All it took to turn The New Mutants into a #1 movie was a global pandemic, almost no competition, and being the first big movie released to theaters in more than five months.

Those asterisks aside, it’s true: After years of delays, The New Mutants opened in theaters last weekend — those that are currently operating despite the coronavirus pandemic — and landed atop the box office chart. Playing in around 2,400 theaters in America, the movie grossed $7 million, with an average per theater of $2,902.

In a vacuum, those might not sound like good opening weekend numbers, but remember: In many parts of the country movie theaters remain closed. Theaters that are open can only operate with decreased capacity to ensure proper social distancing in the auditorium. Plus, there’s still a pandemic going on, which means a lot of people are (rightfully!) wary about going to a movie theater right now, given that the science seems to indicate that long periods of times in an enclosed, indoor space who are eating and drinking is one of the worst places you can be if you want to avoid the virus. Deciding to see The New Mutants right now might be a life and death choice.

Even with all of thatThe New Mutants made $7 million — which suggests that if movie theaters can be reopened quickly and safely, the demand is still very much out there for the experience they provide. Via Box Office Mojo, here’s the full top five from the box office.

  1. The New Mutants - $7 million
  2. Unhinged - $2.6 million
  3. The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run - $604,000
  4. The Personal History of David Copperfield - $520,000
  5. Words on Bathroom Walls - $453,360

Gallery — Movies With Baffling CinemaScores:

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