It’s been a helluva week, and audiences clearly needed an escape and went to the multiplex in droves. Films that opened last weekend showed strong holds headed into week two, while others opened bigger than expected. Maybe the Trump years will at least be good for getting people to go to the movies….
“Doctor Strange” stayed on top of the box office, conjuring another $43 million domestically, and $60 million overseas. At home the film only fell -49.4%, a remarkable figure given most tentpoles drop around 55-65% in their second week. In other words, “Doctor Strange” is sticking around the box office and won’t be leaving the top 10 any time soon. Marvel‘s latest will cross $500 million worldwide this week, and there’s not much else to say except that this is another home run for the studio. And you have to wonder if one of the mystery movies slated for 2019 and 2020 will be a “Doctor Strange” sequel. Audiences have clearly been won over by the latest addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and it’s pretty much certain we’ll be seeing a lot more of Benedict Cumberbatch, his bad facial hair, mystical powers and all.
READ MORE: The Best & Worst Of ‘Doctor Strange’
Moms and dads needing to get out of the house with the kids continue to have no other option available, so they bought tickets to “Trolls,” which had an astonishingly small 24% drop and stayed strong in second place with $35 million. This brand revival is a big success, so I guess Trolls are back now. What’s next? “Pogs: The Movie“? “Polly Pockets: Dawn Of Justice“? You can bet Hollywood execs are spending the weeks ahead poring through ’90s IP.
Exceeding expectations handily, Denis Villeneuve‘s critically acclaimed, brainy alien movie “Arrival” opened in third with $24 million. Once again refuting the notion that only teenagers go to see movies, 85% of ticket buyers for the film were over the age of 25. The film is Villeneuve’s best opening to date (sure to be shattered by next year’s “Blade Runner 2049“), and one of the best for Amy Adams outside of franchises and supporting roles. Word of mouth and awards-season buzz should keep this one healthy, so let’s hear it for more sci-fi that doesn’t rely on explosions or robots smashing each other.
Riding comfortably into fourth, “Almost Christmas” founds its audience to the tune of $15 million. That’s solid stuff for the modestly budgeted, niche holiday movie, and it’s the kind of flick that could quietly leg out to a strong finish.
Barely promoted, and hardly screened for critics, EuropaCorp pretty much gave up on the Naomi Watts thriller “Shut In,” which opened to a dismal $3.7 million. It did even worse that Watts’ last genre flop, “Dream House,” and everyone involved is probably ready to forget it even happened.
In limited release, Ang Lee‘s “Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk” played on two screens in his preferred presentation of 4K, 3D, and at 120 frames per second for a total of $120,000. But the real test the film will face is when it goes wider next week in 800 markets (without the high-tech bells and whistles). Meanwhile, Paul Verhoeven‘s provocative “Elle” got started on two screens with a total of $56,012, and “National Bird” pulled in $4,000 from a single cinema.
1. “Doctor Strange” — $43 million ($153 mil.)
2. “Trolls” — $35 million ($94 mil.)
3. “Arrival” — $24 million
4. “Almost Christmas” — $15.5 million
5. “Hacksaw Ridge” — $10.7 million ($32.2 mil.)
6. “The Accountant” — $4.5 million ($77.7 mil.)
7. “Shut In” — $3.7 million
8. “Boo! A Madea Halloween” — $3.5 million ($70.4 mil.)
9. “Jack Reacher: Never Go Back” — $3.3 million ($54.5 mil.)
10. “Inferno” — $3.2 million ($31.5 mil.)
