May had its first $1b box office without a Marvel

On the strength of a popstar biopic, a fashionable sequel, an underwhelming Star War, and two surprise horror megahits, the North American box office eclipsed $1 billion in May—a figure not reached since 2019, before Covid ravaged the movie industry.Led by Michael ($210 million), The Devil Wears Prada 2 ($209 million), The Mandalorian and Grogu ($137 million), Obsession ($104.7 million), and Backrooms ($81 million), the May domestic haul reached three commas without the aid of a Marvel superhero movie for the first time ever. That success, not surprisingly, translated to theaters, too:Cinemark reported its best-ever domestic box office for May, crediting robust options along with younger moviegoers putting their phones down to head to the multiplex.AMC said this was its best-attended May globally, proving they don’t necessarily need Nicole Kidman to get butts in seats.The future looks bright. Toy Story 5 comes out in two weeks and is expected to be a billion-dollar movie for Disney. The Scary Movie reboot, out today, is projected to debut with a $50 million weekend, while Steven Spielberg’s alien flick Disclosure Day could earn a similar figure next weekend. Meanwhile, some fans waited more than an hour yesterday to buy advanced Imax tickets for Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, out on July 17.—DL