On its first day of release, Paramount’s Bob Marley: One Love set box office records while receiving only poor reviews from critics. According to Deadline, the music biopic made $14 million domestically after opening on Wednesday, making it the biggest mid-week Valentine’s Day haul ever. For an early worldwide total of $19 million, the film also made about $5 million in ten foreign countries. Based on the story of the legendary reggae artist, One Love easily outperformed Madame Web from Sony.
Kingsley Ben-Adir plays Marley in the film One Love, which was directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green, who gained notoriety lately for his sports drama King Richard and was produced on an estimated budget of $70 million. On the aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes, the film presently has a 44 percent approval rating while receiving conflicting reviews from critics. Ben-lead Adir’s performance was lauded by Collider’s Nate Richard, who still called the movie “flat and uninspiring.”
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But the reception from the audience has been almost enthusiastic. On its first day, One Love had an A CinemaScore from viewers and a 94 percent audience score on retweets. It is unclear how the film will fare during its extended launch, which runs from President’s Day on Monday to Valentine’s Day on February 14, 2024, but it is certain to surpass the estimated $32 million six-day gross. In contrast, Madame Web barely made $6 million on its opening weekend despite being expected to make about $26 million in the same period.
Adding insult to injury for Sony’s Marvel world, Madame Web received negative reviews as well after enduring weeks of internet trolling. Madame Web, starring Dakota Johnson, has a “rotten” 14 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a dismal review from viewers. Opening day attendance gave it a C+ CinemaScore, which is the same as that of its much-maligned fellow series member, Morbius. A few years ago, during its customary three-day weekend, Morbius, starring Jared Leto, debuted at $39 million and ended its run with little over $70 million domestically. The two earlier Spider-Man spin-offs from Sony, Venom and Venom: Let There Be Carnage, both succeeded at the film office despite receiving only mediocre reviews.
