The Happytime Murders (2018)

The Happytime Murders
Theatrical Performance
Domestic Box Office $20,706,452Details
International Box Office $6,799,960Details
Worldwide Box Office $27,506,412
Home Market Performance
Est. Domestic DVD Sales $1,948,312 Details
Est. Domestic Blu-ray Sales $2,010,880 Details
Total Est. Domestic Video Sales $3,959,192
Further financial details...

Synopsis

In a world where puppets and humans live side-by-side the puppet stars of the iconic TV show The Happytime Gang are some of the biggest celebrities around. But off camera, the family-friendly cast leads the kinds of lives that would make a tabloid writer blush. When the stars of “The Happytime Gang” are mysteriously murdered, two mismatched detectives--one a type-A, take-no-prisoners human with a secret, and the other a crass, hard-drinking puppet with a connection to one of the victims—must put aside their huge differences to stop the killings and catch the culprit, while resisting the temptation to murder each other.

Metrics

Opening Weekend:$9,532,425 (46.0% of total gross)
Legs:2.17 (domestic box office/biggest weekend)
Domestic Share:75.3% (domestic box office/worldwide)
Production Budget:$40,000,000 (worldwide box office is 0.7 times production budget)
Theater counts:3,256 opening theaters/3,256 max. theaters, 2.7 weeks average run per theater
Infl. Adj. Dom. BO $24,502,250

Latest Ranking on Cumulative Box Office Lists


Watch Now On

Amazon VOD:Amazon VOD, Amazon VOD
Google Play:Google Play, Google Play
Vudu:Vudu
Netflix:Netflix, Netflix

Movie Details

Domestic Releases: August 24th, 2018 (Wide) by STX Entertainment
International Releases: August 24th, 2018 (Wide) (Argentina)
August 24th, 2018 (Wide), released as Happytime Murders (Australia)
August 24th, 2018 (Wide), released as Žaisliukai suaugusiems (Lithuania)
August 24th, 2018 (Wide) (Netherlands)
August 24th, 2018 (Wide), released as Pela Hora da Morte (Portugal)
... Show all releases
Video Release: November 20th, 2018 by Universal Home Entertainment
MPAA Rating: R for strong crude and sexual content and language throughout, and some drug material.
(Rating bulletin 2536 (Cert #51709), 7/18/2018)
Running Time: 91 minutes
Comparisons: vs. Sausage Party
Create your own comparison chart…
Keywords: Puppets in a Live-Action World, Private Investigator, Serial Killer, Police Detective, Murder Mystery, Framed, Fugitive / On the Run, Buddy Cop, Death of a Sibling, TV Industry, Discrimination, Film Noir, Surprise Twist, Outtakes During Credits, Scene in End Credits
Source:Original Screenplay
Genre:Black Comedy
Production Method:Live Action
Creative Type:Fantasy
Production/Financing Companies: STX Entertainment, On The Day Productions, Henson Alternative, Huayi Brothers Pictures Ltd, Black Bear
Production Countries: United States
Languages: English

Ranking on other Records and Milestones

RecordRankAmountChart
Date
Days In
Release
Labor Day (All Movies, 3-Day, Inflation Adjusted) 422 $5,279,902 Aug 31, 2018 10
Labor Day (All Movies, 4-Day, Fri-Mon) 207 $5,393,676 Aug 31, 2018 10
Labor Day (All Movies, 4-Day, Fri-Mon, Inflation Adjusted) 255 $6,497,715 Aug 31, 2018 10

Compare this performance with other movies…

Domestic Cumulative Box Office Records

Weekend Box Office Performance

DateRankGross% ChangeTheatersPer TheaterTotal GrossWeek
Aug 24, 2018 3 $9,532,425   3,256 $2,928   $9,532,425 1
Aug 31, 2018 8 $4,382,781 -54% 3,256 $1,346   $16,998,475 2
Sep 7, 2018 15 $1,082,377 -75% 1,839 $589   $20,027,804 3
Sep 14, 2018 34 $133,468 -88% 310 $431   $20,593,065 4
Sep 21, 2018 46 $42,839 -68% 123 $348   $20,692,627 5

Daily Box Office Performance

DateRankGross%YD%LWTheatersPer TheaterTotal GrossDays
Aug 23, 2018 P $950,000     2,500 $380   $950,000  
Aug 24, 2018 2 $3,933,679     3,256 $1,208   $3,933,679 1
Aug 25, 2018 3 $3,367,558 -14%   3,256 $1,034   $7,301,237 2
Aug 26, 2018 4 $2,231,188 -34%   3,256 $685   $9,532,425 3
Aug 27, 2018 3 $856,187 -62%   3,256 $263   $10,388,612 4
Aug 28, 2018 4 $1,000,617 +17%   3,256 $307   $11,389,229 5
Aug 29, 2018 7 $599,369 -40%   3,256 $184   $11,988,598 6
Aug 30, 2018 6 $627,096 +5%   3,256 $193   $12,615,694 7
Aug 31, 2018 7 $1,181,461 +88% -70% 3,256 $363   $13,797,155 8
Sep 1, 2018 8 $1,631,428 +38% -52% 3,256 $501   $15,428,583 9
Sep 2, 2018 9 $1,569,892 -4% -30% 3,256 $482   $16,998,475 10
Sep 3, 2018 11 $1,010,895 -36% +18% 3,256 $310   $18,009,370 11
Sep 4, 2018 8 $431,351 -57% -57% 3,256 $132   $18,440,721 12
Sep 5, 2018 7 $291,834 -32% -51% 3,256 $90   $18,732,555 13
Sep 6, 2018 10 $212,872 -27% -66% 3,256 $65   $18,945,427 14
Sep 7, 2018 13 $312,015 +47% -74% 1,839 $170   $19,257,442 15
Sep 8, 2018 15 $498,776 +60% -69% 1,839 $271   $19,756,218 16
Sep 9, 2018 - $271,586 -46% -83% 1,839 $148   $20,027,804 17
Sep 10, 2018 15 $113,653 -58% -89% 1,839 $62   $20,141,457 18
Sep 11, 2018 13 $151,454 +33% -65% 1,839 $82   $20,292,911 19
Sep 12, 2018 13 $101,024 -33% -65% 1,839 $55   $20,393,935 20
Sep 13, 2018 14 $65,662 -35% -69% 1,839 $36   $20,459,597 21
Sep 14, 2018 - $40,190 -39% -87% 310 $130   $20,499,787 22
Sep 15, 2018 - $61,081 +52% -88% 310 $197   $20,560,868 23
Sep 16, 2018 - $32,197 -47% -88% 310 $104   $20,593,065 24
Sep 17, 2018 - $14,414 -55% -87% 310 $46   $20,607,479 25
Sep 18, 2018 - $18,788 +30% -88% 310 $61   $20,626,267 26
Sep 19, 2018 - $15,285 -19% -85% 310 $49   $20,641,552 27
Sep 20, 2018 - $8,236 -46% -87% 310 $27   $20,649,788 28
Sep 21, 2018 - $12,675 +54% -68% 123 $103   $20,662,463 29
Sep 22, 2018 - $20,336 +60% -67% 123 $165   $20,682,799 30
Sep 23, 2018 - $9,828 -52% -69% 123 $80   $20,692,627 31
Sep 24, 2018 - $3,675 -63% -75% 123 $30   $20,696,302 32
Sep 25, 2018 - $4,024 +9% -79% 123 $33   $20,700,326 33
Sep 26, 2018 - $3,173 -21% -79% 123 $26   $20,703,499 34
Sep 27, 2018 - $2,953 -7% -64% 123 $24   $20,706,452 35

