August continued to deliver better-than-average business, even if overall box office strength is weakening (as expected). Overall business, meanwhile, surged 30% ahead of last year, when The Hitman's Bodyguard led with $21 million.
Opening on top, book adaptation Crazy Rich Asians outperformed most tracking, and enjoyed a very solid debut. The romantic comedy earned $25.2 million in its opening weekend (good $7,457 per-venue average), for a $34 million total since its Wednesday debut. Analysts were looking for a 5-day debut around $25 million or possibly higher, as social media tracking was always very strong. In the meantime, opening away from real blockbuster competition really helped it too. Reviews were strong (92% on Rotten Tomatoes), while audiences gave it a strong "A" CinemaScore. Little competition for older teens and couples over the next several weeks will definitely help it play well through the remainder of summer and into September. Warner Bros. produced the film for $30 million.Warner Bros. took second place also with their surprise hit from last week, The Meg. The shark thriller was down 53% to $21.2 million, for a solid $83.8 million pick-up in 10 days. Considering this second weekend gross was what the film was originally expected to open with, its still performing way better than anyone expected. Meanwhile, the film has also done strong business overseas, with over $300 million worldwide already earned in two weeks. Look like it could be headed past the $500 million mark at this rate.
Meanwhile, Mark Wahlberg suffered a bit of a blow this weekend. His latest action flick, Mile 22, came in way below expectations with $13.6 million (mild $3,869 per-venue average). The STX release was expected to approach $20 million based on tracking. For Wahlberg, in the meantime, this was on the low-end. Mile 22 was behind the debuts of Deepwater Horizon ($20 million) and Lone Survivor ($38 million), and just ahead of the $11 million earned by Patriot's Day. Long-term prospects look pretty dim too, reviews were negative (20% on Rotten Tomatoes), and audiences gave the film a mixed "B-" CinemaScore. On a budget of $35 million, I think this movie will probably have a hard time matching that by the time its' done.Besides that, there was a tie for fourth place. Mission: Impossible - Fallout was on one end, down 46% to $10.5 million. In 24 days, the penultimate entry in the action franchise has earned a terrific $180.7 million. With Labor Day coming up, I can see Fallout going past $200 million. Right now, whether or not it will beat M:I II ($217 million) for first place among the franchise stateside is up for debate. Worldwide, however, it continues to play strong, as it passed $500 million.
On the other end is the last new release, Sony's prehistoric thriller Alpha. Benefiting from IMAX and 3D grosses, the PG-13 flick did outperform the low expectations it was given. The film earned $10.5 million (mild $3,862 per-venue average), while analysts were expecting $5-7 million. Perhaps the light-hearted and strong marketing effort succeeded in pulling in families with older children. While Sony can breathe a sigh of relief that this isn't a flat-out disaster, it's still not in very good shape. The budget here was $51 million, with marketing not included. It does have overseas markets yet to open (like China), but it will need major help from there to make a profit. That being said, considering Sony seemed to have little to no confidence in the flick (they've bounced it around their schedule three times beginning back last September), they are probably a little surprised at how it ended up.In its third frame, Disney's Christopher Robin had a strong hold in its third weekend. The Pooh adaptation was off just 32% to $8.9 million, for a $66.9 million pick-up in 17 days. The fantasy flick held similarly to Pete's Dragon (34%) in its third weekend, while continuing to outpace it (it had $55 million by this point). Look for continued strong holding power through Labor Day and beyond.
Following a strong debut last weekend, BlackKklansman held on nicely in its sophomore frame. Spike Lee's latest fell 36% to $7 million, for a decent $23 million pick-up in 10 days. Meanwhile, horror flick Slender Man held similarly to other films in its genre. The indie flick was down 56% to $5 million, for a decent $20.7 million gross in 10 days. A finish close to $30 million would not be necessarily bad news, as its against a $10 million budget with limited marketing. But, it's not like there's going to be much profit here either.
Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation continued to play well through the summer, off just 30% in its sixth frame to $3.7 million. The threequel has earned a strong $153.9 million in 42 days, and will continue to be a player through Labor Day. Even if it falls short of the second film's $170 million final gross, for it to come within $5-10 million of its predecessor is something sequels never really do. Overseas, it's at over $400 million, on its way to passing the second film's $475 million worldwide final gross.
Rounding out the Top 10 was another summer sequel, Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again. The musical dramedy was down 42% in its fifth frame to $3.4 million, for a very solid $111.2 million gross in one month of release. The sequel will likely bow out of theaters around $120 million. That's close to the likes of Enchanted ($127 million) and Into the Woods ($128 million) among recent musicals.
That's about it. Next weekend, the final real possible breakout of the summer opens with the R-rated Muppet flick The Happytime Murders. The comedy could compete for the top spot, but check back in on Wednesday for a full predictions post. :)
