Mark Wahlberg's By Any Means Opens With Weak $7 Million
Mark Wahlberg's new crime drama By Any Means earned a projected $7 million in its domestic opening weekend, placing it among the star's lowest wide-release
Mark Wahlberg's new film By Any Means has opened to a weak $7 million at the domestic box office. The historical crime drama, which debuted over the 2026 Labor Day weekend, is projected to earn one of the lowest wide-release openings of the actor's career.
The movie stars Wahlberg as mafia hitman Gregory Scarpa, who teams with FBI agent Wayne Strider, played by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. They investigate a series of murders targeting civil rights activists in 1966 Mississippi. Directed by Elegance Bratton from a screenplay by Sascha Penn, the film's supporting cast includes Nicole Beharie, Ethan Embry, and Giancarlo Esposito.
According to projections reported by Deadline, the film is estimated to earn $7 million over the traditional three-day weekend and $8.55 million across the four-day holiday. Even if projections were to climb to an unlikely $9 million, the debut would still rank among Wahlberg's ten worst for a wide-release film.
A Bottom-Ten Opening
The opening places By Any Means firmly among Mark Wahlberg's lowest-performing wide releases. The film debuted at number four at the box office, behind holdovers Coyote vs. Acme, The Odyssey, and Spider-Man: Brand New Day, but ahead of other new releases like Fall 2: Deadpoint and Onslaught.
Below is a list of Wahlberg's wide-release films that have opened below $10 million domestically, as referenced in the source report.
| Movie Title | Domestic Opening Weekend |
|---|---|
| By Any Means (2026) | $7 million (projected) |
| Arthur the King (2024) | $7.5 million |
| Infinite (2021) | $9.1 million |
| The Gambler (2014) | $9.1 million |
| Contraband (2012) | $9.2 million |
| The Lovely Bones (2009) | $9.6 million |
| Max Payne (2008) | $9.6 million |
| The Happening (2008) | $9.8 million |
| Shooter (2007) | $9.8 million |
| Four Brothers (2005) | $9.9 million |
A Steep Climb to Profitability
The film's financial prospects appear challenging. The source states the movie reportedly cost $29 million to produce. With theaters keeping roughly half of ticket sales and marketing costs not included in the production budget, the estimated break-even point could be as high as $72.5 million.
No Mark Wahlberg wide-release film that opened below $10 million has ever reached that financial benchmark. If By Any Means follows a similar trajectory to Wahlberg's 2024 film Arthur the King, which had a comparable opening, it might gross less than $35 million total. That would leave it far short of profitability from theatrical revenue alone.
Future revenue from video on demand, physical media, streaming, and television could bolster its earnings. However, the source suggests it would be questionable if the film could ever turn a full profit without a significant box office improvement.
Audience Reception vs. Critical Reviews
There is a notable split in how the film has been received. On Rotten Tomatoes, By Any Means holds a "Rotten" critics' score of 53%. In contrast, verified audience members on the platform have given it a much higher score of 87%.
This positive audience reaction could potentially build word-of-mouth support. The film's runtime is 107 minutes. It was produced by a team including Basil Iwanyk, Mark Wahlberg, and Stephen Levinson.
