As expected, Star Wars: The Force Awakens ruled again, but it was a lot closer than anyone thought. The revival of the blockbuster franchise did fall some from New Year's Weekend, off 53% to $42.4 million, for a still-awesome $812.7 million pick-up in 17 days. Becoming the first film in history to pass $800 million domestically is just one of the many records this film is breaking. Basically, it sets a new record for every dollar it earns from last Wednesday on. That's insane. Force Awakens does seem to be starting to show signs of slowing down, however, as this is its roughest decline yet. Martin Luther King Jr. Weekend will perk it up a little, but it probably won't hold the top spot as Ride Along 2 is currently riding strong buzz to a likely weekend win. And, at this rate, Force probably won't hit $1 billion at the end of its run. But, it might just clear $900 million, if it doesn't continue to fall.Overseas, The Force Awakens continues to be a monster, earning an additional $105 million, including a $53 million 2-day start from China. Opening on a Saturday, there's no way to tell so far if The Force Awakens is having a great opening in China (we should have a better idea next week). Worldwide, its at $1.73 billion, passing Jurassic World ($1.67 billion) for third place on the all-time chart worldwide. The Force Awakens should wind up just over $2 billion worldwide, and if it turns out to be stronger in China in the next week, it could top Titanic's $2.2 billion for second place.
It was a surprisingly strong weekend for moviegoing, as the Golden Globe winner for Best Picture (Drama) broke out onto the box office scene. Alejandro G. Innaritu, the winner of last year's Best Picture (and Best Director) Birdman, had a strong start for his next effort The Revenant. The brutal survival epic, following a strong limited debut, earned $39.8 million in second place, for a strong $11,801 per-venue average from 3,375 locations. That edges out Lone Survivor and Taken 3 for the fourth-biggest debut ever for the month of January, behind American Sniper ($89.3 million), Ride Along ($41.5 million) and Cloverfield ($40 million). With some strong Oscar potential in its favor (including Best Actor for Leonardo DiCaprio), Revenant is set to play well, also thanks to good reviews (81% on Rotten Tomatoes) and a "B+" CinemaScore. Distributor Fox released the film on a $135 million budget. On a cost that high, it was needed for the film to break out.One of the Christmas season's breakout hits, Daddy's Home was off 49% from last weekend's New Year's inflated weekend to $15 million, for a very solid $116.3 million gross in 17 days. The Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg parenting comedy could very well find its way to a finish near or above $150 million.
Opening in third place with very solid results was the other new nationwide release, horror flick The Forest. Gramercy Pictures' release earned $12.7 million, for a $5,198 per-theater average. That was ahead of expectations, which was forecasting a debut in the $8-10 million range. Horror flicks have done well in January in the past, as The Devil Inside, Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones and The Woman in Black 2 from last year have earned an average of $22 million on opening weekend. And while this one couldn't quite hit that range, it still opened above the average norm for a horror flick ($7-10 million). Despite negative reviews (11% on Rotten Tomatoes) and a "C" CinemaScore (average for a horror flick), this should end up in the black thanks to just a $10 million budget (with probably a little bit more spent on marketing).
Sisters had a solid hold post-Christmas, off 44% to $7.2 million, for a very solid $74.9 million gross in 24 days. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler should find themselves flirting just under $100 million by the time everything is said and done. With added awards season competition from The Revenant, The Hateful Eight plummeted 59% to $6.4 million, for a somewhat disappointing $41.5 million pick-up in 12 days. Quentin Tarantino's latest is on the outside looking in for Oscar attention, and will probably wind up close to $60 million stateside.
Kids are back in school, and as a result, Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip fell 53% to $5.7 million, for a very solid $75.8 million gross in 24 days. Road Chip will have to deal with new competition Norm of the North next weekend, but could still wind up around $90 million. Not bad for a fourth entry in a somewhat-panned franchise. Winning the Golden Globe for Best Actress - Musical or Comedy (for Jennifer Lawrence) didn't really help Joy, which fell 56% to $4.5 million, for a somewhat disappointing $46.5 million gross in 17 days. David O'Russell will finish this one with about one-third of what Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle earned in their runs.
Rounding out the Top 10 in its third weekend was Concussion, which also fell hard despite a Golden Globe nomination for star Will Smith, off 61% to $3 million. The sports drama has earned a very disappointing $30.9 million in 17 days, and will likely earn around $10 million more before its done.
Next weekend is the extended Martin Luther King, Jr. Weekend. Openings include Ride Along 2 with Kevin Hart and Ice Cube, Michael Bay's 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi, and the animated family film Norm of the North. With Star Wars and Revenant likely to have strong numbers as well, it should be another great weekend for moviegoing. Stay tuned.