Weekly Box Office Performance

DateRankGross% ChangeTheatersPer TheaterTotal GrossWeek
Aug 24, 2018 3 $12,615,694   3,256 $3,875   $12,615,694 1
Aug 31, 2018 9 $6,329,733 -50% 3,256 $1,944   $18,945,427 2
Sep 7, 2018 14 $1,514,170 -76% 1,839 $823   $20,459,597 3
Sep 14, 2018 33 $190,191 -87% 310 $614   $20,649,788 4
Sep 21, 2018 46 $56,664 -70% 123 $461   $20,706,452 5

Box Office Summary Per Territory

Territory Release
Date
Opening
Weekend
Opening
Weekend
Screens
Maximum
Screens
Theatrical
Engagements
Total
Box Office
Report
Date
Argentina 8/24/2018 $13,552 0 0 0 $17,132 1/1/2019
Australia 8/24/2018 $496,554 237 241 701 $1,045,264 9/27/2018
France 9/21/2018 $89,237 0 0 0 $89,237 9/28/2018
Italy 10/18/2018 $705,602 0 4 6 $1,570,165 12/23/2018
Lithuania 8/24/2018 $14,668 68 68 87 $29,871 9/4/2018
Netherlands 8/24/2018 $80,318 80 80 155 $149,028 9/4/2018
Portugal 8/24/2018 $13,164 35 39 74 $30,865 9/4/2018
Russia (CIS) 9/27/2018 $139,945 531 531 539 $213,815 1/8/2019
South Korea 5/23/2019 $13,020 57 57 57 $15,935 5/30/2019
Spain 8/24/2018 $161,573 263 263 501 $395,555 9/6/2018
Turkey 8/24/2018 $5,847 69 69 74 $10,612 2/26/2019
United Kingdom 8/27/2018 $899,720 500 500 500 $899,720 9/5/2018
 
Rest of World $2,332,761
 
International Total$6,799,960 5/30/2019

International Cumulative Box Office Records


Worldwide Cumulative Box Office Records


Weekly US DVD Sales

DateRankUnits
this
Week
% ChangeTotal
Units
Spending
this
Week
Total
Spending
Weeks
in
Release
Dec 9, 20181139,322 39,322$706,223$706,2233

Weekly US Blu-ray Sales

DateRankUnits
this
Week
% ChangeTotal
Units
Spending
this
Week
Total
Spending
Weeks
in
Release
Dec 9, 2018544,634 44,634$890,893$890,8933

Our DVD and Blu-ray sales estimates are based on weekly retail surveys, which we use to build a weekly market share estimate for each title we are tracking. The market share is converted into a weekly sales estimate based on industry reports on the overall size of the market, including reports published in Media Play News.

For example, if our weekly retail survey estimates that a particular title sold 1% of all units that week, and the industry reports sales of 1,500,000 units in total, we will estimate 15,000 units were sold of that title. The consumer spending estimate is based on the average sales price for the title in the retailers we survey.

We refine our estimates from week to week as more data becomes available. In particular, we adjust weekly sales figures for the quarter once the total market estimates are published by the Digital Entertainment Group. Figures will therefore fluctuate each week, and totals for individual titles can go up or down as we update our estimates.

Because sales figures are estimated based on sampling, they will be more accurate for higher-selling titles.

Full financial estimates for this film, including domestic and international box office, video sales, video rentals, TV and ancillary revenue are available through our research services. For more information, please contact us at research@the-numbers.com.

