First Man, the critically acclaimed astronaut drama from Oscar-winning director Damien Chazelle, got
off to a slow start this weekend at the box office.
The Universal Pictures film rang up an estimated $16.5 million in ticket sales, according to Boxofficemojo. That was below the $18 -$20 million it had been expected to make.
The space movie retells the story of Neil Armstrong’s 1969 NASA mission, which led him to become the first man to walk on the moon.
The film stars Ryan Gosling, who previously worked with Chazelle on La La Land. Claire Foy, Jason Clarke, Kyle Chandler, Corey Stoll, Pablo Schreiber and Lukas Haas are also along for the ride.
First Man played in 3,640 locations, for a per theater average of $4,533. Critics loved it, giving the pic an 88% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but the strong reviews didn’t translate to ticket sales.
Read More: Ryan Coogler Set to Write and Direct ‘Black Panther 2’
The film landed in third place this weekend behind holdovers Venom and A Star Is Born.
Venom took the top spot for a second straight weekend, this time bringing in $35.7 million.
A Star Is Born held onto second place with $28 million.
Family pic Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween opened in fourth place right behind First Man with $16.2 million.
The thriller, Bad Times at the El Royale, debuted in fifth place with $7.2 million.
