Rough seas for Whalefall — Josh Brolin’s film tanks at the box office globally

Right, so here’s the latest studio headache: Whalefall, the much-hyped survival thriller from 20th Century Studios, just landed at UK cinemas with a resounding thud rather than the splash Disney must’ve been banking on. If you like watching studios fumble the ball, grab some popcorn, because this one’s a classic example of a botched launch mixed with a healthy dose of market cannibalisation.

Whalefall opened to just $8 million in the US from 3,065 cinemas, a far cry from its projected $10–12 million debut.

Lost at Sea Opening Weekend

Here’s the raw box office carnage: after some genuinely hopeful tracking numbers, Whalefall managed a painfully slim $8 million haul domestically, dropping straight into fourth place behind a pile-up of more appealing releases. For a film lugging around a $60 million budget, that’s a nasty start by any metric. It’s the sort of opening that’ll keep Disney’s accountants up at night, especially as it’s meant to be one of 20th Century’s specialty titles.

Thursday previews weren’t disastrous—$900,000—but things evidently trailed off fast, with Friday’s takings stuck at $3 million. The global situation isn’t much rosier: international territories brought in $9.5 million, pushing the worldwide debut to a thoroughly underwhelming $17.5 million. The best market abroad was China, which coughed up just $700,000, while other regions like Southeast Asia and the Middle East posted what the trade press politely call ‘middling’ numbers.

Box Office Bloodbath: Who Outmuscled Whalefall?

This was always going to be a rough weekend, but the real culprit is Street Fighter from Paramount, which absolutely obliterated the competition. That flick stormed in with $31 million from over 3,500 sites—more than triple Whalefall’s take. Meanwhile, A24’s buzzy documentary You Can See Everything (all about Elizabeth Holmes, yes that one) surprised everyone with $15 million, slotting in at number two. In third: Other Mommy, edged past Whalefall as well, with $8.4 million.

• Street Fighter: $31 million (No. 1)
• You Can See Everything: $15 million (No. 2)
• Other Mommy: $8.4 million (No. 3)
• Whalefall: $8 million (No. 4)

The overlap in demographics didn’t do Whalefall any favours either. Street Fighter apparently netted a predominantly male audience, with almost half of its ticket buyers men aged over 35. Instead of battling their way through Brian Duffield’s whale-gut thriller, that coveted crowd clearly opted for pixelated punch-ups and nostalgia over existential aquatic peril.

The Film Itself: Good Cast, Rotten Potluck

Funny thing is, the film isn’t some slapdash affair. Austin Abrams leads, backed up by names like Josh Brolin, Elisabeth Shue, and Jane Levy. The premise is simple, if slightly bonkers: a scuba diver gets swallowed by a sperm whale—adapted from Daniel Kraus’ bestselling novel. It’s the sort of high-concept, high-stakes survival bit that should at least pull in genre fans.

On the critical front, Whalefall didn’t get slaughtered. It’s holding at 70% on Rotten Tomatoes—not a stinker by any stretch, but apparently not enough to tempt punters away from the Street Fighter nostalgia fest or a Holmes doc. Meanwhile, for star Austin Abrams, it’s a bit awkward: he’s currently faring far better with Sony’s Resident Evil remake, which has managed $22.6 million worldwide in its fifth week—outperforming Whalefall’s entire global start in just the past few days.