Last Friday, Simon Curtis’ Downton Abbey: A New Era made its debut in theaters. This is the second Downton Abbey film, which are both sequels to the well known and critically acclaimed television series.
As most people (even those who aren’t familiar with the show) know, the historical drama operates in early 20th century England following the Crawley family in a post-Edwardian universe. This new movie shows the Crawleys on a vacation to Southern France as they investigate a mystery surrounding the dowager countess’ new villa.
Its opening weekend has collected a steady $16M, which can be interpreted as low for a franchise as well known and established as Downton Abbey, but once taking into account its audience, things become much more clear. The series is more popular amongst older viewers, a demographic that has been very cautious about returning to in-person screenings since movie theaters reopened.
With this in mind, $16M is not bad at all; and the Maggie Smith film has secured the second place spot in the domestic box office, while Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness remains in the top seat.