Leading Cast

Melissa McCarthy    Detective Connie Edwards
Bill Barretta    Phil Phillips/Junkyard/Boar

Supporting Cast

Joel McHale    Agent Campbell
Maya Rudolph    Bubbles
Leslie David Baker    Lt. Banning
Elizabeth Banks    Jenny
Michael McDonald    Ronovan Scargle
Mitch Silpa    Tommy
Hemky Madera    Tito
Benjamin Cole Royer    Rick
Brekkan Spens    Dick
Ryan Tran    Phil
Emily Fortune Feimster*    Robin
Brian Palermo    Paramedic
Jimmy O. Yang    Officer Delancey
Dennis Keiffer    Junior
Jim Palmer    Caesar
H. Michael Croner    Jack Cook
Barry Rothbart    Fireman
Steve Mallory    Kerry
Jaye Razor    Razor
Jen Kuo Sung Outerbridge    Sandra’s Bodyguard
Bryan Cartago    Sandra’s Bodyguard
Ben Falcone    Donny
Brett Wagner    Rio
Ryan Gaul    Officer Milligan
Cynthy Wu    Brittenie Marlowe
Dorien Davies    Sandra/Core Puppeteer
Drew Massey    Goofer/Vinny/Core Puppeteer
Ted Michaels    Sexist Thug/Ezra/Core Puppeteer
Pamela Mitchell    Pamela
Colleen Smith    Dalmatian/Cara/Core Puppeteer/Carol
Victor Yerrid    Larry/Old Man Puppet/Core Puppeteer
Kevin Clash    Bumblypants/Lyle/Puppet Doctor
Brian Henson    Crab
Donna Kimball    Roxy/Cow/Rotten Cotton Girl/Additional Puppeteer
Patty Guggenheim    Roxy
Alice Dinnean    Rotten Cotton Girl/Core Puppeteer
Allan Trautman    Octopus/Puppet Doctor/Core Puppeteer
Damon Jones    Puppet Doctor/Police Station Guard (Human)
Jayden Libran    Core Puppeteer
Grant Baciocco    Additional Puppeteer
Greg Ballora    Additional Puppeteer
Tim Blaney    Additional Puppeteer
Kevin Carlson    Additional Puppeteer
Kristin Charney    Additional Puppeteer
Artie Esposito    Additional Puppeteer
Peggy Etra    Additional Puppeteer
Dan Garza    Additional Puppeteer
Patrick Johnson    Additional Puppeteer
Sean Johnson    Additional Puppeteer
Tim Lagasse    Additional Puppeteer
Bruce Lanoil    Additional Puppeteer
Lara Maclean    Additional Puppeteer
Amanda Maddock    Additional Puppeteer
Paul McGinnis    Additional Puppeteer
Michael Oosterom    Additional Puppeteer
Nicolette Santino    Additional Puppeteer
John Tartaglia    Additional Puppeteer
Russ Walko    Additional Puppeteer

For a description of the different acting role types we use to categorize acting perfomances, see our Glossary.

Production and Technical Credits

Brian Henson    Director
Todd Berger    Screenwriter
Todd Berger    Story by
Dee Robertson    Story by
Brian Henson    Producer
Melissa McCarthy    Producer
Ben Falcone    Producer
Jeffrey Hayes    Producer
Robert Simonds    Executive Producer
Adam Fogelson    Executive Producer
Wang Zhongjun    Executive Producer
Wang Zhonglei    Executive Producer
Felice Bee    Executive Producer
Teddy Schwartzman    Executive Producer
Ben Stillman    Executive Producer
Michael Heimler    Executive Producer
Lisa Henson    Executive Producer
John Hyde    Executive Producer
Dee Robertson    Executive Producer
Donald Tang    Executive Producer
Mitchell Amundsen    Director of Photography
Chris Spellman    Production Designer
Brian Olds    Editor
Arjun Bhasin    Costume Designer
Christopher Lennertz    Composer
Jason Markey    Music Supervisor
Vincent J. Raisa    Co-Producer
Basil Grillo*    Co-Producer
Divya D’Souza    Co-Producer
Jeanne McCarthy    Casting Director
Nicole Abellera    Casting Director
Charles Rapp    Unit Production Manager
Basil Bryant-Grillo    Unit Production Manager
Daniel Silverberg    First Assistant Director
Lisa Tobey    Second Assistant Director
Sam Nicholson    Visual Effects Supervisor
Melissa Brockman    Visual Effects Producer
Walter Garcia    Stunt Coordinator
Luci Romberg    Stunt Coordinator
Alex Rockwell    Associate Producer
Christopher Burian-Mohr    Art Director
Kelly Berry    Set Decorator
Gretel Twombly    Production Supervisor
Jane Goldsmith    Script Supervisor
Jim Stuebe    Sound Mixer
Ron Trost    Special Effects Supervisor
Stephenson Crossley    Location Manager
Paula Truman    Costume Supervisor
Gigi Williams    Make-up and Hair Designer
Michelle Audrina Kim    Make-up and Hair Designer
Gabriella Pollino Rodman    Hairstylist
Christi Cagle    Hairstylist
Philip Toolin    Set Designer
Geoff Hubbard    Set Designer
Liz Calandrello    First Assistant Editor
Tammy Fearing    Supervising Sound Editor/ADR Supervisor
Marc Fishman    Re-recording Mixer
Andy Hay    Re-recording Mixer
James Thomas    Additional Editor
Jennifer Scudder Trent    Post-Production Supervisor
Tom Yamamoto    Assistant Editor
Brooke Rupe    Assistant Editor
George H. Anderson    Sound Designer
Joe Schiff    Dialogue Editor
Alison Fisher    Dialogue Editor
Daniel DiPrima*    Additional Music
Alex Geringas    Additional Music
Dara Taylor    Additional Music
Daniel DiPrima*    Supervising Music Editor
Jeffrey Hayes    Second Unit Director

The bold credits above the line are the "above-the-line" credits, the other the "below-the-line" credits.

Home Market Releases for December 4th, 2018

December 4th, 2018

The Handmaid’s Tale

It’s not a bad week when it comes to the home market. The biggest release is Mission: Impossible—Fallout and while I didn’t like it as much as most critics, the Blu-ray / 4K Ultra HD Combo Packs are still worth picking up. There were also a trio of releases that were contenders for Pick of the Week, all of which were TV on DVD release: The Handmaid’s Tale: Season Two, Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions: Take On Me, and Westworld: Season Two: The Door. In the end, it came down to a roll of the dice, with The Handmaid’s Tale coming out on top. More...

