Overall business was down 28% from this same weekend last year. However, this weekend was never expected to outpace last year to begin with, as it was led by the record-shattering debut of It ($123 million).
As many expected, the top spot went to horror flick The Nun. The latest in the growing series of Conjuring films beat all expectations, earning $53.5 million (strong $13,803 per-venue average). Distributor Warner Bros. celebrated its' fifth-straight week at the top of the box office, as they have had a third box office hit in a row. Ultimately, Nun capitalized on its marketing as well as building off the goodwill of last year's hit Annabelle: Creation. With Conjuring quickly growing into a movie universe, it seems that Warner Bros. has found a lower-budget franchise success story. And the company isn't stopping there. A third Annabelle movie is currently set for July of next year. Nun did earn decisively mixed reactions from moviegoers, with the film garnering a "C" CinemaScore. In that case, its' difficult to tell how it will play from here. That being said, however, on a budget of only $22 million, Warner Bros. should definitely see major profits here. Predictions heading into the weekend were approaching $40 million for most analysts.
Nun also had a spectacular start overseas, earning $77 million, for a $131 million worldwide launch. Annabelle: Creation earned over $300 million worldwide last year, do not be surprised if this movie surpasses that barrier and more.
After three-straight weeks on top, Crazy Rich Asians finally settled down into second. For the fourth-straight week, Warner Bros. had the top two movies in the nation. The romantic comedy had a solid hold for a frame coming off an extended holiday. It fell 38% to $13.6 million, for a very strong $136.2 million pick-up in 26 days. Asians should continue to run strong through September thanks to a lack of real competition for its date night audience. Overseas numbers haven't been great yet (its at around $30 million so far), but expect that to perk up a little as more markets open.
Opening in third place with better-than-expected results was Jennifer Garner's latest, Peppermint. The R-rated revenge thriller pulled in $13.3 million (moderate $4,450 per-venue average). For a $25 million production, this is a very solid start. The buzz left much to be desired here, but the concept (a female-centric redo of Taken or Death Wish) seemed to entice more mainstream moviegoers than I expected. The film came in around the same level as the debut of John Wick ($14 million). STX Entertainment got a nice rebound this weekend after the disastrous performance of The Happytime Murders, and should earn a decent profit off this one. Audiences gave the flick a "B+" CinemaScore, which could lead to some positive word-of-mouth.
Shark thriller The Meg held on surprisingly well with the summer season over, off 43% in its fifth weekend to $6 million. The big-budget flick has earned a very good $131.6 million in one month of release, and could make a run at $150 million stateside. The most impressive thing about this film's run so far has been overseas, as Meg has pulled in nearly $500 million worldwide so far. Boasting an even more impressive hold is Searching, though that can be attributed to the fact that Sony expanded it to over 2,000 locations. The technological thriller was down just 26% to $4.5 million, for a solid (considering the budget) $14.3 million pick-up in 10 days. Sony had a nice strategy expanding this after Labor Day to reduce potential heavy declines.
Mission: Impossible - Fallout continued its very strong run, off 46% in its seventh weekend to $3.8 million. The penultimate installment in the spy franchise has managed a strong $212.1 million gross in 49 days, and will become the franchise's biggest installment domestically next week (passing MI: II's $215 million domestic total). Worldwide, the film has passed $700 million to become Tom Cruise's biggest movie ever worldwide. It may reach $800 million before its done.
The only real option for families this weekend, Christopher Robin managed to hold on well despite coming off of Labor Day Weekend. Disney's latest was off 39% in its sixth weekend to $3.2 million, for a very solid $91.7 million pick-up in 37 days. Two more weekends of no competition may allow it to pass $100 million, but its' still a little early to make that conclusion. Operation Finale, on the other hand, fell 50% in its sophomore frame to $3 million. Failing to bring out older crowds, the historical thriller has earned a mediocre $14.1 million in 12 days, and will probably struggle to reach $20 million.
BlackKklansman had another good hold in its fifth frame, off 38% to $2.6 million. Spike Lee's latest has earned a strong $43.5 million in one month of release, with a little bit left to go. Rounding out the Top 10 in its fourth week was Alpha. The prehistoric thriller was down 45% to $2.5 million, for a meh $32.4 million pick-up in 24 days. It has earned an additional $30 million overseas so far.
Opening just outside the list was God Bless the Broken Road, which came in well below expectations with just $1.6 million (weak $1,228 per-venue average). Faith-based films tend to either overperform or underperform big-time. Considering this one wasn't pulling in any real sense of awareness or anticipation, the underperformance isn't a major surprise here. This one was supposed to be released back in February 2017, before being pushed back a handful of times. The budget was unknown, while distributor Freestyle Releasing was hoping for a $4 million debut.
And that's about it. Next weekend gets a little more crowded as Fox unleashes their Predator remake. Also opening include book adaptation A Simple Favor, true story drama White Boy Rick and faith-based sequel Unbroken: Path to Redemption. Look for it to be a fairly crowded weekend. Predictions coming Wednesday. :)
