April might not have had a major release like Dune: Part Two, but there were several movies that got cinema fans talking.
Whether it was the bleak events of Civil War, the brutal action of Monkey Man, the shocking horror of The First Omen or the sexy tennis play of Challengers, there's been something for everybody to enjoy.
But which movie came out on top at the box office? In our regular monthly column, Digital Spy takes a look back at the past month to reveal the biggest box-office hits, as well as an update on the highest-grossing movies of the year so far.
Civil War
US: $56,194,933
International: $33,742,465
Worldwide: $89,937,398
After becoming the first A24 movie to debut top of the US box office, Civil War has continued to be a success worldwide.
It's nearing $100 million globally and already ranks as the second-biggest A24 movie ever, behind Everything Everywhere All At Once's $143.4 million total. Civil War probably won't reach that number, but does still have some notable releases to come, including Japan in October.
Civil War might not be delivering Dune 2 numbers for obvious reasons, but it's the biggest new release of April. Not bad for a bleak and often-harrowing movie about war photographers.
Monkey Man
US: $23,998,375
International: $8,407,387
Worldwide: $32,405,762
Monkey Man arrived in cinemas on a wave of critical acclaim following its SXSW premiere and last-minute switch from a Netflix to theatrical release.
On the surface, the fact that Dev Patel's directorial debut has made just over $30 million worldwide might seem disappointing.
Universal potentially hoped for bigger, but it's worth noting the context that it's a low-budget (a reported $10 million) R-rated movie, released at a time when Godzilla x Kong and Dune 2 were dominating.
In that light, it's a decent return for Monkey Man and, of course, more money that it would ever have made if it remained a streaming-only release, let alone the added profile that a theatrical release brought to the movie.
The First Omen
US: $19,307,670
International: $31,000,000
Worldwide: $50,307,670
As with Monkey Man, The First Omen was originally planned for streaming and instead creeped into cinemas with strong word-of-mouth. Disney will also likely have hoped for more than the $50 million it's delivered worldwide so far.
It has outgrossed the similarly-themed Immaculate ($22 million globally), but that was a lower-profile release with a lower budget ($9 million compared to The First Omen's reported $30 million).
The First Omen should at least top Night Swim ($54.1 million) as the year's biggest horror to date, so it's not a complete disappointment.
However, it has grossed less than half what the derided 2006 remake of The Omen delivered, and potentially could have done better if held for a more fitting release around June 6.
Challengers
US: $16,636,634
International: $10,300,000
Worldwide: $29,936,634
It's only been out a week, but we just had to include Challengers as it impressed on its opening weekend at the box office.
In the US, Zendaya's new movie landed the best debut for an original R-rated drama since Don't Worry Darling. It will soon become director Luca Guadagnino's best-ever result in the US and also worldwide, overtaking Call Me By Your Name.
We'll now just have to wait and see if it can continue to deliver as the box office in May gets busier with the likes of The Fall Guy, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes and Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.
Biggest movies of 2024 so far
Nothing could stop Dune: Part Two in April as it continued to reign supreme as the biggest movie of the year to date.
It's joined in the top 10 by four Chinese hits (including boxing comedy YOLO and action sequel Pegasus 2), musical biopic Bob Marley: One Love and Jason Statham's The Beekeeper.
(The totals below are accurate as of May 1, 2024 and from The Numbers and Box Office Mojo.)
1. Dune: Part Two – $704,511,117
2. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire – $521,872,795
3. Kung Fu Panda 4 – $503,918,440
4. YOLO – $479,597,304
5. Pegasus 2 – $468,714,189
6. Article 20 – $338,761,771
7. Boonie Bears: Time Twist – $274,246,509
8. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire – $188,164,271
9. Bob Marley: One Love – $177,193,170
10. The Beekeeper – $152,720,535
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Movies Editor, Digital Spy Ian has more than 10 years of movies journalism experience as a writer and editor. Starting out as an intern at trade bible Screen International, he was promoted to report and analyse UK box-office results, as well as carving his own niche with horror movies, attending genre festivals around the world. After moving to Digital Spy, initially as a TV writer, he was nominated for New Digital Talent of the Year at the PPA Digital Awards. He became Movies Editor in 2019, in which role he has interviewed 100s of stars, including Chris Hemsworth, Florence Pugh, Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba and Olivia Colman, become a human encyclopedia for Marvel and appeared as an expert guest on BBC News and on-stage at MCM Comic-Con. Where he can, he continues to push his horror agenda – whether his editor likes it or not.
