Weekend Wrap-Up: Aquaman Ends the Year on Top

January 2, 2019

Aquaman

Due to the holidays, there was a delay in getting final numbers from major studios for the weekend box office, but the last of them have finally arrived. Aquaman dominated with $52.11 million over the three-day weekend, while it cracked $200 million on New Year’s Day. Mary Poppings Returns isn’t matching expectations, but it is still having a profitable run. Meanwhile, both Bumblebee and Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse are overcoming incredible competition to dig out profitable runs of their own. Overall, the weekend box office hit $188 million, which is 6.2% higher than last weekend, and while it is 3.5% lower than the same weekend last year, this is still better than expected. It will take a long time to get the final yearly results, not until the MPAA’s state of the industry report in April, but preliminary results have 2018 beating 2017 by 8.4% or $920 million at $11.91 billion to $10.99 billion.

Aquaman took $52.11 million over the three-day weekend, while it earned $78.50 million over the five-day weekend for a total of $215.44 million after 12 days of release. The film is still the lowest domestic box office for the DCEU, but it won’t stay there for long. It will overtake Justice League shortly and Man of Steel’s position isn’t safe either.

Mary Poppins Returns bounced back after a slow start with $28.35 million / $43.68 million over the weekend for a 14-day total of $114.59 million. It did cost $130 million to make, so it hasn’t broken even yet, but it will get there.

Bumblebee remained in third place with $20.91 million / $32.34 million for a 12-day total of $78.62 million. The film cost $102 million to make and it will match that figure shortly. Add in its international numbers, and the film is doing well enough to break even and justify another installment in the franchise. It will be up to that installment to keep up the good reviews and grow at the box office.

Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse remained in fourth place with $18.79 million / $29.00 million over the weekend for a three-week total of $114.33 million. The film has already surpassed its $90 million production budget, while it is doing well enough internationally that it should break even early in its home market run.

The Mule rounded out the top five with $12.16 million / $19.84 million for a three-week total of $68.79 million. The film will get close to $100 million domestically, which is more than enough to be profitable early in the home market.

The next few films switch places depending on whether or not you are looking at the three-day or the five-day weekend. Vice earned sixth place over the three-day weekend with $7.77 million, but fell to eighth place on New Year’s Day and managed $12.08 million over the five-day weekend. Its total so far is $21.98 million, which isn’t terrible, but it is also far from great. Things are not going to get better, as its C plus from CinemaScore doesn’t suggest long legs. Maybe if its reviews were award-worthy that would be different, but that’s not the case.

Holmes and Watson only managed seventh place over the three-day weekend with $7.41 million, while its five-day haul was just $10.92 million for a running tally of $23.33 million. Its reviews are among the worst of any wide release of the year and it only managed a D plus from CinemaScore, which is just terrible.

The best sophomore stint film not in the top five was Second Act, which earned eighth place with $7.36 million over the three-day weekend. However, it rose to sixth place on New Year’s Day and its five-day haul was $11.42 million, which is better than Holmes and Watson managed over the same period. The film’s running tally is $25.98 million and it could finish with above $40 million domestically, which is more than enough to cover its $15.7 million production budget, while STX Entertainment sold off the international rights and if those sales generated enough to cover its domestic advertising budget, then it will break even before the home market.

Welcome to Marwen fell out of the top ten with $2.24 million / $3.61 million over the weekend for a running tally of $9.15 million. It will disappear from theaters as soon as there is more than one new release coming out.

Filed under: Weekend Wrap-up, Aquaman, Mary Poppins Returns, Bumblebee, Vice, Holmes & Watson, Welcome to Marwen, Second Act, The Mule, Transformers, DC Extended Universe