As the sluggish August box office enters its final weekend, the smaller-budget period horror film The Invitation, from Sony Pictures/Screen Gems, appears poised to grab the No. 1 spot across North American screens through Aug. 28. That’s because Hollywood hasn’t released a major blockbuster title all month with the exception of Sony’s action-comedy Bullet Train ($71.8 million), starring Brad Pitt, Sandra Bullock and Michael Shannon, among others.
The Invitation finds orphaned Evie (Nathalie Emmanuel) discovering she has a long-lost cousin she never knew she had. Invited by her newfound family to a lavish wedding in the English countryside, she’s at first seduced by the sexy aristocrat host, but is soon thrust into a nightmare of survival as she uncovers twisted secrets in her family’s history and the unsettling intentions behind their sinful generosity.
The movie is projected to generate a modest $9 million at the box office, which apparently should be enough to hold off the second weekend of The Beast ($6.4 million in estimated ticket sales), starring Idris Elba, as well as Bullet Train ($5.7 million), Paramount Pictures’ Top Gun: Maverick ($5.5 million), Warner Bros. Animation’s DC League of Super-Pets ($5 million), Sony/Crunchyroll’s Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero $4.8 million), Disney/Marvel Studios’ Thor: Love and Thunder ($3.4 million) and Universal Pictures’ Minions: The Rise of Gru ($3.3 million).
The Invitation generated a reported $775,000 in special Thursday night screenings.
Top Gun: Maverick is currently available for purchase ($19.99) across digital retail channels.
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