and “Reminders of Him,” have been adapted into feature films by Universal and Amazon MGM.

In the meantime, “Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc” added $14.7 million and reached 46 new regions, maintaining its lead at the global box office. The R-rated movie, which is a follow-up to the well-liked manga television series, has been showing for weeks in Japan and other Asian nations and recently crossed the $100 million milestone. With $17.2 million this past weekend, “Chainsaw Man” topped the North American box office and has already made $108 million globally. After September’s sleeper success “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle,” which has earned $666.8 million worldwide and is the highest-grossing anime film ever, Sony’s Crunchyroll has won twice in a row.

Another milestone: following a difficult theatrical year for the low-budget horror conglomerate, Blumhouse’s “Black Phone 2” is a commercial success. The spooky follow-up brought in an additional $10 million abroad on its second weekend of release, increasing its total ticket sales to $31.3 million abroad and $80.4 million worldwide. Costing $30 million, the movie was distributed by Universal. Blumhouse’s previous releases, including January’s “Wolf Man” ($34 million), March’s “The Woman in the Yard” ($23 million), April’s “Drop” ($28 million), and June’s “M3GAN 2.0” ($39 million), all stalled in theaters, thus “Black Phone 2” easily became the studio’s highest-grossing movie of the year. “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2,” the sequel, which opens in December, should also aid in turning around the business.

Disney’s sci-fi blockbuster “Tron: Ares” made $6.3 million from 52 territories during its third weekend of release. The high-profile follow-up has made $60 million abroad and $123.4 million worldwide so far, which is a disappointing total considering its enormous $180 million price tag.