It turned out to be closer than expected, but a strong Saturday bump allowed How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World to keep the top spot for a second (and final) weekend. The animated franchise finale didn't quite hold spectacularly like the first one did, but it didn't hold terribly either. Dragon slid 45% to $30 million in its sophomore frame, for a solid $97.7 million gross in 10 days. In comparison, the first Dragon was down a light 34% in its second weekend, while the second movie was down 50%. Hidden World is tracking slightly ahead of the sequel's $94 million 10-day gross so far. Next weekend, Captain Marvel will steal some older kids, and the next animated competitor arrives the following week (Wonder Park). So right now, I'm not sure if this one will stay ahead of its' predecessors' paces. However, I'm betting that Universal and DreamWorks are thankful for a smaller budget. Overseas, it continues to do strong business with $375 million worldwide and counting.
This weekend was an event weekend for one reason. That's because Tyler Perry is officially hanging up the wig. But Madea did get sent off on a strong note. A Madea Family Funeral opened ahead of expectations with $27.1 million (a strong $11,077 per-venue average from just 2,442 locations). Among Madea films, its the fourth-biggest start behind Goes to Jail, Family Reunion, and the first Halloween film. Tracking didn't seem very strong for this film, but considering it was the finale of sorts for this series, a bump should have been expected. No budgeting information was released, but these films are usually made on the cheap. So Lionsgate will definitely find some profit here. As far as how it will play in the coming weeks, these movies are usually fairly front-loaded. However, it did get an "A-" CinemaScore, and there's no other options for its audience the rest of the month. So, we'll see. Analysts were projecting a debut near $20 million.
Alita: Battle Angel followed with a decent (if unspectacular) hold. The pricey flick was off 43% to $7 million, for a modest $72.2 million gross in 18 days. It's faring better overseas, with $350 million so far. However, it will need a little more juice if it wants to turn a profit. Having a better hold was
The LEGO Movie 2. The animated sequel was off 32% in its fourth frame to $6.6 million, for a mild $91.7 million gross in 24 days. It will pass $100 million in the next week or so, but its' still a big disappointment (especially overseas, where its' only earned $60 million so far).
It turned out to be essentially a four-way tie for fifth place, with the order likely to switch a bit when actuals are reported tomorrow. Right now, coming off of an Oscar win for Best Picture, Green Book re-expanded and finds itself in the fifth spot. Winning three Oscars, the drama pulled in another $4.7 million this weekend. In 16 weeks since its limited start, the film has pulled in $75.9 million against a $23 million budget. I would expect the film to top out around $85 million if it levels off from here.
Fighting with My Family stayed in there, and was off 40% in its sophomore frame to $4.7 million. The wrestling flick has earned a mild $14.9 million in 17 days since its limited launch. Looks like $25 million might be the ceiling here. Isn't It Romantic had a solid hold in its third frame, off 35% to $4.6 million, for a mild $40.3 million pick-up in 19 days. It's on track to finish around $50 million stateside. Not a great result, but not a terrible one either.
Opening with weak numbers as expected, meanwhile, was the indie thriller Greta. The Chloe Moretz flick basically matched expectations with an estimated $4.6 million (weak $1,902 per-venue average). There just wasn't any significant buzz or marketing for this flick, and the R rating prevented it from attracting a wider audience. Distributor Focus Features did not release a budget, and everyone forecasted a debut between $4 and $6 million.
What Men Want stuck around for a fourth-straight week, off 49% to $2.7 million. The R-rated comedy has earned a solid $49.6 million in 24 days, with not much further to go. Happy Death Day 2U rounded out the list with a 49% dip to $2.5 million. The horror sequel has earned a light $25.3 million in 17 days, about in line with the first movie's opening weekend ($26 million). However, the fact that it only has a $9 million budget is definitely a sigh of relief at this point.
And that's about it. Next weekend, the first huge player of the year arrives as Marvel and Disney unleash Captain Marvel. Its' tracking for huge numbers, and I'll discuss the downbeat on it in a post on Wednesday. Hope all has a great week! :)
