Weekend Wrap-Up: New Releases Can’t Outshine Jumanji’s $19.51 million Weekend Haul
January 23, 2018
Nearly every film we talked about in our predictions beat expectations over the weekend. This includes Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, which earned first place with $19.51 million. All three wide releases did better than expected, with 12 Strong leading the way with $15.82 million. The overall box office still fell 15% from last weekend to $135 million. A 15% drop-off for a post-holiday weekend isn’t bad. Compared to this weekend last year, 2018 was down by 7.0%, which isn’t good, but it could have been much worse. Year-to-date, 2018 still has a small lead of 2.9% or $20 million at $725 million to $704 million. Granted, it is still way too early for this to matter, but an early lead means you won’t need to fight back late in the year like we did last year.
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle added $19.51 million to its running tally, which now sits at $316.45 million after five weeks of release. The film overtook Thor: Ragnarok for seventh place on the 2017 domestic chart and by this time next week, it could be in the top five.
12 Strong opened strongly with $15.82 million over the weekend. This is a great start for a film that cost $35 million to make. Even with mixed reviews, it should have no trouble matching its production budget domestically, as it earned an A from CinemaScore. Unfortunately, I don’t see this film doing well internationally, so it will have to wait til the home market before it has a shot at profitability.
Den of Thieves was the biggest surprise of the weekend, as it earned third place with $15.21 million during its opening weekend. I don’t think its legs will be as good as 12 Strong’s legs will be. It earned weaker reviews and only a B plus from CinemaScore, while its target audience is younger, so is more likely to rush out and see the film opening weekend. On the other hand, Den of Thieves’s theater average is the best in the top ten, so theater owners won’t be looking to drop it right away.
The Post was next with $11.72 million over the weekend for a total of $44.76 million after of month of release (including its limited release run). It overtook The Big Sick as the biggest limited release hit of the year. If the film can earn some Oscar nominations, then it will likely get to $75 million domestically. If it wins several Oscars, it could become a $100 million hit. The latter milestone seems unlikely at this point, as it hasn’t been able to convert any of its previous major nominations into wins.
The Greatest Showman earned $10.64 million over the weekend for a total of $113.13 million after a month of release. Granted, the film cost $84 million to make, so it very likely hasn’t matched its combined budget domestically, but at this pace, it could break even before it reaches the home market.
Forever My Girl managed a spot in the top 10 with $4.25 million in just 1,114 theaters. Its reviews are just 18% positive, which might be low enough to be one of the worst films of the year and it was too small for CinemaScore to rate, so it is hard to say whether or not the film’s legs will be any good.
None of the sophomore films were able to grab a spot in the top five. Paddington 2 came the closest with $8.01 million over the weekend for a two-week total of $24.81 million. It dipped only 27%, which is great news, assuming its long legs in theaters translates into stronger home market sales. Otherwise, it is too little, too late. The Commuter was next with $6.60 million over the weekend for a total of $25.63 million after 10 days of release. It fell 52%, so by next weekend, it could lose a sizable chunk of its theater count. Finally, there’s Proud Mary, which fell out of the top ten down 64% to just $3.57 million over the weekend for a two-week total of $16.85 million. It will disappear from theaters rather quickly.
It was also a really good week for milestones. The Greatest Showman hit $100 million before the weekend. Star Wars: The Last Jedi became the only film released in 2017 to reach $600 million and just the sixth film of all time to get to that mark. Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle cracked $300 million, while Coco reached $200 million and Pitch Perfect 3 reached $100 million. This burst of activity really helps 2017 when it comes to milestone movies and it is now the best year when it comes to total milestones.
- 12 Strong Comparisons
- Den of Thieves Comparisons
- Forever My Girl Comparisons
Filed under: Weekend Wrap-up, The Greatest Showman, Coco, Thor: Ragnarok, Star Wars Ep. VIII: The Last Jedi, Pitch Perfect 3, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, The Commuter, Proud Mary, The Post, Den of Thieves, 12 Strong, Forever My Girl, Paddington 2