In an unexpected twist at the box office, David Ayer’s blue-collar drama A Working Man starring Jason Statham has emerged victorious over Disney’s Snow White, marking a surprising turn of events this weekend.
Jason Statham starrerA Working Man is projected to bring in around $15.6 million in its opening, after topping the charts on Friday with a $5.6 million gross, outshining Snow White, which is expected to earn between $14 million and $15 million in its second weekend.
This marks a steep 65 percent drop for Snow White, as poor word-of-mouth and controversial headlines surrounding its star, Rachel Zegler, continue to hinder its performance.
However, Disney remains hopeful. The studio believes Snow White may still pull ahead of A Working Man as more families head to cinemas over the weekend, with the film still resonating most with young girls and mothers, who have fewer options to choose from at the box office.
Meanwhile, A Working Man’s success comes at an important moment for Amazon MGM Studios, which has recently seen the unexpected departure of studio head Jennifer Salke.
This comes just before CinemaCon, where the studio will present its plans for the future, including its acquisition of the James Bond franchise.
Directed by David Ayer, A Working Man is based on the novel Levon’s Trade by Chuck Dixon and stars Jason Flemyng, Merab Ninidze and David Harbour, among others.
The story follows a black-ops veteran, played by Jason Statham, who leaves his decorated military career to work in construction. However, when his boss’s daughter is kidnapped by human traffickers, his search to find her uncovers a much darker world of corruption.
In addition to A Working Man’s success, The Chosen: The Last Supper – Season 5, Part One has also surprised many by landing in third place with a solid $12.8 million, while Universal’s horror film The Woman in the Yard is expected to bring in $9 million, finishing in fourth. A24’s Death of a Unicorn, starring Jenna Ortega and Paul Rudd, is underperforming, with an opening around $5 million.