Featured Blu-ray and DVD Review: The Happytime Murders

December 4th, 2018

The Happytime Murders

The screener for The Happytime Murders arrived technically on time, but late enough that I was barely able to get the review finished on Tuesday. The film failed to connect with audiences or with critics. Is it as bad as its Tomatometer Score would indicate? Or should more people have watched it in theaters. More...

Home Market Releases for November 20th, 2018

November 20th, 2018

Crazy Rich Asians

This Friday is Black Friday, one of the biggest shopping days of the year. However, while there will be tons of sales, DVDs and Blu-rays that come out on Tuesday tend not to be part of the sales, because they have only been out for a few days. Because of this, it is usually a slow week on the home market. This is certainly true this year, as there’s only one significant first-run release, Crazy Rich Asians (Buy from Amazon). On the positive side, it is a pick of the week contender. Its only competition for that title is the Criterion Collection release for Some Like it Hot (Buy from Amazon). It was close, but in the end I went with Crazy Rich Asians. On a side note, both are lucky they are in competition for Pick of the Week, as it was going to be K-ON Complete Collection Premium Box Set, but it got pushed back from this week till February. I pre-ordered it in July and I’ve been waiting a long, long time for this box set. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Summer Ends on a Sweet Note with Crazy Rich Asians Crossing $100 million

September 5th, 2018

Crazy Rich Asians

Crazy Rich Asians came close enough to our predictions over the weekend that I’m willing to call it a victory. The only other film to earn more than $10 million over the three-date weekend was The Meg. This wasn’t enough to help the overall box office grow, but the overall box office only fell 3.6% when compared to last weekend earning $99 million. It is a little disappointing to drop below the $100 million mark, but it could have been much worse. Speaking of much worse, this weekend last year, the overall box office was just $76 million, meaning 2018 improved on the three-day mark by 29% and stretched its year-to-date lead. 2018 now sits 10.6% or $790 million ahead of 2017 at $8.22 billion to $7.43 million. The lead won’t remain this large for long, not with It’s opening on the horizon. That said, it would take a spectacular collapse for 2018 to completely lose this lead. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Crazy Rich Asians Continues Box Office Dominance with Nearly $25 million

August 28th, 2018

Crazy Rich Asians

Summer officially ends next weekend with Labor Day, but Crazy Rich Asians is keeping the summer going with a sophomore stint of $24.80 million over the weekend. This is nearly twice as much as the second place film, The Meg. Meanwhile, the only true wide release of the week, The Happytime Murders, missed low end expectations with $9.53 million. The overall box office is down 21% from last weekend to just $103 million. That’s a sharp decline, but not uncommon for this time of year. More importantly, it was 49% more than the same weekend last year. That’s not as impressive as it seems, as this weekend last year one of the worst weekends in the past decade. Year-to-date, 2018 extended its lead to 10.1% or $740 million at $8.05 billion to $7.19 billion. On the down side, it won’t be long before 2017 really starts to eat into that lead. More...

Weekend Estimates: Crazy Rich Nearly Matches Opening Weekend with $25 million

August 26th, 2018

Crazy Rich Asians

Crazy Rich Asians led the way over the weekend with $25.01 million for a two-week total of $76.82 million. This is way more than expected and actually in line with our opening weekend prediction. Its sophomore stint decline was just a 6% from its opening three-day weekend; it’s just a 29% decline from its opening five-day weekend. On the downside, this is such an amazing hold that it is hard for analysts to figure out where it will go from here. We can safely say it will continue to pull in millions of dollars for weeks to come, but we don’t know if it will soar past $150 million or not. If it has a more normal decline next week, we will be able to be more sure. Regardless of what it does over the rest of its domestic run or how well it performs internationally, it will be a massively profitable movie and one of Warner Bros.’ biggest hits of the year. More...

Friday Estimates: The Rich Keep Getting Richer

August 25th, 2018

Crazy Rich Asians

Crazy Rich Asians is this year’s The Hitman’s Bodyguard, at least in terms of legs. The film fell just 4% from its opening Friday earning $7.0 million on this Friday. The film was a Wednesday opening, so it likely won’t perform better on Saturday compared to last weekend, but the film will still earn about $23 million over the weekend. The book Crazy Rich Asians is based on is the first in a trilogy and I would be amazed if Warner Bros. hasn’t already begun work on the next two installments. More...

Thursday Night Previews: Happytime has a Melancholy Debut

August 24th, 2018

The Happytime Murders

The Happytime Murders only managed $950,000 during its Thursday previews. I was really expecting a little more than $1 million during previews. This is close enough that matching our $13 million prediction is still possible, but $12 million is more likely. Its also means Crazy Rich Asians will have no problem repeating on top of the box office chart. In fact, it appears to be headed for an amazing sophomore stint, but more on that tomorrow. More...

Weekend Predictions: Can Happytime Overtake Crazy Rich Asians at the Box Office?

August 23rd, 2018

Crazy Rich Asians

Summer is winding down and there are only one and a half wide releases this week. The Happytime Murders is a high-concept, lowbrow comedy that is probably too out there to find an audience. Meanwhile, A.X.L. is opening in less than 2,000 theaters and tracking has it opening below the Mendoza Line. This does mean Crazy Rich Asians has a real shot at repeating on top of the box office chart. This weekend last year, The Hitman’s Bodyguard was the only film to earn more than $10 million. This year, we should have two or three films do the same and 2018 should easily win in the year-over-year chart. More...

2018 Preview: August

August 1st, 2018

Christopher Robin

Overall, July was a a little weaker than expected. Ant-Man and the Wasp appears to be on pace for $200 million, while it is too soon to tell if Mission: Impossible—Fallout will also get there. That said, 2018 is still ahead of 2017 by $550 million, so the month of July was a success in that regard. As for August, there’s only one movie that is expected to earn $100 million, Christopher Robin, and maybe a few others that could hit $50 million. It’s a rather sad slate of movies. Fortunately, last August was even worse, so 2018 should at least maintain its lead. Maybe we can get lucky and come away with a $600 million lead by the end of the month. More...


