Weekend Wrap-Up
An Irresistible Force Awakens the Box Office
By John Hamann
December 20, 2015
The Tina Fey/Amy Poehler release Sisters is third. From Universal, this fem-centric comedy got out the gate with an okay score - $13.4 million from 2,962 venues - which should be enough to carry it through the holidays. Next weekend, both Daddy's Home and Joy will to try to push this to the sidelines, but it has earned decent reviews (62% fresh) and serves an audience that is often under-appreciated. Made for $30 million, Sisters is going to be just fine.
With a top three that is this strong, holdovers were in real trouble, as the pie only expands so far, and this pie is really stretched. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 drops to fourth after living at #1 for the last month. This weekend it earned $5.6 million and fell 51%. Mockingjay Part 2 has now hit $254.4 million domestically and has over $340 million earned overseas.
Creed is fifth, earning $5.1 million. It fell 50% compared to last weekend, but I wouldn't be surprised at all if we saw a 10-20% increase next weekend if the studio promotes it. So far, the Rocky offshoot has earned $87.9 million against a $35 million budget.
The Good Dinosaur suffered with both Star Wars and Alvin and the Chipmunks stealing audience, but still tallied $4.2 million this weekend. It dropped 59% and has a cumulative total of $96.5 million. Krampus is seventh, earning $3.8 million. It was down 55%, but remember that it cost $15 million to make and has now pulled in $34.8 million.
Eighth is the Ron Howard misfire In the Heart of the Sea. After opening to $11.1 million last weekend, the Chris Hemsworth film dropped a searing 69%, earning only $3.5 million. It now has a total of $18.6 million.
Two Indian films are ninth and tenth as Star Wars creates a window. Dilwale earned $1.9 million from 268 venues and Bajirao Mastani earned $1.7 million from 304 locations. The overall box office also hits a record this weekend thanks to Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The top 12 films combined earned an amazing $294.8 million, handily beating the weekend that Jurassic World led the top 12 to $266 million. The biggest December weekend had been Christmas weekend in 2009, when Christmas fell on a Friday (as will happen this year). That weekend delivered $259.9 million.
Next weekend brings a massive five new releases, all of which have no chance of finishing first. New films include Daddy's Home with Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg, Joy with Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper and Robert De Niro, Concussion with Will Smith, the Point Break remake, and The Big Short, with Christan Bale, Brad Pitt, Steve Carell and Ryan Gosling. In limited release, the Hateful Eight roadshow begins and is joined by The Revenant, which debuts on four screens. That's a lot of releases for a single weekend, but its Christmas, so anything can happen. It certainly happened for The Force Awakens this weekend.
1 |
Star Wars: the Force Awakens |
Disney |
$238,000,000 |
New |
$238,000,000 |
2 |
Alvin And the Chipmunks: Road Chip |
Fox |
$14,400,000 |
New |
$14,400,000 |
3 |
Sisters |
Universal |
$13,400,000 |
New |
$13,400,000 |
4 |
Hunger Games: Mockingjay Pt. 2 |
Lionsgate |
$5,650,000 |
- 50% |
$254,438,774 |
5 |
Creed |
WARNER BROS. |
$5,085,000 |
- 50% |
$87,900,000 |
6 |
The Good Dinosaur |
Disney |
$4,232,000 |
- 59% |
$96,546,000 |
7 |
Krampus |
Universal |
$4,000,000 |
- 53% |
$35,000,000 |
8 |
In the Heart of the Sea |
WARNER BROS. |
$3,465,000 |
- 69% |
$18,600,000 |
9 |
Dilwale |
Utv |
$1,950,000 |
New |
$1,950,000 |
10 |
Bajirao Mastani |
Eros |
$1,750,000 |
New |
$1,750,000 |
11 |
Spotlight |
Open Road Films |
$1,483,167 |
- 41% |
$22,861,193 |
12 |
Spectre |
Sony |
$1,400,000 |
- 65% |
$193,900,000 |
|
Also Opening/Notables |
|
Son of Saul |
Sony Classics |
$38,891 |
New |
$38,891 |
|
The Big Short |
Paramount |
$350,000 |
- 50% |
$1,292,000 |
|
Chi0raq |
Roadside Attractions |
$120,000 |
- 79% |
$2,450,000 |
|
Youth |
FOX SEARCHLIGHT |
$247,000 |
+ 131% |
$516,000 |
|
Macbeth |
|
$136,300 |
- 47% |
$653,672 |
|
The Danish Girl |
Focus Features |
$538,000 |
+ 104% |
$1,325,633 |
|
The Night Before |
Sony |
$1,150,000 |
- 72% |
$41,500,000 |
|
Carol |
Weinstein Co. |
$229,893 |
- 32% |
$1,626,721 |
|
Legend |
Universal |
$125,000 |
- 62% |
$1,725,000 |
|
Brooklyn |
FOX SEARCHLIGHT |
$1,200,000 |
- 40% |
$16,518,000 |
|
The Peanuts Movie |
Fox |
$535,000 |
- 80% |
$126,319,000 |
|
Trumbo |
Bleecker Street |
$385,240 |
- 52% |
$6,252,060 |
|
Room |
A24 |
$173,052 |
- 35% |
$4,534,916 |
|
The Martian |
Fox |
$465,000 |
- 68% |
$223,894,000 |
Box office data supplied by Exhibitor Relations
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