Many were thinking that the new horror flick A Quiet Place would prove to be a possible breakout hit. And those analysts were right, except it went even bigger. The critically-acclaimed (97% on Rotten Tomatoes) horror flick opened to a huge $50 million, for a strong $14,253 per-venue average from 3,508 locations. A strong marketing effort, a teaser in front of last year's Star Wars: The Last Jedi, a lack of real entries for horror flicks this year so far and the strong reviews all added up to this fantastic opening (the second-largest start this year so far behind Black Panther). Quiet Place had the third-biggest start ever for a horror flick behind only It and Paranormal Activity 3. In the meantime, this is a huge win for distributor Paramount, who had been looking for a win like this for a few years now. Audience reception is good for a horror film as well, with a "B+" CinemaScore. Do not be surprised if this holds together well over the next few weeks. Paramount produced the flick for a tidy $17 million, and was expecting $20-25 million.Meanwhile, last week's topper played surprisingly strong in the face of new competition. Steven Spielberg's Ready Player One was off a light 40% to $25.1 million, for a solid $96.9 million pick-up in 11 days. That's an excellent hold for a blockbuster, science fiction movie, and shows the film is picking up some very good word-of-mouth. Next weekend does bring some added competition in the form of fellow Warner Bros. flick Rampage, but it will have one more weekend after that before a certain superhero team wipes it out. Overseas, the virtual reality flick continues to shine, with a spectacular $140 million earned in China so far. The worldwide total is already close to $400 million in just two weeks, with plenty more to go.
Meanwhile, Universal scored a solid win in third place with their R-rated comedy Blockers. Also benefiting from strong reviews (83% on Rotten Tomatoes) and a strong marketing effort, the film managed a $21.4 million opening, also ahead of expectations (solid $6,345 per-venue average). In comparison, Blockers managed to outpace Game Night from earlier this year ($18 million). With little competition in the coming weeks, there's no reason to think Blockers will fade fast. Produced on a $21 million budget, Universal projected a mid-to-high teens millions opening. Audiences gave it a more mixed reception, giving the film a "B" CinemaScore.Remaining in the Top 5 for an eighth-straight weekend, Black Panther continued to pull in the crowds. Marvel's biggest blockbuster to date was off just 27% to $8.4 million. In the meantime, Panther's $665.4 million pick-up passes Titanic ($658 million) to become the third-biggest movie ever in the United States. Worldwide, its' about to pass $1.3 billion. Again, its' looking increasingly likely that Panther will still be in the Top 10 when Avengers: Infinity War releases in T minus 19 days.
Also remaining in the Top 5 for a fourth-straight frame, I Can Only Imagine continued to show impressive staying power. The Christian drama was off only 20% (while adding 250 more theaters) to $8.35 million, for a fantastic $69.1 million gross in 24 days. Imagine passed War Room ($67 million) and God's Not Dead ($60 million) over the past week, and looks like it has a good shot at passing the $91 million final gross of Heaven is for Real. Tyler Perry's Acrimony had a strong drop, as expected, off 53% to $8.1 million. But the Taraji P. Henson thriller is in good shape, with $31.3 million in 10 days against a small budget. A $45 million finish wouldn't be exceptional for Tyler Perry standards, but it'll do.
Meanwhile, outperforming expectations in seventh place was political thriller Chappaquiddick. Based on the Ted Kennedy scandal, the Entertainment Studios flick managed to pull in $6.2 million in just 1,560 locations (decent $3,974 per-venue average). Most analysts had predicted $2-3 million on the weekend, while I aimed a little higher. But, strong reviews (80% on Rotten Tomatoes) and little competition for its' older adult audience provided the jolt it needed. No budget information was released, while audiences gave it a "B" CinemaScore. Whether or not it plays well in the coming weeks is up in the air, but it goes to show that smaller releases don't always need to be underestimated.No family competition means that Sherlock Gnomes continued to hold steady, off just 20% in its third weekend to $5.6 million. The animated sequel has earned $33.9 million in 17 days, and looks likely to end its run around $45 million. Against a $59 million budget, that still doesn't look good. Another sequel in trouble followed, as Pacific Rim: Uprising fell 48% in its third frame to $4.9 million. The action sequel is at $54.9 million in 17 days, and will likely finish around $65 million. Overseas looks better with the worldwide gross approaching $300 million. But that probably won't be enough to cover the costs for a $150 million production.
Rounding out the Top 10 after expanding to 554 locations was Wes Anderson's Isle of Dogs. The critically-adored (93% on Rotten Tomatoes) stop-motion animated flick pulled in a rock-solid $4.6 million ahead of its nationwide expansion next week (averaging a strong $8,303 per-venue). Anderson has earned $12 million since the film's limited debut 17 days ago, and it could prove to be even bigger next weekend.
Meanwhile, in 11th place, The Miracle Season came in ahead of expectations with $4.1 million (mediocre $2,424 per-venue average). The sports drama was expected to chalk up $2-3 million. However, a somewhat limited marketing effort and generally negative reviews (34% on Rotten Tomatoes) didn't seem to help it. The film did earn a strong "A" CinemaScore, however, which could help it hold decently down the line.
Next weekend will prove to be another interesting weekend as Dwayne Johnson's Rampage looks to continue bringing life back to the box office. Also opening is Blumhouse's latest horror flick Truth or Dare while Isle of Dogs expands nationwide. I will have reviews of Paul, Apostle of Christ and Tomb Raider up by Tuesday, followed by a predictions post on Wednesday.