  1. Summary
  2. News
  3. Box Office
  4. International
  5. Video Sales
  6. Full Financials
  7. Cast & Crew
  8. Trailer

Synopsis

In a world where puppets and humans live side-by-side the puppet stars of the iconic TV show The Happytime Gang are some of the biggest celebrities around. But off camera, the family-friendly cast leads the kinds of lives that would make a tabloid writer blush. When the stars of “The Happytime Gang” are mysteriously murdered, two mismatched detectives--one a type-A, take-no-prisoners human with a secret, and the other a crass, hard-drinking puppet with a connection to one of the victims—must put aside their huge differences to stop the killings and catch the culprit, while resisting the temptation to murder each other.

Metrics

Opening Weekend:$9,532,425 (46.0% of total gross)
Legs:2.17 (domestic box office/biggest weekend)
Domestic Share:75.3% (domestic box office/worldwide)
Production Budget:$40,000,000 (worldwide box office is 0.7 times production budget)
Theater counts:3,256 opening theaters/3,256 max. theaters, 2.7 weeks average run per theater
Infl. Adj. Dom. BO $24,502,250

Latest Ranking on Cumulative Box Office Lists


Watch Now On

Amazon VOD:Amazon VOD, Amazon VOD
Google Play:Google Play, Google Play
Vudu:Vudu
Netflix:Netflix, Netflix

Movie Details

Domestic Releases: August 24th, 2018 (Wide) by STX Entertainment
International Releases: August 24th, 2018 (Wide) (Argentina)
August 24th, 2018 (Wide), released as Happytime Murders (Australia)
August 24th, 2018 (Wide), released as Žaisliukai suaugusiems (Lithuania)
August 24th, 2018 (Wide) (Netherlands)
August 24th, 2018 (Wide), released as Pela Hora da Morte (Portugal)
... Show all releases
Video Release: November 20th, 2018 by Universal Home Entertainment
MPAA Rating: R for strong crude and sexual content and language throughout, and some drug material.
(Rating bulletin 2536 (Cert #51709), 7/18/2018)
Running Time: 91 minutes
Comparisons: vs. Sausage Party
Create your own comparison chart…
Keywords: Puppets in a Live-Action World, Private Investigator, Serial Killer, Police Detective, Murder Mystery, Framed, Fugitive / On the Run, Buddy Cop, Death of a Sibling, TV Industry, Discrimination, Film Noir, Surprise Twist, Outtakes During Credits, Scene in End Credits
Source:Original Screenplay
Genre:Black Comedy
Production Method:Live Action
Creative Type:Fantasy
Production/Financing Companies: STX Entertainment, On The Day Productions, Henson Alternative, Huayi Brothers Pictures Ltd, Black Bear
Production Countries: United States
Languages: English

Ranking on other Records and Milestones

RecordRankAmountChart
Date
Days In
Release
Labor Day (All Movies, 3-Day, Inflation Adjusted) 422 $5,279,902 Aug 31, 2018 10
Labor Day (All Movies, 4-Day, Fri-Mon) 207 $5,393,676 Aug 31, 2018 10
Labor Day (All Movies, 4-Day, Fri-Mon, Inflation Adjusted) 255 $6,497,715 Aug 31, 2018 10

Leading Cast

Melissa McCarthy    Detective Connie Edwards
Bill Barretta    Phil Phillips/Junkyard/Boar

Supporting Cast

Joel McHale    Agent Campbell
Maya Rudolph    Bubbles
Leslie David Baker    Lt. Banning
Elizabeth Banks    Jenny
Michael McDonald    Ronovan Scargle
Mitch Silpa    Tommy
Hemky Madera    Tito
Benjamin Cole Royer    Rick
Brekkan Spens    Dick
Ryan Tran    Phil
Emily Fortune Feimster*    Robin
Brian Palermo    Paramedic
Jimmy O. Yang    Officer Delancey
Dennis Keiffer    Junior
Jim Palmer    Caesar
H. Michael Croner    Jack Cook
Barry Rothbart    Fireman
Steve Mallory    Kerry
Jaye Razor    Razor
Jen Kuo Sung Outerbridge    Sandra’s Bodyguard
Bryan Cartago    Sandra’s Bodyguard
Ben Falcone    Donny
Brett Wagner    Rio
Ryan Gaul    Officer Milligan
Cynthy Wu    Brittenie Marlowe
Dorien Davies    Sandra/Core Puppeteer
Drew Massey    Goofer/Vinny/Core Puppeteer
Ted Michaels    Sexist Thug/Ezra/Core Puppeteer
Pamela Mitchell    Pamela
Colleen Smith    Dalmatian/Cara/Core Puppeteer/Carol
Victor Yerrid    Larry/Old Man Puppet/Core Puppeteer
Kevin Clash    Bumblypants/Lyle/Puppet Doctor
Brian Henson    Crab
Donna Kimball    Roxy/Cow/Rotten Cotton Girl/Additional Puppeteer
Patty Guggenheim    Roxy
Alice Dinnean    Rotten Cotton Girl/Core Puppeteer
Allan Trautman    Octopus/Puppet Doctor/Core Puppeteer
Damon Jones    Puppet Doctor/Police Station Guard (Human)
Jayden Libran    Core Puppeteer
Grant Baciocco    Additional Puppeteer
Greg Ballora    Additional Puppeteer
Tim Blaney    Additional Puppeteer
Kevin Carlson    Additional Puppeteer
Kristin Charney    Additional Puppeteer
Artie Esposito    Additional Puppeteer
Peggy Etra    Additional Puppeteer
Dan Garza    Additional Puppeteer
Patrick Johnson    Additional Puppeteer
Sean Johnson    Additional Puppeteer
Tim Lagasse    Additional Puppeteer
Bruce Lanoil    Additional Puppeteer
Lara Maclean    Additional Puppeteer
Amanda Maddock    Additional Puppeteer
Paul McGinnis    Additional Puppeteer
Michael Oosterom    Additional Puppeteer
Nicolette Santino    Additional Puppeteer
John Tartaglia    Additional Puppeteer
Russ Walko    Additional Puppeteer

For a description of the different acting role types we use to categorize acting perfomances, see our Glossary.

