Gothic horror period pieces, even violent R-rated ones, prove a hard sell as the low-star-power “The Voyage of the Demeter” didn’t make it to the $1 million mark on in Thursday night previews.

A $750K take points to an opening weekend well under $10 million –$6.5 is where it seems headed as of Sat. AM — barely enough crack the top five.

The reviews didn’t help. Maybe the fact that horror fans uh, know how the “Voyage” that brought Dracula to England turned out was a turn off. I’d argue that we need a “star” who “looks” like a human(ish) Dracula for that to come off.

That means another weekend with your plastic feminist pal’s who fun to be with, “Barbie” talkies over $33, outperforming expectations once again, with the film clearing the $500 million mark (North America) on Friday. The worldwide box office is well-over $1 billion, and still counting.

It is now officially the biggest blockbuster ever directed by a woman, and a much better film than “Wonder Woman,” I must say. The political ramifications of this feminist satire could be chilling. To SOME “Barbie” bashers.

“Oppenheimer” is having an epic summer for a movie that will never win a single weekend at the box office, and a three hour+ film at that, adding in $18.8 million+ as it clears the $250 million mark. A lot of that money is IMAX and 70mm projection cash, an “event” movie that looks like it.

Both of these films have Oscar potential, even though summer blockbusters tend to fade in the memory come awards season.

“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” might have challenged “Oppenheimer” for that #2 spot, but will clear $15 or so itself this weekend. It will clear the $75 million mark by Monday of next week.

“The Meg 2: The Trench” fell just short of $13 million expected to be added to its bottom line. It’s earned over $40 million.

“Demeter” will nudge “Haunted Mansion” out of the top five with that $6.5, meaning the Disney dud ($5.6) should finish its run in August without clearing the $75 million mark.

Bleecker Street’s “Jules” is older audience counter-programming that is playing in enough theaters to do better than the $834k it earned.

“Demeter” and losing more screens should push “Sound of Freedom,” the sleeper hit of the summer, well into the rear view mirror –$4.8, 8th place, behind “Talk to Me.” It won’t hit $200 million, but $175+ is all found money for Angel Studios, which may have found a business model that works, but they won’t be able to buy 20th Century film at bargain basement prices a second time. Only so many patrons are going to buy extra tickets to push your next movie into the black and make it seem a bigger hit than it was. Yeah, I saw people doing that.

“Elemental,” for those keeping Disney/Pixar score, hung around long enough to clear the $150 million mark this week. That’s what having almost no animated kiddie competition will do for you.

Final estimates via @BoxOfficePro