As just about everyone expected, the weekend was owned by the last big hit of the summer, Crazy Rich Asians. The romantic comedy continued to hold incredibly well in its third-straight week on top, off just 12% to $22 million for the traditional weekend, and $28.6 million including Monday. Since its debut 20 days ago, the book adaptation has pulled in a surprisingly amazing $117.3 million, or about four times its' $30 million production budget. And, the thing is, its' still probably got plenty more to go. There's just about no real competition for its audience throughout September (A Simple Favor might would qualify but its rated R). Distributor Warner Bros. celebrated a fourth-straight week at #1, and will likely extend that reign to five as horror flick The Nun is tracking for a debut above $30 million next week. In the end, regardless of how it holds from here, Crazy Rich Asians is a monster success for all involved. And its posting some of the best holding power for a romantic comedy in quite some time.Warner Bros., meanwhile, also kept the second spot for the third weekend in a row as their other big hit from August (they really had a great strategy heading into the end of the summer), The Meg, continued to play well also. The shark thriller was off just 18% in its fourth frame to $10.5 million ($13.8 million including Monday), for a very solid $123.8 million pick-up in 25 days. This could approach $150 million stateside by the time its done, as there's no PG-13 action film coming up in the next few weeks. Overseas, however, is where this film has truly shined. Including nearly $150 million in China, the Jason Statham flick is already at $470 million worldwide, with the half-billion mark likely to fall in the next week or so. At this point, I think a sequel will get the green light shortly.
A lack of any real potent competition propelled Tom Cruise back to third place this weekend as Mission: Impossible - Fallout continued its' stellar run. The penultimate entry in the 22-year old trilogy was off just 13% in its sixth weekend to $7 million ($9.3 million including Monday), for a fantastic $206.7 million in 42 days of release. At this point, Fallout should be able to pass Ghost Protocol's $209 million final gross in the next week. In the meantime, Mission: Impossible II's franchise-high $215 million final gross also looks likely to fall before this film's run is over. But, overseas, Fallout had a blockbuster $77 million debut in China this weekend, propelling its' worldwide total to $650 million with still quite a bit left in the tank.
It turned out to be a very close race in fourth place between two new releases. For the three-day weekend, however, it turned out to be Sony's indie thriller Searching with just a $40,000 edge. In just 1,207 locations, the technological flick opened well above expectations with a $6 million three day weekend (its $5,026 per-venue average ranked second in the Top 10 behind Asians, another win for a movie with an Asian-American lead), and $7.6 million through Monday. Many were unsure about this film's potential, as it had limited buzz. But, it seemed different enough that audiences were curious enough to see it. Audiences that did see it gave it a strong "A" CinemaScore, which could point to strong legs through the early Fall months. With the budget likely small (no official budget was released), Sony looks to have a very solid-sized hit on their hands.
It was in fifth place for the traditional weekend, but ended up about $250,000 ahead for the extended frame. The other new release, war drama Operation Finale, opened close to its' expectations. The film pulled in $6 million over the three-day stretch (mild $3,313 per-venue average), and $7.9 million including Monday. Since its Wednesday start, it has pulled in $9.6 million. Analysts were thinking of around $10 million in six days. For a film budgeted at $24 million, this isn't a terrible start. But, its' going to need some decent staying power if it's going to make a profit. Operation Finale did receive an "A-" CinemaScore, which may point to decent holding power. This looks like one of those films that might benefit from pulling in older crowds later into its run.
Disney had the only PG film in the Top 10 this week, as Christopher Robin continued to show solid legs as kids head back to school. The Winnie the Pooh adaptation stayed in sixth place, as it fell only 16% in its fifth frame to $5.3 million ($7.2 million including Monday), for a very solid $87.6 million pick-up in one month of release. With school back in, Christopher Robin probably will begin to close out its run. Right now, it's uncertain whether or not it will be able to muster past $100 million stateside. It will depend on if it can continue to hold well. Overseas, it has earned a quiet $35 million so far.
Also benefiting from older family crowds, Alpha had a nice hold in its third weekend. The prehistoric epic was off just 24% to $4.5 million ($6 million including Monday), for a $29 million gross in 18 days. While a finish around $40 million would be a disappointment against a $51 million budget, it's still a better performance than what Sony and other analysts had expected out of it. Plus, the film has a China opening to look forward to next week. So, perhaps the well-received film still has a chance at turning a profit.
After its disappointing debut last weekend, The Happytime Murders failed to keep generating interest. The R-rated puppet flick was down 54% over the three-day stretch to $4.4 million ($5.4 million and ninth place over the 4-day), for a truly stinky $18 million in 10 days. Against a $40 million budget, this will quickly head out of theaters probably before it even has a chance at reaching $30 million.
Spike Lee's BlackKklansman continued to play strong with some awards season buzz coming into the conversation. The political thriller was off 18% to $4.2 million ($5.6 million and eighth place over 4 days), for a very good $39.8 million in 25 days. The film might be able to stretch it out to $50 million if it remains in the conversation. Meanwhile, Mile 22 rounded out the Top 10, off 41% to $3.8 million ($4.8 million including Monday). The Mark Wahlberg disappointment is at $33 million in 18 days, and probably will fall short of $40 million stateside. Overseas results have been weak too.
Meanwhile, Labor Day Weekend brought re-expansions for a couple of the summer's biggest films. Pixar's Incredibles 2 came back to nearly 3,000 locations, and was just $100,000 behind Mile 22 over the 4-day stretch. The superhero blockbuster added another $4.7 million over the 4-day stretch, and has passed the $600 million milestone. The anticipated sequel has performed better than even the most optimistic analysts expected, and is only the ninth movie in history to pass this barrier. Worldwide, the film is at $1.66 billion with still Disney-friendly Italy to open. It could get close to $1.3 billion by the time it wraps.
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom also came back to about 1,600 locations, and added another $1.9 million. The blockbuster dino sequel is at $415.2 million so far, passing the final gross of last summer's biggest movie Wonder Woman. Worldwide, it passed $1.3 billion on Sunday, thanks to a performance in Japan that equaled its predecessor. In the end, Universal should be thrilled with how this movie has performed.
And that is about it. Next weekend, things will start to settle back to normal, or will they? Warner Bros. hopes to replicate some of the success of last year's IT remake with their latest horror flick, The Nun. The Conjuring franchise flick is tracking very successfully. The faith-based film also makes its way back into theaters next weekend with Pure Flix's God Bless the Broken Road finally hitting wide release after being delayed a few times. Look for a predictions post tomorrow. :)