Production and Technical Credits

Brian Henson    Director
Todd Berger    Screenwriter
Todd Berger    Story by
Dee Robertson    Story by
Brian Henson    Producer
Melissa McCarthy    Producer
Ben Falcone    Producer
Jeffrey Hayes    Producer
Robert Simonds    Executive Producer
Adam Fogelson    Executive Producer
Wang Zhongjun    Executive Producer
Wang Zhonglei    Executive Producer
Felice Bee    Executive Producer
Teddy Schwartzman    Executive Producer
Ben Stillman    Executive Producer
Michael Heimler    Executive Producer
Lisa Henson    Executive Producer
John Hyde    Executive Producer
Dee Robertson    Executive Producer
Donald Tang    Executive Producer
Mitchell Amundsen    Director of Photography
Chris Spellman    Production Designer
Brian Olds    Editor
Arjun Bhasin    Costume Designer
Christopher Lennertz    Composer
Jason Markey    Music Supervisor
Vincent J. Raisa    Co-Producer
Basil Grillo*    Co-Producer
Divya D’Souza    Co-Producer
Jeanne McCarthy    Casting Director
Nicole Abellera    Casting Director
Charles Rapp    Unit Production Manager
Basil Bryant-Grillo    Unit Production Manager
Daniel Silverberg    First Assistant Director
Lisa Tobey    Second Assistant Director
Sam Nicholson    Visual Effects Supervisor
Melissa Brockman    Visual Effects Producer
Walter Garcia    Stunt Coordinator
Luci Romberg    Stunt Coordinator
Alex Rockwell    Associate Producer
Christopher Burian-Mohr    Art Director
Kelly Berry    Set Decorator
Gretel Twombly    Production Supervisor
Jane Goldsmith    Script Supervisor
Jim Stuebe    Sound Mixer
Ron Trost    Special Effects Supervisor
Stephenson Crossley    Location Manager
Paula Truman    Costume Supervisor
Gigi Williams    Make-up and Hair Designer
Michelle Audrina Kim    Make-up and Hair Designer
Gabriella Pollino Rodman    Hairstylist
Christi Cagle    Hairstylist
Philip Toolin    Set Designer
Geoff Hubbard    Set Designer
Liz Calandrello    First Assistant Editor
Tammy Fearing    Supervising Sound Editor/ADR Supervisor
Marc Fishman    Re-recording Mixer
Andy Hay    Re-recording Mixer
James Thomas    Additional Editor
Jennifer Scudder Trent    Post-Production Supervisor
Tom Yamamoto    Assistant Editor
Brooke Rupe    Assistant Editor
George H. Anderson    Sound Designer
Joe Schiff    Dialogue Editor
Alison Fisher    Dialogue Editor
Daniel DiPrima*    Additional Music
Alex Geringas    Additional Music
Dara Taylor    Additional Music
Daniel DiPrima*    Supervising Music Editor
Jeffrey Hayes    Second Unit Director

The bold credits above the line are the "above-the-line" credits, the other the "below-the-line" credits.

Home Market Releases for December 4th, 2018

December 4th, 2018

The Handmaid’s Tale

It’s not a bad week when it comes to the home market. The biggest release is Mission: Impossible—Fallout and while I didn’t like it as much as most critics, the Blu-ray / 4K Ultra HD Combo Packs are still worth picking up. There were also a trio of releases that were contenders for Pick of the Week, all of which were TV on DVD release: The Handmaid’s Tale: Season Two, Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions: Take On Me, and Westworld: Season Two: The Door. In the end, it came down to a roll of the dice, with The Handmaid’s Tale coming out on top. More...

Featured Blu-ray and DVD Review: The Happytime Murders

December 4th, 2018

The Happytime Murders

The screener for The Happytime Murders arrived technically on time, but late enough that I was barely able to get the review finished on Tuesday. The film failed to connect with audiences or with critics. Is it as bad as its Tomatometer Score would indicate? Or should more people have watched it in theaters. More...

Home Market Releases for November 20th, 2018

November 20th, 2018

Crazy Rich Asians

This Friday is Black Friday, one of the biggest shopping days of the year. However, while there will be tons of sales, DVDs and Blu-rays that come out on Tuesday tend not to be part of the sales, because they have only been out for a few days. Because of this, it is usually a slow week on the home market. This is certainly true this year, as there’s only one significant first-run release, Crazy Rich Asians (Buy from Amazon). On the positive side, it is a pick of the week contender. Its only competition for that title is the Criterion Collection release for Some Like it Hot (Buy from Amazon). It was close, but in the end I went with Crazy Rich Asians. On a side note, both are lucky they are in competition for Pick of the Week, as it was going to be K-ON Complete Collection Premium Box Set, but it got pushed back from this week till February. I pre-ordered it in July and I’ve been waiting a long, long time for this box set. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Summer Ends on a Sweet Note with Crazy Rich Asians Crossing $100 million

September 5th, 2018

Crazy Rich Asians

Crazy Rich Asians came close enough to our predictions over the weekend that I’m willing to call it a victory. The only other film to earn more than $10 million over the three-date weekend was The Meg. This wasn’t enough to help the overall box office grow, but the overall box office only fell 3.6% when compared to last weekend earning $99 million. It is a little disappointing to drop below the $100 million mark, but it could have been much worse. Speaking of much worse, this weekend last year, the overall box office was just $76 million, meaning 2018 improved on the three-day mark by 29% and stretched its year-to-date lead. 2018 now sits 10.6% or $790 million ahead of 2017 at $8.22 billion to $7.43 million. The lead won’t remain this large for long, not with It’s opening on the horizon. That said, it would take a spectacular collapse for 2018 to completely lose this lead. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Crazy Rich Asians Continues Box Office Dominance with Nearly $25 million

