Well, if there was any doubt, there are two things that will be dominating the box office this month: Disney and “La La Land.” And if blockbusters and a charming original movie musical can both make headlines, that’s just fine by us.
For the third straight week, Disney’s “Moana” stayed on top of the box office, earning $18.8 million, which sounds about right given that Hollywood didn’t put up much competition at the multiplex. The animated movie is one of the top domestic earners since the summer, sharing company with “Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them,” “Doctor Strange,” “Sully,” and “Trolls,” and it doesn’t need to be reiterated that the movie is another big success for the mouse house. This will be the last week it stays on top as next weekend, another Disney movie will arrive to dominate the box office: “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.”
READ MORE: Disney’s ‘Moana’ Is An Inspired, Spellbinding Tribute To The Human Spirit [Review]
The only other movie going into wide release this weekend was “Office Christmas Party,” and it seems moviegoers had the Christmas spirit. The R-rated comedy earned a solid $17.5 million, and for a point of comparison, last year’s raunchy holiday comedy “The Night Before” starring Seth Rogen debuted with $9.8 million. That being said, the price tag was higher for this movie, with a budget of $45 million versus $25 million for Rogen’s flick. However, “Office Christmas Party” is already performing well abroad, tallying an additional $16.5 million internationally, where “The Night Before” earned $9.3 million in total from global territories during its entire run. In short, Universal has a modest success here, but it’ll be interesting to see how it legs out in the weeks ahead especially with such formidable competition coming (i.e. “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”).
In limited release, the weekend belonged to Oscar frontrunner “La La Land.” The charming movie starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone brought out moviegoers in droves where on five screens it earned $855,000 for a per-screen average of $171,000. It puts the film among the best limited release openings of all time, coming in just behind Wes Anderson‘s “The Grand Budapest Hotel.” It’s a big start for the movie will continue rolling out next weekend on 200 more screens.
1. “Moana” — $18.8 million ($145 mil.)
2. “Office Christmas Party” — $17.5 million
3. “Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them” — $10.7 million ($199.3 mil.)
4. “Arrival” — $5.6 million ($81.4 mil.)
5. “Doctor Strange” — $4.6 million ($222.3 mil.)
6. “Allied” — $4 million ($35.6 mil.)
7. “Nocturnal Animals” — $3.19 million ($6.2 mil.)
8. “Manchester By The Sea” — $3.15 ($8.3 mil.)
9. “Trolls” — $3.1 million ($145.4 mil.)
10. “Hacksaw Ridge” — $2.3 million ($60.8 mil.)