It was once again, about Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, as the dino sequel remained comfortably on top. It didn't hold well per se, off 59% to $60 million in its sophomore frame. However, its 10 day gross is still at a pretty strong $264.8 million. In comparison, Jurassic World was off 49% in its second weekend and had earned over $400 million by this point. But, Fallen Kingdom is still outperforming most expectations regardless. Overseas, it continues to do huge business with $670 million so far (including $230 million in China, which outpaces its' predecessor), and a $935 million worldwide tally. Look for this film to join the $1 billion club by the end of this coming week. As far as how much higher it can go than that will all depend on two factors. One, how it holds in America later in its' run, and two, how it fares in Japan (its final international market opening in two weeks). Regardless, its a huge win for distributor Universal, and they can move forward fairly confidently with a third installment already scheduled for June 2021.Repeating in second place was an even bigger blockbuster, Incredibles 2. Holding better than last weekend, the animated sequel was off 43% to $45.5 million. In 17 days, Incredibles has amassed a massive $439.7 million, and already ranks as the third-biggest animated movie of all-time stateside (passing Toy Story 3 and about to pass Shrek 2's $442 million final gross), unadjusted of course. Overseas, the film continues to roll out slowly, with a lot of major markets yet to open ($645 million worldwide so far).
Many were predicting third place to be an all-out battle between two mid-major releases. But, action sequel Sicario: Day of the Soldado easily prevailed, and outperformed expectations (including my very low one) in the process. The sequel to the acclaimed hit managed a very good $19 million in its opening ($6,224 per-venue average), ahead of the first Sicario's $12 million weekend gross in its nationwide expansion (it started out as a limited release). For a $35 million production, this is a nice win for distributor Sony. Reviews were decent (if unspectacular as it is at 62% on Rotten Tomatoes), while audiences gave it a "B" CinemaScore. Whether or not this points to decent playability is currently in question.
Meanwhile, even though it ended up in fourth place, Uncle Drew still pulled in a decent audience. The basketball comedy came in lower than what I predicted (it was heavily marketed and seemed to have strong buzz), but came in ahead of most expectations with $15.5 million (decent $5,653 per-venue average). I wouldn't call this a valid comparison, but the opening matches previous male-driven comedy Tag ($15 million). Drew was based on a series of Pepsi Max advertisements starring the character, and carried a budget that was under $20 million. While it didn't break out, it's still a success by all means (both this and Sicario were predicted to open in the $10-13 million range by their distributors). Reviews for the Lionsgate release were fairly positive (67% on Rotten Tomatoes), while the CinemaScore was a strong "A".
With no competition for the female demographic, Ocean's 8 held up very well in its fourth weekend. The ensemble crime flick was off just 30% to $8 million, for a very good $114.7 million pick-up in 24 days, with still some gas left in the tank. Fellow Warner Bros. release Tag also held up well, off 32% to $5.6 million, for a decent $40.9 million in 17 days. The ensemble male comedy should make its way past $50 million before its done. Deadpool 2, meanwhile, continued to keep chugging along despite more and more blockbuster competition. The R-rated sequel was off just 35% in its seventh weekend to $3.5 million, for a very strong $310.3 million gross in 49 days. It's also at a very successful $720 million worldwide.
Opening in limited release was international flick Sanju. On just 356 screens, the Fox release managed a very good $2.6 million, enough to take eighth place (its $7,163 per-venue average ranked third for the weekend). The budget was likely small on this biographical film (and it earned $22 million in India this weekend as well). Solo: A Star Wars Story is very near the end of its run, as it fell 49% in its sixth weekend to $2.3 million. The galactic spin-off has earned just $207.3 million in 42 days, and a weak $370 million worldwide.
Rounding out the Top 10 once again was Fred Rogers documentary Won't You Be My Neighbor? The Focus Features release expanded to 654 locations, and earned $2.3 million (up 26% from last weekend). Since its limited launch 24 days ago, it's earned $7.5 million. Meanwhile, a movie biopic on Fred Rogers starring Tom Hanks is currently scheduled for release in Fall 2019.
That's about it. Next weekend, Disney and Marvel re-enter the playing field with their third and final movie of the year, Ant-Man and the Wasp. The sequel is not expected to be nearly as huge as Infinity War and Black Panther. But it has earned strong reviews (89% on Rotten Tomatoes), so a debut bigger than the original's $58 million launch should be likely. Universal also has plans to release their latest in their horror hit franchise, The Purge with The First Purge, which should also be a solid performer. Predictions post coming Wednesday :).
