Heading into the weekend, moviegoers weren’t really given quality new products, and they responded in kind. The debuts of "Ride Along 2" and the Donald Trump-approved "13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers Of Benghazi" couldn’t stop the box office from taking a 22% dive from the same frame last year. The Ice Cube and Kevin Hart buddy cop sequel took in $34 million, which is actually less than the opening weekend haul of $41 million the first movie earned in 2014. It’s likely not what Universal was hoping for, but perhaps the mostly negative reviews, coupled with the fact that "Ride Along 2" offered little deviation from the formula from the first film, played a role.
READ MORE: 2015: The Hits, The Flops, And The Year In Box Office
Michael Bay‘s Serious Explosions Movie will likely wind up with $19 million after the long weekend wraps, making his first film since 2005’s "The Island" to debut under $20 million. With a budget of $50 million, it will likely earn about that much domestically, but it will need some decent legs to make that happen. It’s back to blockbuster toys with "Transformers 5" for Bay, and perhaps that’s no surprise since there is little interest from audiences whenever he attempts to step outside the box (see also: "Pain & Gain," though it was made with a far smaller budget of $26 million).
The real tale of the box office this weekend was the boost the Best Picture Oscar nominees received. The bumps the movies vying for Academy Award gold is impressive: "Room" added 205 screens, taking in $700,000, and was rewarded with a 504% increase; "Bridge Of Spies" saw a 72% boost; "Spotlight" gained 67%; "Brooklyn" bumped up 57%; and "The Martian," which is still kicking around on 275 screens, got an 11% bonus.
Meanwhile, Oscar honored "The Big Short" experienced the best hold of pictures in the top ten, dropping only 15.8%, while leading Oscar nominee, "The Revenant," dropped only 25.9%, and held onto second place at the box office. All of those stats are a reminder why Oscar nominations are so valuable to studios, beyond the prestige they bring.
Don’t worry, "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" is holding strong in third place, and became the fifth film in history to cross $1 billion internationally, bringing the global total to $1.8 billion. $2 billion is a no brainer at this point, but the $2.7 billion haul of "Avatar" is fairly unlikely. James Cameron is still the box office king of the world.
At the arthouse, "The Lady In The Van" hit four screens, taking in $72,264 for a $18,066 per theater average, while Charlie Kaufman‘s "Anomalisa" hauled in $270,000 from 37 theaters.
1. “Ride Along 2” — $34 million
2. “The Revenant” — $29.5 million ($87.6 mil.)
3. “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” — $25.1 million ($851 mil.)
4. “13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers Of Benghazi” — $16 million
5. “Daddy’s Home” — $9.3 million ($129.2 mil.)
6. “Norm Of The North” — $6.6 million
7. “The Forest” — $5.7 million ($21.1 mil.)
8. “The Big Short” — $5.2 million ($50.5 mil.)
9. “Sisters” — $4.4 million ($81.8 mil.)
10. “The Hateful Eight” — $3.4 million ($47.5 mil.)
