'Game of Thrones' Star's Return to the Fantasy Genre Is Officially a Box Office Winner

While Bill Skarsgård can be seen in the recently released World War II action film The Mosquito Bowl and Gustaf Skarsgård headlines the Netflix movie The Storm, their older brother Alexander Skarsgård has delivered a word-of-mouth hit at the box office. The movie has defied the odds over the course of the past week, providing much-needed counter-programming for older women while the market is dominated by films aimed at other demographics. A24's You Can See Everything remains the number-one choice for younger crowds, while Heart of the Beast continues to pull older men. The romance fantasy starring Skarsgård, on the other hand, delivered a better hold this past weekend than either of those films.

The movie in question exceeded expectations in its opening weekend by grossing $5.7 million from less than 1,500 theaters nationwide. This marked a major win for Black Bear Pictures, which is otherwise best known for releasing Guy Ritchie's In the Grey and the Jason Statham vehicle Shelter. The romance fantasy, which also features Oscar-winner Olivia Colman, delivered a higher opening-weekend haul than both In the Grey and Shelter, which made $2.9 million and $5.5 million in their debut frames, respectively.

Here's How Much the Romance Fantasy Film Has Grossed So Far

We're talking, of course, about Wicker. The movie holds a "Certified Fresh" 95% critics' score and a "Verified Hot" 92% audience score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes. The site's consensus reads, "Wicker is a charming fable that strikes the right balance between naughty and nice, drawing much of its appeal from deftly deployed salty humor, seamless creature effects, and Olivia Colman's eminently lovable performance." In its second weekend, the film dropped by just 24%, grossing $4.3 million and taking its running total past the $13 million mark. It has already recouped its reported $10 million budget. Black Bear also increased Wicker's theater count to nearly 2,400 domestic locations. Also starring Tenet's Elizabeth Debicki, Game of Thrones' Peter Dinklage, and Loki's Richard E. Grant, Wicker premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year and is being positioned as an awards contender.