If it’s possible for the box office winner to also lose at the same time, that’s arguably what happened this weekend.
Coming in the top spot is Justice League (read our review), which severely underperformed and brought in $96 million during its first three days domestically. That is, unfortunately, the lowest opening weekend in the DCEU’s brief history; not even in the same ballpark as Batman V Superman ($166 million) and Suicide Squad ($133.6 million), and coming up well short of Man of Steel ($116.6 million) and this summer’s Wonder Woman ($103.2 million). Going into the weekend, projections had the team-up film pegged for a debut in the range of $110-120 million, but that was before the initial reactions came in and things only got worse from there. As has become par for the course with the DCEU, Justice League proved to be divisive and the word-of-mouth significantly hurt its commercial prospects.
It will be interesting to see where Justice League goes from here, as it’s unlikely to have strong legs at the box office. Next week sees the release of Pixar’s latest acclaimed effort, Coco, and then moviegoers will be saving up cash for Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Tentpoles like Justice League tend to be very front-loaded, so a massive second weekend decline wouldn’t be out of the question. Warner Bros. is going to have to hope the film does extremely well internationally in order to reach the $600 million it needs to hit so it can break even. Right now, the global haul is $281.5 million, so all eyes will be on how it holds through the next few weeks.
Coming in second is Wonder (read our review), the new family film based on the novel of the same name. It grossed $27 million in its opening weekend, exceeding expectations due to the positive reception. Many were impressed with the movie’s heart and performances, so it emerged as a compelling counter-programming option for moviegoers looking for a nice change-of-pace. With the Thanksgiving holiday right around the corner (meaning families will be on break), it should continue to post healthy numbers for the rest of the month. Granted, Coco will be the movie of choice for many over the extended weekend, but interest in Wonder is high.
Falling to third is the two-time reigning champ, Thor: Ragnarok, which earned $21.7 million in its third weekend. It goes without saying the premiere of Justice League took a chunk out of Thor’s audience, but it still held its own against the struggling DC installment and is now up to $247.3 million in the States.
Coming in fourth is Daddy’s Home 2. The comedy sequel grossed $14.8 million in its second weekend, which was a 50.1 percent decrease from its opening frame. Currently, its Stateside total stands at $50.5 million.
Rounding out the top five is Murder on the Orient Express, which brought in $13.8 million. The murder-mystery is now up to $51.7 million in the U.S.
The #6 film is The Star, a new Christmas-themed animated film that tells the story of the nativity from the perspective of the animals that were there. It didn’t arrive in theaters with as much fanfare as a Pixar or DreamWorks movie, but it was still able to reach its target audience, making a strong $10 million in its first three days.
In seventh is A Bad Moms Christmas with $6.8 million. The comedy sequel is now up to $50.9 million in the States.
Expanding to 238 locations, awards contender Lady Bird came in eighth with $2.5 million. The film has been riding Oscar buzz in the early part of the fall, making it a must-see for cinephiles hoping to keep up on this year’s Academy Awards. Its domestic total is now $4.7 million.
Speaking of Oscar hopefuls, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri also expanded this weekend and made $1.1 million from 53 theaters. Starring the likes of Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, and Sam Rockwell, the dark comedy/drama emerged earlier this year as a festival darling and is expected to earn nominations in several major categories. The demand for this one among film buffs is high, so as it adds more theaters, it should continue to do well. Right now, it’s made $1.5 million domestically.
Capping off the top ten is Jigsaw. The horror sequel earned $1 million and is now up to $36.4 million.
[NOTE: These are only weekend box office estimates – based on Friday and Saturday ticket sales coupled with adjusted expectations for Sunday. Official weekend box office results will be released on Monday, November 13 – at which time we’ll update this post with any changes.]
Source: Box Office Mojo
