Overall business, as expected, was down 32% from this same weekend last year, which netted record numbers thanks to the shattering debut of Star Wars: The Force Awakens ($248 million).
However, that doesn't take anything away from the Galaxy Far Far Away's latest entry, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was still a box office monster. A stand-alone film (but also a technical prequel to A New Hope), the Gareth Edwards film pulled in a big $155.1 million, ahead of expectations, for a massive $37,309 per-venue average from 4,157 locations. While that's far away from the record-shattering numbers The Force Awakens pulled in last year, it was never expected to approach that movie's numbers. For one, that film had so much more anticipation and was the actual continuing story with famous characters returning. Rogue One, on the other hand, had an almost completely new cast of characters and just had to rely on the Star Wars name in general, which already has almost the biggest fanbase in movie history. Rogue One had a $200 million budget, earned very good reviews (84% on Rotten Tomatoes), and an "A" CinemaScore from audiences, which both of the latter bode well for the film's future.The Christmas season will keep it holding stronger than normal for a tentpole action flick. The Force Awakens went on to earn a jaw-dropping $935 million stateside. I don't know how this one will hold in comparison, but I certainly think it might pass Finding Dory's $485 million domestic final gross to become the year's biggest movie domestically. This opening is the icing on the cake in what has been a record year for distributor Disney, who passed a record $7 billion earned worldwide this year.
Overseas, Rogue One pulled in $135.5 million from most overseas territories (China will open January 6), for a $290 million worldwide launch. That's on the low end of expectations, but considering that the Star Wars movies aren't actually as popular overseas as other franchises, it's still a major debut by all means. The worldwide gross could leg it out to $1 billion, but even if it falls short, it will still be a major win by all means.
Disney also took second place this weekend with their animated hit Moana. After topping the chart for three straight weeks, the island musical held up very well against a blockbuster newbie, off just 31% to $12.7 million, for a strong $162.9 million pick-up in 26 days. Sing opens as direct competition on Wednesday, but this should still remain a viable option through the Christmas season. The worldwide gross is about to pass $300 million. Office Christmas Party followed, and didn't manage to hold on well as most males were distracted by Star Wars. The R-rated holiday bash was down 49% to $8.6 million, and has pulled in a mild $31.7 million pick-up in 10 days.
Meanwhile, the only other movie that dared to open wide against Star Wars was Will Smith's latest, Collateral Beauty. The ensemble piece, however, flopped big time. The dramedy pulled in just $7.1 million in fourth place, for a weak $2,345 average from 3,028 locations. Many expected a $12-15 million debut here. But terrible reviews (14% on Rotten Tomatoes), plus the intense competition, really held it back. Audiences did like it better, giving it an "A-" CinemaScore, so we'll see how it fares over the holidays. But, a $36 million budget is going to be hard to match at this point. Distributor Warner Bros. didn't release an official projection.In the direct face of Star Wars, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was off 51% to $5.1 million. The Harry Potter prequel is at a solid $207.7 million in one month of release, and is at a huge $720 million worldwide with still a little more to go. Expanding to 1,200 locations, possible Oscar contender Manchester by the Sea jumped up to sixth place, and earned $4.2 million ($3,513 per-venue average). The Casey Affleck film and the first major theatrical release for website giant Amazon has earned $14.1 million since its limited debut one month ago.
But the more impressive Oscar favorite clearly had more of an impact with audiences. Damien Chazelle's musical romance La La Land pulled in a big $4.1 million from just 200 theaters ($20,510 per-venue average ranks second to Star Wars for the weekend among the Top 20). The critically-acclaimed film is looking to expand nationwide on Christmas Day, where it may be able to become even bigger than anyone expected. Distributor Summit Entertainment produced the film for $30 million.With another sci-fi film in the marketplace plus two other major awards contenders in the Top 10, Arrival had its biggest drop yet, off 47% to $3 million. The Amy Adams thriller has still pulled in a very good $86.7 million in six weeks of release. Doctor Strange remained in the list for a seventh (and likely final) weekend, and was off 51% to $2.2 million in the face of fellow Disney release Rogue One. Marvel's latest hit is at a very good $226.3 million so far, and $650 million worldwide.
Another awards season player is also in the Top 10, as Tom Ford's Nocturnal Animals was off 56% to $1.41 million, for a decent $8.8 million in 24 days. It narrowly beat out DreamWorks Animation's Trolls for tenth place, which was down 55% to $1.38 million, for a $147.4 million pick-up in seven weeks.
That's it for this week. I will have a review up for Rogue One tomorrow or Thursday, and next weekend is sure to be a crowded one. Universal and Illumination Entertainment's latest possible smash Sing looks to try and challenge the Force for the top spot over Christmas weekend. Also opening are video game adaptation Assassin's Creed, James Franco comedy Why Him? and Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence's sci-fi romance Passengers. Finally, La La Land and Denzel Washington's Fences expand nationwide. It's sure to be a crowded week, and I will have more on it later. We shall see what happens.
