It was, all things considered, a pretty quiet late summer weekend at the box office. Netflix scored an unexpected number one hit with "KPop Demon Hunters" ($18 million), but that's still a pretty small number for a chart topper. That's because the weekend's new releases failed to drum up much of an audience, with A24's English language release of the animated blockbuster "Ne Zah 2" ($1.5 million) and Ethan Coen's "Honey Don't" ($3 million) leading the way. But it was director Ron Howard's "Eden"
that ranked as perhaps the biggest disappointment.
Inspired by real-life events, the film centers on a group of outsiders who settle down with one another on a remote island only to discover their greatest threat isn't the elements but, rather, each other. The movie stars Sydney Sweeney ("Euphoria"), but she's just the tip of the iceberg here, as the cast also includes Jude Law ("Captain Marvel"), Ana de Armas ("Knives Out"), Vanessa Kirby ("The Fantastic Four: First Steps"), and Daniel Brühl ("Captain America: Civil War"). All of that star power amounted to very little, however.
Released by Vertical Entertainment, "Eden" made just $1 million on 664 screens over the weekend, placing well outside of the top 10 and landing at number 14 on the domestic box office charts. Unfortunately, that makes it two bad weekends in a row for Sweeney, as her film "Americana" was largely ignored and made just $500,000 in its opening earlier this month. It would, of course, be wildly unfair to place either of these misfires squarely on Sweeney's shoulders, but it certainly isn't going to help make the case that she is a bonafide movie star either.
In any event, this is a flop for AGC Studios. The production cost $55 million before generous Australian tax incentives, which brought that number down to $35 million net (per Deadline). Even so, there's no way to spin this into a success. "Americana" will get by because Lionsgate spent just a few million on it after Bron went bankrupt. AGC and Imagine Entertainment weren't so fortunate with "Eden."
Read more: All 12 Christopher Nolan Movies, Ranked From Worst To Best
Eden Is A Damning Reminder Of How Rough The Box Office Can Be These Days
Nobody who makes a movie of this size with a cast this impressive would be happy with a $1 million opening weekend. Period. In the long run, there's a chance that AGC will be fine, as many of the film's international rights were sold off, including to Amazon Prime Video in many territories. Indeed, "Eden" feels like the kind of movie that is bound to catch on once it arrives on streaming, but that does little to help the fact that it's a bomb by any standards theatrically.
Vertical picked up the film's distribution rights for relatively little, so it may be okay as well. But that's far from the point. The larger point is that this is the latest example of a non-franchise movie struggling at the box office. Though it is based on a true story, it essentially functions as an original for audiences. And yes, 2025 has still brought us massive original hits such as Apple's "F1," which crossed the $600 million mark globally this weekend, as well as Ryan Coogler's "Sinners" ($365 million worldwide) and Zach Cregger's "Weapons" ($200 million).
The failure of "Eden" leaves many questions. Admittedly, Howard hasn't directed a big theatrical hit in a while, but we're still talking about the guy who helmed "Apollo 13" and "The Da Vinci Code" making a star-studded, sexy thriller. Undoubtedly, that should have amounted to more, even though reviews for the film have been mixed. It would be tough to argue that competition was an issue. The coast was clear for this one to find its audience.
As for Sweeney, she took off like a rocket after "Anyone But You" made more than $200 million at the box office, but she's yet to produce a meaningful theatrical hit since. "Immaculate" was a modest hit, but that's about it. Did the American Eagle jeans controversy hurt her fame in the short term? Is it just that she's only a butts-in-seats star for the exact right movie? Time will tell but, for the moment, it's clear all of the internet chatter about here doesn't amount to a lot at the box office.
"Eden" is now playing in theaters.
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