Brendan Fraser’s Buzzy New Drama Smashes Box Office Record Set By His Oscar-Winning Comeback Movie

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Brendan Fraser’s latest film, Rental Family, has achieved a new record, surpassing the success of his 2022 movie The Whale, for which he won an Academy Award for Best Actor. The Whale had already marked a significant return for Fraser, known for his roles in films like George of the Jungle and The Mummy.

Not only did the film win him his first Academy Award, but it also became his most financially successful movie of the decade and overall since the 2014 animated film The Nut Job. His new movie, Rental Family, is already receiving similar praise and is being discussed as a potential Oscar contender after premiering at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival.

Not only has Rental Family received positive attention, landing its star on Gold Derby‘s list of potential Best Actor nominees (along with Leonardo DiCaprio for One Battle After Another, Timothée Chalamet for Marty Supreme, and others), but it also boasts a strong 87% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. This is a notably better score than the 64% achieved by The Whale.

According to Deadline, Rental Family is expected to make $3.2 million in the US over its first three days in theaters. While that’s much lower than the projected $151.5 million opening for Wicked: For Good, the two films weren’t really aiming for the same audience.

The movie Rental Family, released in 2025, is doing much better than The Whale was at this point in its release. Although it’s hard to compare opening weekends directly – Rental Family is playing in 1,925 theaters, while The Whale started with a limited release in only six and earned $332,152 – Rental Family is currently surpassing The Whale in several key areas.

The movie ‘Rental Family’ is projected to earn $3.2 million, which is more than ‘The Whale’ made during any of its previous wide releases. ‘The Whale’s’ best weekend gross was $1.9 million (in 1,500 theaters), and it previously earned $974,155 in 1,721 theaters and $144,755 in 603 theaters.

When looking at how much money each movie theater made per screen, The Whale performed relatively well. Rental Family is projected to average $1,622 per screen, but it earned less than The Whale did during six out of the first ten weekends of its release. Here’s a look at how The Whale performed in its first few weeks, broken down by per-screen averages:

Weekend Per-Screen Average
1 $55,358
2 $240
3 $1,722
4 $2,260
5 $1,800
6 $1,010
7 $794
8 $566
9 $431
10 $403

The film The Whale continued to perform well in theaters week after week. This was likely due to its release date of December 9th, which allowed it to benefit from steady holiday season viewership. Additionally, Brendan Fraser’s Oscar nomination boosted attendance, drawing audiences to see the film leading up to and during the Academy Awards in March.

It’s still uncertain whether Rental Family will achieve the same success as Brendan Fraser’s previous film, The Whale, but it’s off to a strong start with its release before Thanksgiving and growing Oscar buzz. If it keeps attracting audiences, it could potentially earn much more than The Whale‘s worldwide total of $57.6 million.

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2025-11-22 20:21