A24's 'Opus' opened outside the top 10 with only $1 million from 1,764 screens, receiving poor reviews since its Sundance premiere.

This weekend marks the first time since February 2023 that a new release topped the box office with under $10 million.

The domestic box office is currently facing a 5% deficit, despite a strong start to the year, due to several slow weekends, with analysts hopeful for an upswing following the upcoming release of 'Snow White.'

This weekend's box office in North America is projected to be the lowest of the year so far, with total ticket sales estimated at around $54 million.

'Novocaine' was released in 3,365 theaters, while 'Black Bag' debuted at third place with $7.5 million from 2,705 theaters, needing to recover its $50 million production cost.

Despite the low results this weekend, Comscore's Paul Dergarabedian noted that they are not the worst and anticipates improvements in the upcoming week.

'Novocaine,' featuring Jack Quaid, topped the box office with $8.7 million, slightly below expectations, and received generally positive reviews with an 82% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

'Mickey 17,' directed by Bong Joon Ho, and 'Black Bag,' a spy film by Steven Soderbergh, both earned $7.5 million, with 'Mickey 17' slightly ahead despite a significant 60% drop from its opening weekend.

The first quarter of 2025 has been weak, showing a 38% decline compared to 2019 figures, largely due to lingering effects from COVID-19 and Hollywood strikes in 2023, although it reflects only a 5% drop from 2024.

With a production cost of $18 million, 'Novocaine' has a chance to break even, especially considering its relatively low budget.

Marvel's 'Captain America: Brave New World' maintained strong performance in its fifth weekend, ranking fourth with $5.5 million, bringing its North American total to nearly $190 million.

Other new releases included 'The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie,' which earned $3.2 million, and 'The Last Supper,' which earned $2.8 million, contributing to a diverse weekend lineup.