August 28th, 2018

Crazy Rich Asians

Summer officially ends next weekend with Labor Day, but Crazy Rich Asians is keeping the summer going with a sophomore stint of $24.80 million over the weekend. This is nearly twice as much as the second place film, The Meg. Meanwhile, the only true wide release of the week, The Happytime Murders, missed low end expectations with $9.53 million. The overall box office is down 21% from last weekend to just $103 million. That’s a sharp decline, but not uncommon for this time of year. More importantly, it was 49% more than the same weekend last year. That’s not as impressive as it seems, as this weekend last year one of the worst weekends in the past decade. Year-to-date, 2018 extended its lead to 10.1% or $740 million at $8.05 billion to $7.19 billion. On the down side, it won’t be long before 2017 really starts to eat into that lead. More...

Weekend Estimates: Crazy Rich Nearly Matches Opening Weekend with $25 million

August 26th, 2018

Crazy Rich Asians

Crazy Rich Asians led the way over the weekend with $25.01 million for a two-week total of $76.82 million. This is way more than expected and actually in line with our opening weekend prediction. Its sophomore stint decline was just a 6% from its opening three-day weekend; it’s just a 29% decline from its opening five-day weekend. On the downside, this is such an amazing hold that it is hard for analysts to figure out where it will go from here. We can safely say it will continue to pull in millions of dollars for weeks to come, but we don’t know if it will soar past $150 million or not. If it has a more normal decline next week, we will be able to be more sure. Regardless of what it does over the rest of its domestic run or how well it performs internationally, it will be a massively profitable movie and one of Warner Bros.’ biggest hits of the year. More...

Friday Estimates: The Rich Keep Getting Richer

August 25th, 2018

Crazy Rich Asians

Crazy Rich Asians is this year’s The Hitman’s Bodyguard, at least in terms of legs. The film fell just 4% from its opening Friday earning $7.0 million on this Friday. The film was a Wednesday opening, so it likely won’t perform better on Saturday compared to last weekend, but the film will still earn about $23 million over the weekend. The book Crazy Rich Asians is based on is the first in a trilogy and I would be amazed if Warner Bros. hasn’t already begun work on the next two installments. More...

Thursday Night Previews: Happytime has a Melancholy Debut

August 24th, 2018

The Happytime Murders

The Happytime Murders only managed $950,000 during its Thursday previews. I was really expecting a little more than $1 million during previews. This is close enough that matching our $13 million prediction is still possible, but $12 million is more likely. Its also means Crazy Rich Asians will have no problem repeating on top of the box office chart. In fact, it appears to be headed for an amazing sophomore stint, but more on that tomorrow. More...

Weekend Predictions: Can Happytime Overtake Crazy Rich Asians at the Box Office?

August 23rd, 2018

Crazy Rich Asians

Summer is winding down and there are only one and a half wide releases this week. The Happytime Murders is a high-concept, lowbrow comedy that is probably too out there to find an audience. Meanwhile, A.X.L. is opening in less than 2,000 theaters and tracking has it opening below the Mendoza Line. This does mean Crazy Rich Asians has a real shot at repeating on top of the box office chart. This weekend last year, The Hitman’s Bodyguard was the only film to earn more than $10 million. This year, we should have two or three films do the same and 2018 should easily win in the year-over-year chart. More...

2018 Preview: August

August 1st, 2018

Christopher Robin

Overall, July was a a little weaker than expected. Ant-Man and the Wasp appears to be on pace for $200 million, while it is too soon to tell if Mission: Impossible—Fallout will also get there. That said, 2018 is still ahead of 2017 by $550 million, so the month of July was a success in that regard. As for August, there’s only one movie that is expected to earn $100 million, Christopher Robin, and maybe a few others that could hit $50 million. It’s a rather sad slate of movies. Fortunately, last August was even worse, so 2018 should at least maintain its lead. Maybe we can get lucky and come away with a $600 million lead by the end of the month. More...

Compare this performance with other movies…

Domestic Cumulative Box Office Records

Weekend Box Office Performance

DateRankGross% ChangeTheatersPer TheaterTotal GrossWeek
Aug 24, 2018 3 $9,532,425   3,256 $2,928   $9,532,425 1
Aug 31, 2018 8 $4,382,781 -54% 3,256 $1,346   $16,998,475 2
Sep 7, 2018 15 $1,082,377 -75% 1,839 $589   $20,027,804 3
Sep 14, 2018 34 $133,468 -88% 310 $431   $20,593,065 4
Sep 21, 2018 46 $42,839 -68% 123 $348   $20,692,627 5

