‘Novocaine’ Gets $1.75M Injection From Previews – Box Office​on March 14, 2025 at 2:54 pm

Paramount’s Novocainemade $1.75M in previews — but that’s not just from last night, rather advance screenings from last weekend as well.

The R-rated action comedy, which cost a net $18M before P&A, is expected to lead the box office with anywhere from $8M-$12M, unseating Warner Bros.’ $118M Bong Joon Ho sci-fi movie, Mickey 17, which is expected to fall around -55% to -60% with $9M to $10M.

Novocaine which stars The Boys’ Jack Quaid and Veep‘s Matt Walsh follows a guy who is incapable of feeling physical pain and turns his rare condition into an unexpected advantage in the fight to rescue the girl of his dreams when she is kidnapped.

There’s another Steven Soderbergh movie on the marquee, and that’s Focus Features $50M spy movie Black Bag with Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender with collected $850K from Thursday previews and early access screenings at 2,250 locations. Critics love it at 97% certified fresh and RT audience score is at 79%. However, the movie is expected to do in the high single digits as it’s aimed at older adults.

Falling Forward Films and Ketchup Entertainment have the Warner Bros Animation movie they rescued — not Coyote Vs. Acme, rather Looney Tunes: The Day The Earth Blew Up. It’s booked at 2,827 theaters, and expected to do in the single digits. Previews last night made $250K.

A24 has their John Malkovich-Ayo Edebiri-Juliette Lewis Midsommar-like horror comedy, Opus, booked at 1,700 theaters and it’s expected to do in the low single digits. The feature directorial debut of former GQ editor Mark Anthony Green follows a young journalist played by Edebiri who along with her boss is invited to the desert compound of a reclusive aging rock star legend who lives with this cult. Chaos ensues. Critics didn’t like it at 39% Rotten, but I did. Opus cost less than $10M in net production cost before P&A.