Apologies for this being late. Overall business ended up behind this same weekend last year by 11%, which featured the $45 million debut of The Meg.
Some analysts believed it could be close, but in the end, Hobbs and Shaw kept the top spot. The spin-off didn't hold well, but it can at least boast a better hold than previous Fast and Furious entries (though those opened much higher). Off 58% to $25.3 million, the expensive production has earned $108.4 million in 10 days. In comparison, the previous three were off 60% or higher. That being said, on a budget of $200 million, the domestic gross looks like its going to struggle to approach that. Thankfully for the franchise, it has overseas to pick up the slack. Excluding China and a couple other countries, its already at $335 million worldwide in 10 days. China's performance will really be the main factor in determining how high it will go.
However, it wasn't exactly an easy win. Topping the box office on Friday before coming apart a bit over the weekend, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark scored solid numbers in second place. Outperforming its' $12-15 million tracking, the PG-13 scarefest earned $20.9 million, for a solid $6,672 per-venue average. Considering the amount of horror pics that have come since June, the fact this overperformed is a bit of a surprise. Yet, CBS Films (who is about to close in the midst of the CBS-Viacom re-merger) marketed this film brilliantly. Starting with a Super Bowl ad, they successfully enticed teenagers. Reviews were solid too. Audiences gave it a "C" CinemaScore, which is par for the course for horror flicks. The budget was $28 million, which is higher than most films of its kind, but this kind-of debut should set it up decently.
In a close third, The Lion King continued roaring. Disney's blockbuster was off 48% in its fourth frame to $20.2 million. In 24 days, it has earned a massive $473.3 million, as it will likely pass $500 million next weekend. Overseas, its' already at $1.35 billion worldwide, ranking in 12th on the all-time worldwide chart. Next weekend will bring a bit more competition for the family crowd, but it will still likely be a strong player through Labor Day Weekend.
Opening in fourth was another 90's nostalgia play, Dora and the Lost City of Gold. Some believed it could climb above $20 million, but the Paramount picture didn't quite reach that, instead settling at $17.4 million (mild $4,667 per-venue average). That's ahead of the studio's $15 million forecast, at least. Produced for around $50 million, Dora seemed snuffed by Lion King's continued appeal to families as well as other appealing options. With a strong "A" CinemaScore, the hope is that the film will have strong holds through Labor Day, but with Angry Birds Movie 2 opening tonight, that could be a challenge. We will have to wait and see.
Holding solidly despite five new options, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood was off a light 42% to $11.7 million. Sony and Quentin Tarantino have earned a solid $100.4 million in 17 days, and should be on its way to around $130 million stateside. That's a rare original win in what's been a franchise-driven summer at the box office. Overseas numbers are starting to kick in, with Russia pulling in record numbers for Tarantino.
In sixth place comes the next new release, The Art of Racing in the Rain. Another movie aimed at families, the Disney release (Fox produced it) earned $8.1 million (weak $2,943 per-venue average), at the low end of the $8-10 million expected by analysts. That's in line with A Dog's Journey ($8.1 million) back in May, as audiences clearly are saying they didn't really need three dog films in one year. I also question opening this in the face of Dora and Lion King, as it might would have fared better as a Fall release. Earning mixed reviews from critics and an "A-" CinemaScore, the book adaptation carried a reported $18-20 million budget. It may play well through Labor Day with solid word-of-mouth, if it doesn't get lost among a crowded August.
Disney and Fox can at least say they fared better than Warner Bros. this weekend, who misfired big time with their female-led comic adaptation The Kitchen. The R-rated flick earned a weak $5.5 million in seventh place (terrible $2,014 per-venue average), ranking as the lowest debut yet for Melissa McCarthy and Tiffany Haddish. Negative reviews didn't help, and a seemingly last-minute release move-up from October seemed odd (I think it should have stayed there). With a "B-" CinemaScore and a $38 million budget, this will likely fade fast and cause a write-down for the studio.
Remaining in the mix, Spider-Man: Far From Home was off a light 33% in its sixth frame to $5.3 million. The MCU's latest has pulled in a huge $371 million in six weeks of release, as it hopes to approach $400 million. I don't think it will quite reach it, but it can boast to have a franchise-best $1.1 billion worldwide. Toy Story 4, on the other hand, is approaching the $1 billion mark. It was off 38% in its eighth weekend to $4.5 million, for a strong $419.7 million pick-up in eight weeks of release. It's passed Toy Story 3 ($415 million) domestically (unadjusted for inflation, of course), and is at $990 million worldwide.
Playing in 873 locations, documentary Bring the Soul: The Movie unexpectedly took the 10th spot, earning $2.4 million after a Wednesday start. According to Box Office Mojo, it has earned $4.5 million so far, in what is a decent performance for the low-budget indie. It narrowly outperformed Brian Banks, which came in 11th with $2.2 million (weak $1,739 per-venue average).
That's about it. Look for my review of The Art of Racing in the Rain by tomorrow, followed by a predictions post for next week by Thursday. Its' going to be another crowded weekend with one opening Tuesday and four others on Friday. Should be interesting. Hope all has a great week! :)