Over the last year or two, theaters and movie studios have faced an uphill battle in terms of box office profits, day-to-date streaming releases, and safety protocols. Some critics have questioned the viability of theatrical releases over audiences’ uncertainty and the increased presence of streaming. But there’s been pushback from studios and theaters as big event movies are driving patrons to movie theaters. The success of Uncharted proved a change in attitude. In celebrating the film’s successful opening weekend, Sony’s CEO decided to call out the naysayers.
Uncharted grossed over $139 million worldwide after having an impressive opening weekend. It became Tom Holland’s second hit film in a row after Spider-Man: No Way Home topped Avatar as the third highest-grossing film of all time. It marked the second Holland victory for Sony Pictures as well. Holland celebrated the film’s opening weekend by posting photos of himself and adorable puppies. According to Deadline, Sony head honcho Tom Rothman couldn’t help but celebrate the moment in a letter to company staff by pointing out the adversity the video game movie faced getting to movie theaters.
With over $100M in box office worldwide in just one weekend, and a 90% positive audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, Uncharted is a new hit movie franchise for the company. This marks a great victory for every single division of the company, as the film was our first major production entirely shut down by the advent of Covid, yet we persevered to complete a picture the audience loves and marketed and distributed it with strategic verve worldwide, despite the pandemic.
COVID-19 took a major toll on the movie industry as audiences chose to stay home and stream films rather than go to the theaters. But it appears big-budget flicks like Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, F9, and No Time to Die proved audiences were ready to partake in the moviegoing experience again. Along with Uncharted, Tom Rothman boasted about Sony’s other box office successes while calling out those studio naysayers.
The ensuing impact is proof once again of the unmatched cultural power of real movies. On the heels of Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, and Spider-Man: No Way Home, Uncharted is yet another blow to the theatrical naysayers and further proof of the efficacy of our model.
As Rothman pointed out, Uncharted is just the latest box office hit for Sony Pictures. It appeared the studio is leading the charge in keeping the moviegoing experience alive. According to Deadline, Tom Rothman is already teasing Uncharted 2, which the end-credits hinted at the introduction of Nathan Drake’s older brother Sam. Director Ruben Fleischer knew it was important to include the scene as he revealed there’s already a list of actors he can see playing the older Drake in a potential sequel.
Following the tremendous reception of Uncharted, there are a plethora of big-event upcoming movies hitting theaters throughout 2022. Of course, it will take some time before viewers hear any word on Uncharted 2, including who might play Sam Drake.
