Box Office: Last weekend’s leader Novocaine tumbles to No. 5 in the U.S., suffering a steep 57 percent drop in earnings

After topping the box office last weekend, Novocaine dropped to No. 5 with a USD 3.8M second-weekend haul, marking a 57.2 percent decline as its domestic total reaches USD 15.8M.

Written by Seema Sinha , Entertainment Journalist

Published on Mar 24, 2025 | 06:01 PM IST | 13K

Picture Courtesy: Paramount Pictures

Novocaine, the action-comedy film that topped the box office last weekend, performed excruciatingly poorly during its second weekend, March 21-23, taking the fifth spot on the domestic theatrical business chart. The Jack Quaid starrer grossed a dismal USD 3.8 million from Friday through Sunday, dropping 57.2 percent from its opening weekend, for a USD 15.8 million run in the U.S.

The endeavor, with a USD 18 million production cost not including marketing, is eyeing a USD 20 million to USD 25 million run.

Co-starring Amber Midthunder, Ray Nicholson, Betty Gabriel, Matt Walsh, and Jacob Batalon, Novocaine follows Nathan Caine (Quaid), a bank employee with an inability to feel pain, who goes to extreme lengths to rescue his co-worker (Midthunder) after she is taken hostage by a group of bank robbers.

Directed by Dan Berk and Robert Olsen from a screenplay by Lars Jacobson, Novocaine was distributed by Paramount Pictures. The title holds a 6.6/10 rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, with 82% of the 142 commentators favoring the film.

Entries that performed better this past weekend than Novocaine include Bong Joon Ho’s Mickey 17, starring Robert Pattinson. The film arrived in theaters on March 7 and made USD 3.90 million in its second weekend. At number three was the more than a month-old Captain America: Brave New World, starring Anthony Mackie, Harrison Ford, and more. The Disney venture raked in USD 4.10 million. Black Bag, starring Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett, took the No. 2 spot with a USD 4.40 million gross, and Snow White, of course, reigned supreme with a USD 87.3 million debut.

Regarding the latter film, expectations were much higher. The Disney live-action remake, starring Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot, was supposed to revive the sluggish 2025 box office with a worldwide earning in the range of USD 100 million. Now, exhibitors are looking forward to A Minecraft Movie’s arrival for rebound purposes, as the Jason Momoa starrer is forecasted to bring in USD 55 to USD 75 million in its first three days. Snow White will no doubt keep screens until then and will try to get as close as possible to breaking even and turning a profit to justify its USD 250 million budget.

Where do you think its lifetime total will land? Do let us know.