Uncharted, long-delayed video game adaptation, has a stronger debut than expected

A Tom Holland movie is number one on the box office charts yet again.

Uncharted, the new video game adaptation from Sony that has taken years to make its way to the big screen, outperformed expectations at the box office this weekend, grossing $44 million domestically over the three-day weekend, according to The Hollywood Reporter. It's also projected to make $51 million over four days, above earlier expectations that it would take in closer to $30 million in that time.

It was another win for Sony and Holland after December's Spider-Man: No Way Home was a massive box office phenomenon, becoming the third-highest-grossing film in history domestically.

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Dating back to 2007, the Uncharted games for Sony's PlayStation follow Nathan Drake, an Indiana Jones-style treasure hunter. But although the games already drew inspiration from classic adventure movies, it took quite some time for a film version to hit theaters. An Uncharted movie had been in various stages of development for over a decade, and during that time, seven different directors were attached at one point or another. But the project finally settled on Holland as the lead in 2017 after his debut as Spider-Man, while Venom director Ruben Fleischer joined in 2020.

Holland's casting drew skepticism from fans at the time, as the 25-year-old actor is younger than Nathan Drake as depicted in the games; the film is an origin story for the franchise. Mark Wahlberg also wasn't who fans generally imagined would play Nathan's sidekick Sully, and the film ultimately received mixed-to-negative reviews, earning a rotten 40 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Despite all this, Uncharted in the end was able to surpass box office expectations, at least for its opening weekend. For Holland, it's shaping up to be the actor's biggest success in a live-action film role other than the Marvel movies, and it could suggest that even outside of Peter Parker, he may now be a box office draw all by himself.