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The weekend of September 12 turned out to be unexpectedly lively at the box office, despite initial appearances suggesting otherwise. Leading the charge was ‘Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle’, which made a remarkable $70 million debut. However, amidst a plethora of options for moviegoers, a highly anticipated comedy sequel struggled to find its footing.

‘Spinal Tap II: The End Continues’, the follow-up to the iconic 1984 mockumentary ‘This Is Spinal Tap’, opened to a disappointing $1.67 million across 1,920 screens in the U.S., landing at number nine on the charts. This resulted in a meager $872 per-screen average, marking it as a theatrical flop for Bleecker Street and the beloved band.

In fact, it barely outperformed the re-release of ‘The Sound of Music’, which earned $1.6 million. Other new releases included:

• ‘Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale’ – $18.1 million
• ‘The Long Walk’ – $11.5 million
• ‘The Conjuring: Last Rites’ – $25.6 million, following a record-breaking weekend for horror films
• ‘Toy Story’ re-release – $3.5 million

With such stiff competition, ‘Spinal Tap II’ had little chance to thrive. This sequel picks up 41 years after the original, focusing on the now-estranged bandmates David St. Hubbins, Nigel Tufnel, and Derek Smalls (played by Michael McKean, Christopher Guest, and Harry Shearer), who are compelled to reunite for one last concert. Rob Reiner returns to direct and reprises his role as the fictional director Marty DiBergi.

Sadly, the film’s lackluster box office performance isn’t entirely surprising. In recent years, comedies have found greater success on streaming platforms, with films like ‘Nonnas’ attracting large audiences on Netflix. Meanwhile, theatrical comedies have faced significant challenges, with only a few rom-coms, such as ‘Anyone But You’ ($220 million worldwide) and ‘The Lost City’ ($193 million worldwide), emerging as reliable hits.

Recent theatrical flops include:

• ‘Strays’ – $36 million worldwide
• ‘Joy Ride’ – $15 million worldwide

While there have been exceptions, like Sony’s ‘One of Them Days’ ($52 million worldwide) and Paramount’s ‘The Naked Gun’ (which has grossed $101 million so far), ‘Spinal Tap II’ faced an uphill battle from the start. The original ‘This Is Spinal Tap’ is a cherished classic, yet it remains a niche film, having grossed less than $6 million globally during its initial run.

Moreover, long-awaited comedy sequels often struggle, as seen with ‘Zoolander 2’ ($56 million worldwide). Compounding these challenges, Bleecker Street lacks the marketing resources of major studios, and the fierce competition this weekend left little room for success.

On a brighter note, ‘Spinal Tap II’ has a budget of around $22 million. With potential overseas earnings, future VOD/streaming revenue, Blu-ray sales, and renewed interest in the original film, it may eventually recoup its costs or at least minimize losses. However, this situation adds to the growing narrative that theatrical comedies are struggling to find their place in today’s market.

‘Spinal Tap II: The End Continues’ is currently in theaters.