From ancient tombs to over-the-top action thrills: 'Lee Cronin’s The Mummy,' 'Normal' and 'Busboys' claim their moment | Movie Releases & Trends – Weekend of April 17, 2026
If you’ve been following along with us this year, you know what’s coming. Once again, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is in full control of the box office, accounting for 45% of all admissions and 38% of total revenue. When you layer in Hoppers, nearly half of all tickets sold are tied to family-friendly titles — reinforcing just how dominant that segment has become in 2026. Holding strong in the #2 spot, Project Hail Mary continues its impressive run, delivering 19% of admissions and 22% of revenue in its fifth weekend. All in, the box office currently sits at $2.3B, a 14% increase from this time last year. Now let’s get into the new arrivals rounding out the top ten.
Leading the group in third place by admissions was Lee Cronin’s The Mummy, which opened to nearly $14M, just shy of last week’s projections. While not tied to the legacy franchise popularized by Brendan Fraser and Dwayne Johnson and despite a modest 45% on the Tomatometer, the performance reinforces a consistent industry dynamic: Horror remains one of the most reliable genres for theatrical ROI, driven by lower production costs and loyal opening weekend audience base. As the Los Angeles Times puts it, “there’s an enjoyable bad movie here for the seizing.”
Normal starring Bob Odenkirk brought a different energy. It took seventh in admissions with a tight, 90-minute neo-western action thriller blending dark humor with stylized, John Wick-like action. Critic reviews have been largely positive, agreeing that director Ben Wheatley's “over-the-top carnage” delivers “simple, ridiculous, and consistently entertaining thrills.” If word-of-mouth continues to build, this is exactly the type of mid-budget film that can leg out beyond opening weekend: A quality that is increasingly important in today’s box office, where sustainability — not just opening — separates modest hits from misses.
Rounding out the slate of smaller domestic titles is Busboys, an R-rated indie comedy claiming spot #8 this week. Friends Markie Montgomery (David Spade) and Steefen ‘Steef’ Barn (Theo Von) believe that becoming waiters will solve all their problems, exploring the hierarchy of restaurant work in a raunchy spoof. Early reception highlights an ongoing divide: critics have been lukewarm, while audiences are more receptive, a pattern often seen with niche comedies that rely more on specific audience appeal than broad critical acclaim.
K-pop gives way to the King of Pop: BTS World Tour ‘Arirang’ in Japan: Live Viewing exits, Michael enters
On the international front, last week’s BTS World Tour ‘Arirang’ in Goyang: Live Viewing was followed by this week’s BTS World Tour ‘Arirang’ in Japan: Live Viewing. While both played in roughly 1,189 theaters, the Japan edition dipped to $1.8M from $2.4M. The drop suggests a quick saturation curve typical of event cinema. Highly engaged fanbases show up early but repeat viewing and broader audience crossover can be limited. Still, these releases continue to demonstrate the value of alternative content in driving incremental revenue, particularly during quieter release windows.
Looking ahead, all eyes turn to Michael. Starring Jaafar Jackson as his uncle, Michael Jackson, the film enters with mixed-to-negative early reviews, though Jaafar’s performance is frequently cited as a standout. Current projections are wide—ranging from $50M to $75M domestically and around $150M globally—but the real story will be whether audience turnout overcomes critical reception. There’s only one way to find out: Check back in next week to see how it plays out.
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