As what many expected, Universal and Illumination Entertainment opened on top with their next stab at an animated franchise, The Secret Life of Pets 2. Unfortunately, that effort may not work out so well. The sequel opened to $46.7 million (solid $10,229 per-venue average). That opening may sound fine on paper, but its less than half of the original's $104 million debut back three years ago and behind the $55-70 million expected by analysts. The original Pets broke (and still holds) the record for the biggest opening for a film not based on any pre-existing property. But despite having strong legs over the summer (and ending up at over $850 million worldwide), Pets didn't seem to be memorable over the years to family audiences. And, honestly, after one film with a unique idea, the formula starts to get a little tired. Critics gave it a mixed reception, while audiences liked it more with an "A-" CinemaScore. Luckily for Universal, Illumination remains one of the smartest spenders in the movie business, keeping the budget at $80 million. That means the film (especially with schools letting out) will be fine financially. But, its' certainly not as big as anyone expected.Internationally, the sequel is rolling out more slowly, with the worldwide gross at close to $100 million with many major countries yet to open. At this point, I don't think it's going to be nearly as successful as the original's worldwide final gross, but it'll still do fine. Stateside, the biggest competition comes in two weeks with Toy Story 4 currently breaking pre-sales records. But, animated flicks have proven to play well side-by-side over the summer, so Pets 2 should remain a solid player at the box office through at least the 4th of July if not longer (the next family title opening won't be until July 19 with Disney's remake of The Lion King).
Meanwhile, everyone knew details were sketchy about how Dark Phoenix would perform. The final Fox X-Men movie had changed release dates twice and had a round of reshoots last year. But, after bad reviews (22% on Rotten Tomatoes) came in, everyone seemed to think it was doomed. And doomed it was. The superhero blockbuster opened to a disheartening $32.8 million (moderate $8,822 per-venue average), way below the $50-55 million analysts were predicting and less than half of Apocalypse's $66 million 3-day launch three years ago. Coming off of the weak reception behind X-Men: Apocalypse was one thing, but getting lost in the Disney/Fox shuffle was another. Disney finally released it, but the truth was that not many were craving for this movie. Many are hoping that Disney and Marvel will reboot the characters the right way in the Marvel Cinematic Universe later on. Overseas, the film fared better with a $107 million launch, but a $140 million worldwide opening pales in comparison to recent superhero flicks like Avengers: Endgame and is in line with Shazam (which finished with $370 million worldwide).At its current pace, with the reviews and a mixed "B-" CinemaScore, Dark Phoenix is likely on track for a $300 million worldwide gross. With a large marketing spend plus a $200 million budget, it will most likely not turn a profit for everyone involved. Disney and Fox currently have the other completed (with reshoots coming) X-Men movie, The New Mutants set for next April. And the hope is that it will feature a better performance. Disney expected a $45-50 million debut.
Speaking of Disney, they are finding much greater success with their remake of Aladdin. In the face of added competition, the fantasy musical was off a light 42% to $24.7 million, for a strong $232.6 million pick-up in 17 days. At this pace, the film is on track for a possible finish above $300 million stateside. Overseas, the film continues to shine as well, with the worldwide gross passing $600 million with more to go (it got off to a strong start in Japan this week).
Meanwhile, after a mediocre start last week, Godzilla: King of the Monsters failed to gain back ground big time. The monster sequel plunged 68% to $15.5 million, for a weak $78.5 million pick-up in 10 days. In comparison, the first Godzilla was off 67% in its second weekend back in 2014. Expect the sequel to continue fading fast from here. Overseas remains better, with the worldwide gross about to pass $300 million in two weeks, but its' also fading fast in foreign territories too.
Surprisingly, Rocketman isn't showing signs of strong word-of-mouth. The Elton John biopic was down 46% in its second weekend to $13.8 million, for an OK $50.3 million pick-up in 10 days. Paramount probably won't see a $100 million final gross here for this film. But, the good news is its' budget is only $40 million. Its' earned $50 million overseas so far as well. Meanwhile, fellow sophomore title Ma fell 57% to $7.8 million, for a solid $32.8 million pick-up in 10 days (especially against a $5 million budget). It should make its way to near $50 million stateside.
Finally showing signs of stability, John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum was off a light 33% to $7.4 million. The action thriller has pulled in a franchise-best $138.7 million in 24 days, along with $250 million worldwide. Avengers: Endgame held solidly in the face of Dark Phoenix, off 39% to $4.9 million in its seventh frame. The penultimate Marvel film has pulled in a huge $824.4 million in 49 days, and a massive $2.73 billion worldwide. It's now $57 million behind Avatar, and is on track to close right at $2.75 billion. Even with it not becoming the all-time biggest movie, Endgame has still put up a gargantuan performance.
With more movies for kids out, Detective Pikachu is starting to flee theaters, off another 54% to $3.2 million in its fifth weekend. Its' at a pretty good $137.6 million in one month of release, and a more-impressive $410 million worldwide, in what should be a finish near $450 million. Rounding out the Top 10 is Booksmart. The R-rated indie comedy fell 52% to $1.6 million, for a weak $17.8 million pick-up in 17 days. Thankfully, the budget was only $6 million. With marketing costs, it should reach breakeven with DVD and streaming sales.
And that's about it. Next week brings the debut of two more reboots that could take off (or not), Men in Black: International and Shaft. Also, expanding nationwide is the R-rated comedy Late Night. I'll have a predictions post Thursday. Hope all is having a great week. :)
