As what many anticipated, Fifty Shades Freed topped the box office, with solid (yet unspectacular) results. The final installment in the hard R trilogy pulled in $38.6 million (very good $10,234 per-venue average), in line with just about everyone's expectations (including mine). That's a little bit of a decline from Fifty Shades Darker ($46 million), but its' a fairly strong hold (off 15%) for a threequel. Freed also was a massive hit overseas, earning $98 million from most international territories. Reviews for the final installment were terrible (11% on Rotten Tomatoes), though the CinemaScore was a "B+". Look for this to have strong business over Valentine's Day on Wednesday before starting to crash to earth. The budget was $55 million.
Meanwhile, many questioned whether or not an adaptation of Peter Rabbit would work. It turned out that it worked quite well for families, as the live-action adaptation pulled in a very good $25 million (solid $6,714 per-venue average). In comparison, that's more than double Paddington 2's $10.8 million 3-day start from last month. Credit a strong marketing campaign plus not-bad reviews (58% on Rotten Tomatoes) for helping this one succeed. Competition is minimal over the next month, with only Early Man looking to earn a fraction of this next weekend. Sony produced the film for $50 million, and should wind up in solid financial shape by the time this is all said and done. The CinemaScore was a "A-".
The other new nationwide release, however, failed to really make much of an impression. 87-year old director legend Clint Eastwood took a risk by casting the actual heroes for The 15:17 to Paris. The results ended up being below many expectations. The true story thriller earned $12.6 million (mild $4,127 per-venue average). I did highball on this prediction, as I thought Eastwood had regained popularity thanks to the wildly successful American Sniper and Sully. However, Paris is actually in the wheelhouse of Eastwood's last few films prior to those two, such as Jersey Boys ($13.3 million opening) and J. Edgar ($11.2 million). The budget was only $30 million, so overall financial exposure for Eastwood and distributor Warner Bros. is fairly minimal. However, reviews were bad (21% on Rotten Tomatoes) and the CinemaScore was a mixed "B-". Older audiences could help keep this one holding strong, but its' going to be tough to keep playing in a crowded marketplace (especially with Black Panther around the corner).In the meantime, the two Christmas holdover superstars remained in the Top 5 for the eighth(!)-straight weekend. Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle was down only 8% to $10 million, for an incredible $365.9 million pick-up in 56 days. The film now ranks in the Top 40 all-time domestically. Overseas, it continues to shine as well, with over $500 million picked up, and a worldwide tally likely to pass $900 million. Next weekend may finally be Jumanji's time to start behaving like a blockbuster, as Black Panther will likely steal a lot of its' audience. But, the film now will pass Spider-Man 2's $374 million final domestic gross to finish as Sony's second-biggest movie ever stateside. It's still yet to open in Japan, and if it breaks out there, we could be looking at a $1 billion finish.
The other insanely leggy hit, The Greatest Showman, was off just 16% to $6.4 million (and that's in the face of Peter Rabbit). The family musical is at $146.6 million in 56 days, and is continuing to ride the waves of truly spectacular word-of-mouth. Unlike Jumanji, Showman's more female audience won't be affected by Black Panther, which means it should continue to play strong through the end of the month. Worldwide, its at $315 million and climbing.
In its' third weekend, Maze Runner: The Death Cure was off 41% to $6.2 million. The finale in the YA trilogy is at $49.2 million in 17 days, and will likely drop hard next weekend in the face of another PG-13 action flick. A final gross just above $60 million isn't horrible, especially with $180 million earned overseas. Meanwhile, last weekend's lone opener, Winchester had a decent hold (though several had better holds thanks to making up for Super Bowl Sunday). The period horror flick was off 44% to $5.2 million, for a meh $17.3 million 10-day gross. Look for a finish of about $25 million, which would probably be enough to break even on low costs.
The Post followed with a 30% dip to $3.6 million. Steven Spielberg's Best Picture contender has earned a decent $73 million since its limited debut eight weeks ago. Fellow Oscar contender The Shape of Water was off 29% to $3.2 million, for a solid $49.9 million pick-up since its limited debut 11 weeks ago. Rounding out the Top 10 was Den of Thieves. Gerard Butler's action thriller had a strong hold in the midst of a crowded marketplace, off 34% to $3 million, for a successful $41.1 million gross in 24 days.
And that's about it. Next weekend is sure to be one to remember as the extended President's Day frame brings the anticipated debut of Marvel's Black Panther. With critical acclaim, it could be a record-smasher. My official predictions for it (as well as Early Man and Samson) will be out on Thursday.
