There was an undisputed champion at the box office this weekend, as many of the newcomers failed to impress moviegoers.
At #1 is Kung Fu Panda 3 (read our review), which made $41 million in its first three days. While it’s great for DreamWorks Animation that their latest film managed to top the charts in its debut, that doesn’t mean it’s all good news. Despite not facing much competition, this third installment opened slightly lower than Kung Fu Panda 2 in 2011 ($47.6 million). These figures are nothing to sneeze at, but it does indicate that there’s continuously diminishing interest in the property. It will be interesting to see how it performs over the course of its run, as that will determine if the studio continues the franchise or lays it to rest. Each entry has seen lower returns commercially.
Oscar contender The Revenant comes in at #2, continuing to capitalize on the strong awards buzz it’s generated since it opened wide. It brought in $12.4 million to raise its domestic total to $138.1 million. Fans of Leonardo DiCaprio are excited by the idea of the actor finally winning an Oscar with this role, and they’re making sure the film’s a box office hit to boot. With the Academy Awards still a few weeks away, The Revenant should continue to post healthy numbers.
The #3 film is Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which made $10.7 million in its seventh weekend. It has now grossed a whopping $895.4 million in the States and still has an outside shot of hitting $1 billion domestically. Worldwide, the film will cross the $2 billion plateau during the week, becoming just the third movie in history to accomplish that feat. Is it any wonder why Lucasfilm pushed back the premiere of Episode VIII to December 2017?
Opening at #4 is the true story drama The Finest Hours (read our review) with $10.3 million. Though the film featured some recognizable faces such as Chris Pine and Casey Affleck, their presence didn’t help much in regards to being a draw. Finest Hours was probably hampered by its lukewarm critical reception, which painted it more as an “OK” film than something that demanded to be seen on the big screen. Its old fashioned charm had some pull with older moviegoers, but the widespread appeal simply wasn’t there. It’s unlikely to turn things around and become a massive hit, considering interest was this low.
Rounding out the top five is Ride Along 2 with $8.3 million. The comedy sequel is now up to $70.7 million domestically.
Horror film The Boy comes in sixth, making $7.8 million in its second weekend. So far, the film has brought in $21.5 million in the States, more than doubling its production budget.
Dirty Grandpa is #7 with $7.5 million. The raunchy comedy couldn’t really find a following, as it’s made just $22.8 million to date during its run.
The young adult adaptation, The 5th Wave, falls to #8 in its second weekend, making $7 million. The film has grossed only $20.1 million domestically, which isn’t the start of a franchise hopeful. It has gotten a small boost from international markets; the worldwide total is $65.2 million. Time will tell if that can salvage the series and warrant a sequel, but it isn’t looking good.
Spoof comedy Fifty Shades of Black bombed in its opening weekend, settling for a ninth place finish and $6.1 million. Though Fifty Shades of Grey should be an easy target for some solid humor, Marlon Wayans was apparently not the one to handle the material. The film was skewered by critics, essentially making it DOA as it reached theaters. Few people had interest, and this one will be leaving screens as quickly as it arrived.
Finishing off the top 10 is Michael Bay’s 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi with $6 million. The thriller has now made $42.5 million in its domestic run.
[NOTE: These are only weekend box office estimates — based on Friday and Saturday ticket sales coupled with adjusted expectations for Sunday. Official weekend box office results will be released on Monday, February 1 — at which time we’ll update this post with any changes.]
