Box office: Tenet banks $307 million globally as Hocus Pocus makes a magical return to theaters

Despite a rather lackluster box-office performance in the United States, Christopher Nolan's Tenet was still able to achieve $307 million globally this weekend, Variety has confirmed. Nevertheless, the time-twisting spy adventure, which cost around $200 million to make, still has a lot more financial ground to cover if Warner Bros. wants to write it off as a bona fide success.

Between Friday and Sunday, Tenet brought in $2.7 million from 2,722 domestic sites, boosting its stateside bounty to $45.1 million. The bulk of its international figure, however, comes from countries outside of America, which have a better handle on the virus and began screening the movie two weeks before Labor Day. Case in point: The film made an additional $14.2 million this weekend from 56 markets abroad.

We know this sounds like a broken record at this point, but theaters in key markets like Los Angeles and New York (cities that usually bring in the biggest box-office numbers) have still not been given permission to reopen amid the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, Cineworld, owner of the Regal theater chain, is seriously considering the option to shutter all of its 543 locations across the U.S., U.K., and Ireland following the news that No Time to Die was delayed to April 2021. Marking the final 007 role for Daniel Craig, the 25th James Bond film will now (barring any other postponements) open a year after its intended release. Until Friday, it was eyeing a domestic rollout in late November.

Pixar's Soul (Nov. 25), 20th Century Studios' Free Guy (Dec. 11), and Warner Bros.' Wonder Woman 1984 (Dec. 25), and are the only major studio projects hoping to be released in 2020, but judging by the way the wind is blowing right now, they too will most likely be pushed to next year or dropped onto a streaming service. What's more: Other theater chains could follow in Cineworld's footsteps and close their doors without any new releases to incentivize potential customers.

Believe it or not, Nolan is facing some slight competition from an old Disney release: 1993's Hocus Pocus. A critical and financial flop upon its original debut, the cult classic is back in over 2,000 theaters, adding an extra $1.9 million to its domestic haul. Back in the early '90s, it ony managed to make $41.4 million against a budget of $28 million.

While panned in its time, the feature about a trio of malevolent witches (played by Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy) operating near Salem, Massachusetts, has gained a major following over the last 27 years. Today, it's considered a beloved gem by the adults who grew up watching it as children. A Hocus Pocus reunion is set for Midler's annual Halloween fundraiser, and a Disney+ sequel is in the works from director Adam Shankman (Bedtime Stories).