Box Office: ‘Haunted Mansion’ Makes $3.1 Million in Previews, but ‘Barbenheimer’ Stays Strong

variety.com:

Jordan Moreau “Barbenheimer” fever shows no signs of slowing down. The combined forces of Warner Bros.’ “Barbie” and Universal’s “Oppenheimer” are setting up another huge weekend at the box office, but Disney’s new release “The Haunted Mansion” will have to settle for third place.

The kid-friendly horror film made $3.1 million in Thursday previews at the box office. “Barbie,” meanwhile, made $21.2 million on Thursday alone, bringing its domestic total after its first week to $258 million; “Oppenheimer” made $10 million on Thursday and has a $127 million first-week total.

Directed by Justin Simien, who made “Dear White People” and the horror comedy “Bad Hair,” “The Haunted Mansion” is the latest movie inspired by a Disneyland theme park ride (which range from successes like the “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise and “Jungle Cruise” to the more forgettable “Tomorrowland” with George Clooney). “The Haunted Mansion” is expected to make $25 million to $30 million in its opening weekend, but it carries an oversized price tag of $150 million before marketing.

That may come to haunt its path to profitability at the box office. Coming 20 years after Eddie Murphy’s “Haunted Mansion,” the new film features a scary good cast with LaKeith Stanfield, Tiffany Haddish, Rosario Dawson, Jamie Lee Curtis, Owen Wilson, Danny DeVito, Jared Leto and more.