Daily Box Office Performance

DateRankGross%YD%LWTheatersPer TheaterTotal GrossDays
Aug 23, 2018 P $950,000     2,500 $380   $950,000  
Aug 24, 2018 2 $3,933,679     3,256 $1,208   $3,933,679 1
Aug 25, 2018 3 $3,367,558 -14%   3,256 $1,034   $7,301,237 2
Aug 26, 2018 4 $2,231,188 -34%   3,256 $685   $9,532,425 3
Aug 27, 2018 3 $856,187 -62%   3,256 $263   $10,388,612 4
Aug 28, 2018 4 $1,000,617 +17%   3,256 $307   $11,389,229 5
Aug 29, 2018 7 $599,369 -40%   3,256 $184   $11,988,598 6
Aug 30, 2018 6 $627,096 +5%   3,256 $193   $12,615,694 7
Aug 31, 2018 7 $1,181,461 +88% -70% 3,256 $363   $13,797,155 8
Sep 1, 2018 8 $1,631,428 +38% -52% 3,256 $501   $15,428,583 9
Sep 2, 2018 9 $1,569,892 -4% -30% 3,256 $482   $16,998,475 10
Sep 3, 2018 11 $1,010,895 -36% +18% 3,256 $310   $18,009,370 11
Sep 4, 2018 8 $431,351 -57% -57% 3,256 $132   $18,440,721 12
Sep 5, 2018 7 $291,834 -32% -51% 3,256 $90   $18,732,555 13
Sep 6, 2018 10 $212,872 -27% -66% 3,256 $65   $18,945,427 14
Sep 7, 2018 13 $312,015 +47% -74% 1,839 $170   $19,257,442 15
Sep 8, 2018 15 $498,776 +60% -69% 1,839 $271   $19,756,218 16
Sep 9, 2018 - $271,586 -46% -83% 1,839 $148   $20,027,804 17
Sep 10, 2018 15 $113,653 -58% -89% 1,839 $62   $20,141,457 18
Sep 11, 2018 13 $151,454 +33% -65% 1,839 $82   $20,292,911 19
Sep 12, 2018 13 $101,024 -33% -65% 1,839 $55   $20,393,935 20
Sep 13, 2018 14 $65,662 -35% -69% 1,839 $36   $20,459,597 21
Sep 14, 2018 - $40,190 -39% -87% 310 $130   $20,499,787 22
Sep 15, 2018 - $61,081 +52% -88% 310 $197   $20,560,868 23
Sep 16, 2018 - $32,197 -47% -88% 310 $104   $20,593,065 24
Sep 17, 2018 - $14,414 -55% -87% 310 $46   $20,607,479 25
Sep 18, 2018 - $18,788 +30% -88% 310 $61   $20,626,267 26
Sep 19, 2018 - $15,285 -19% -85% 310 $49   $20,641,552 27
Sep 20, 2018 - $8,236 -46% -87% 310 $27   $20,649,788 28
Sep 21, 2018 - $12,675 +54% -68% 123 $103   $20,662,463 29
Sep 22, 2018 - $20,336 +60% -67% 123 $165   $20,682,799 30
Sep 23, 2018 - $9,828 -52% -69% 123 $80   $20,692,627 31
Sep 24, 2018 - $3,675 -63% -75% 123 $30   $20,696,302 32
Sep 25, 2018 - $4,024 +9% -79% 123 $33   $20,700,326 33
Sep 26, 2018 - $3,173 -21% -79% 123 $26   $20,703,499 34
Sep 27, 2018 - $2,953 -7% -64% 123 $24   $20,706,452 35

Weekly Box Office Performance

DateRankGross% ChangeTheatersPer TheaterTotal GrossWeek
Aug 24, 2018 3 $12,615,694   3,256 $3,875   $12,615,694 1
Aug 31, 2018 9 $6,329,733 -50% 3,256 $1,944   $18,945,427 2
Sep 7, 2018 14 $1,514,170 -76% 1,839 $823   $20,459,597 3
Sep 14, 2018 33 $190,191 -87% 310 $614   $20,649,788 4
Sep 21, 2018 46 $56,664 -70% 123 $461   $20,706,452 5

Box Office Summary Per Territory

Territory Release
Date
Opening
Weekend
Opening
Weekend
Screens
Maximum
Screens
Theatrical
Engagements
Total
Box Office
Report
Date
Argentina 8/24/2018 $13,552 0 0 0 $17,132 1/1/2019
Australia 8/24/2018 $496,554 237 241 701 $1,045,264 9/27/2018
France 9/21/2018 $89,237 0 0 0 $89,237 9/28/2018
Italy 10/18/2018 $705,602 0 4 6 $1,570,165 12/23/2018
Lithuania 8/24/2018 $14,668 68 68 87 $29,871 9/4/2018
Netherlands 8/24/2018 $80,318 80 80 155 $149,028 9/4/2018
Portugal 8/24/2018 $13,164 35 39 74 $30,865 9/4/2018
Russia (CIS) 9/27/2018 $139,945 531 531 539 $213,815 1/8/2019
South Korea 5/23/2019 $13,020 57 57 57 $15,935 5/30/2019
Spain 8/24/2018 $161,573 263 263 501 $395,555 9/6/2018
Turkey 8/24/2018 $5,847 69 69 74 $10,612 2/26/2019
United Kingdom 8/27/2018 $899,720 500 500 500 $899,720 9/5/2018
 
Rest of World $2,332,761
 
International Total$6,799,960 5/30/2019

International Cumulative Box Office Records


Worldwide Cumulative Box Office Records


Weekly US DVD Sales

DateRankUnits
this
Week
% ChangeTotal
Units
Spending
this
Week
Total
Spending
Weeks
in
Release
Dec 9, 20181139,322 39,322$706,223$706,2233

Weekly US Blu-ray Sales

DateRankUnits
this
Week
% ChangeTotal
Units
Spending
this
Week
Total
Spending
Weeks
in
Release
Dec 9, 2018544,634 44,634$890,893$890,8933

Our DVD and Blu-ray sales estimates are based on weekly retail surveys, which we use to build a weekly market share estimate for each title we are tracking. The market share is converted into a weekly sales estimate based on industry reports on the overall size of the market, including reports published in Media Play News.

For example, if our weekly retail survey estimates that a particular title sold 1% of all units that week, and the industry reports sales of 1,500,000 units in total, we will estimate 15,000 units were sold of that title. The consumer spending estimate is based on the average sales price for the title in the retailers we survey.

We refine our estimates from week to week as more data becomes available. In particular, we adjust weekly sales figures for the quarter once the total market estimates are published by the Digital Entertainment Group. Figures will therefore fluctuate each week, and totals for individual titles can go up or down as we update our estimates.

Because sales figures are estimated based on sampling, they will be more accurate for higher-selling titles.

Full financial estimates for this film, including domestic and international box office, video sales, video rentals, TV and ancillary revenue are available through our research services. For more information, please contact us at research@the-numbers.com.